Class Notes

Bradley Cole has been added as a partner to Thompson Coe’s Insurance Coverage section. Cole has more than 30 years of experience assisting clients in a wide range of disputes.

Marty Green has been appointed to the Finance Commission of Texas by Governor Abbott. Green has served as principal and attorney in charge for Polunsky Beitel Green, LLP, since 2011, specializing in financial services and consumer credit arenas.

Scott Clark has joined Houston-based global intellectual property and commercial litigation firm Alavi Anaipakos as a partner. He represents clients in high-stakes intellectual property cases and business disputes.

Kathryn Gurley has been appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott as Judge of the 287th Judicial District Court in Bailey and Parmer counties. Previously, she served as the Parmer County Attorney. Gurley is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Friona Chamber of Commerce. She is a former board member of the Friona Independent School District and former member of the Friona Public Library Endowment Committee.

Keith Fullenweider was elected as the next Chair at Vinson & Elkins LLP. He will work alongside three partners, which will constitute a new Executive Committee of the firm. Fullenweider started with Vinson & Elkins in 1988 and is currently the co-head of the Corporate department. Previously, he led the firm’s Private Equity and Mergers and Acquisitions practice from 2008 to 2016.

Ann Gill Howard was elected in November 2020 as Travis County Commissioner for Precinct Three. She is a Dean’s Distinguished Graduate from the College of Liberal Arts (BA, Sociology, 1985), a Texas Exes Life Member and a Friar, Dean’s Distinguished Graduate for Service from the Law School (JD, 1988), and a Barbara Jordan Fellow for the LBJ School (MPA, 1988).

The nationally prestigious legal guide Best Lawyers in America has recognized four attorneys from the Rogge Dunn Group in its 2021 edition, including attorney David Gross, JD ’88. Gross has earned honors for the first time this year, for his work in labor and employment litigation.

The San Antonio Bar Foundation (SABF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel “Neel” M. Lane, Jr. to the SABF Fellows Program newly-elected 2020 class.

Jeffrey J. Zissa has joined the Dallas office of national law firm Polsinelli as a shareholder in its thriving Real Estate Finance practice. With a broad range of experience over almost three decades, Zissa has advised on all aspects of complex commercial real estate and mortgage transactions on a national scale, involving virtually every product line. He is board certified in Commercial Real Estate Law and Residential Real Estate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Karen Turner and Ashley McDowell join to form Turner McDowell, PLLC, in Dallas.

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton announced today that it has opened an office in Houston. With the firm successfully expanding into Dallas in 2015, Kilpatrick Townsend now has two offices in the Lone Star State. A team of 13 deep-rooted Texas attorneys – led by partners Patrick Gaas and Daniel Shank – bring well-recognized practices to Kilpatrick Townsend.

Edward Mark Barcus has been appointed as an Immigration Judge with the Executive Office of Immigration Review of the United States Department of Justice. Prior to his appointment by Attorney General Loretta Lynch in January of this year, Judge Barcus served as an trial judge for over 14 years in the Oklahoma state court system, including as a District Court Judge for Tulsa County. He will hear Immigration cases at the Imperial Immigration Court in Imperial, California.