Class Notes

David Rodriguez passed away Oct. 25, 2025. A double Longhorn, he opened and ran his own law practice, the Law Office of David Rodriguez, in San Antonio.

David Bolduc has been appointed to the Texas Public Sector Artificial Intelligence Systems Advisory Board. Bolduc currently serves as the agency head and public counsel at the Office of the Public Insurance Counsel and has over 49 years of legal experience in government and private practice.

Samuel G. Encarnacion has been chosen to receive the A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Minority Bar Committee, recognizing his outstanding contributions to justice, leadership, and service throughout his career. Encarnacion is senior trial counsel at Haggerty Silverman & Justice in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Veronica Gonzales has been named the 2025 Woman of the Year by the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce. Gonzales, who is the senior vice president for governmental and community relations at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, also serves on Texas Law’s Alumni Association Executive Committee.

Nicole Cubbage has been appointed chief of staff to the deputy secretary of commerce at the U.S. Department of Commerce. A double Longhorn, she is a criminal defense attorney who owns the Law Office of Nicole Cubbage in Washington, D.C.

Leslie Hagin has founded Lawyers Assisting Lawyers, a 501c3 public charity to educate, destigmatize and provide free, confidential and independent peer support counseling to lawyers, law students, and judges facing substance use and other mental health challenges. Previously she was a federal law clerk, partner in private practice, and served as a counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Hagin also is a Washington state certified peer counselor.

Hudson Henley, president and CEO of Hudson Henley Property Management in Dallas, has been named to the Longhorn 100 by Texas Exes. This list recognizes alumni from The University of Texas who have created and guided some of the fastest-growing businesses in the world in 2025.

Vianei Lopez Braun, a shareholder at Decker Jones, was named one of “100 Hispanic Board Members Making a Difference” by Board Recruitment Magazine in its October 2024 edition. Vianei has been an independent director of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. since 2020 and serves on the board’s Compensation, Risk, and Nominations & Governance committees.

Jerry Bullard has been appointed by Governor Abbott to the new Eighth Business Court Division in Fort Worth. Bullard, who is a shareholder and attorney with Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C., has over 30 years of experience in state and federal court litigation.

Samuel G. Encarnacion, first assistant public defender in the Lancaster County Public Defender’s Office, received the annual Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Civil and Equal Rights Champion Award during the PBA annual meeting. The award honors an individual who champions for civil rights for all Pennsylvanians.

Julia A. Simon has joined trial litigation firm Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann as partner. Previously, Simon served as the chief legal officer for Mary Kay Inc. for almost 25 years.

Leonard Dougal has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide for his environmental law practice. Dougal is a partner at Jackson Walker with particular experience handling Clean Water Act and other water-related issues for mining and energy industry clients.

Jerry Bullard has been appointed to serve as a member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee for the Supreme Court of Texas. Bullard is a partner at Adams Lynch & Loftlin specializing in handling civil appeals in complex civil litigation.

Brian A. Carpenter has joined Cole Schotz PC’s Dallas office. Carpenter has 32 years of legal experience and focuses on commercial and patent litigation, including trials before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeals Board.

Jayme Partridge has joined Spencer Fane’s patent litigation practice as a partner. Partridge combines her technical engineering background with proven trial advocacy skills to provide unique insight into her clients’ complex intellectual property litigation.

Richard Valle has been named one of the Best Car Accident Lawyers in Albuquerque by Forbes Advisor. Valle focuses on the plaintiff side, specializing in car accidents, personal injury, and products liability litigation.

Andrea Marshall has been elected chairperson of SC Launch, Inc., and will serve on the board of trustees of the South Carolina Research Authority. Marshall previously served as the SC Launch board’s vice-chair and is the vice president, general counsel and administrative officer for MedTrust Holdings Inc.

Martin “Marty” Schexnayder has joined Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP as the new chair of its Houston office. A double Longhorn, Schexnayder has more than 25 years of litigation experience and specializes in professional liability matters.

Stephen Fernelius has joined Bradley Arant Bouly Cummings LLP as a partner specializing in energy litigation. Fernelius comes from Fernelius Mace PLLC, a small firm he founded and led for 13 years.

Ethel Johnson has joined the litigation team as a shareholder at Greenberg Taurig LLP. Johnson’s practice primarily focuses on employment and product liability litigation for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies, automobile manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and more.

Brad Barron has been appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ San Antonio Branch Board of Directors. Barron is the president and CEO of the San Antonio-based NuStar Energy.

Sandra Phillips Rogers has been promoted to newly created position of senior vice president, corporate resources and general counsel for Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). Rogers has been with TMNA since 2012.

Vianei Lopez Braun has been elected chair of the Fort Worth Regional Board of Directors for First Financial Bank after having served as the bank’s employment attorney for 24 years. Braun also sits on the Board of Directors for First Financial Bankshares, Inc. and serves as chief development officer for Decker Jones, P.C.

Jeffery Scott Mecom died on Oct. 12, 2021. Mecom taught business law in Estonia at the Estonian Business School in Tallinn. During his time in the Baltics, he visited several eastern European countries, Scandinavia and Russia. He had a successful career as an attorney for both private and public companies. He also served as a mentor in the Texas Law Mentoring Program.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has named attorney Barbara E. Griffin the new chair of the Pennsylvania Lawyers Fund for Client Security Board. She is the first woman and the first African-American to be named to the position. Griffin is the Director of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation’s Pro Bono Center, where she creates, manages, and supports legal services programs that provide volunteer attorneys to low-income persons facing legal issues that threaten basic human needs.

The San Antonio Bar Foundation (SABF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Grant T. McFarland to the SABF Fellows Program newly-elected 2020 class.

HOUSTON, TX, February 13, 2019 – Taylor English Duma LLP is pleased to announce the addition of Bryce Linsenmayer as a partner in the firm’s Corporate practice. In his third decade of practice, Linsenmayer has built a reputation for assisting top national and global clients. He focuses his practice on securities law and mergers and acquisitions with a particular focus on the energy, technology, cybersecurity, environmental, travel and leisure and healthcare industries.

Vianei Lopez Braun has joined Decker Jones, P.C. in Fort Worth. She will continue representing employers in labor & employment law matters.

Julia Simon has been named Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Mary Kay, Inc. As a member of the company’s executive committee, she will manage all aspects of the company’s Legal, Risk Management, Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility functions.

Thompson & Knight LLP is pleased to congratulate Jennifer P. Henry, who was named to the 2016 Who’s Who Legal 100. Henry was recognized for her work in transport law.

Bowman and Brooke LLP has re-elected Kelly Kimbrough as managing partner of the firm’s Austin office.

Vianei Lopez Braun joined Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller, LLP as a Partner in Labor & Employment Law, and she will be dividing her time between the Fort Worth and Houston offices.