Charles Robert “Chuck” Helms passed away Nov. 2, 2025. Helms, who spent many years practicing law in Dallas alongside his friend and partner Paul Pesek, was president of his local Catholic lawyer’s guild and served as president-elect of the national Catholic Bar Association.
Donna Gooden Payne has announced her plans to retire as senior vice president and general counsel at the University of Rochester. She previously served as university counsel and vice chancellor for legal affairs at East Carolina University before joining URochester in 2019.
Gary Truman passed away on July 13, 2025. He worked as an employment lawyer at Bradley Campbell Carney & Madsen before founding his own company, Gary Truman, LLC, and working as a landman for 15 years.
Michael Calhoon has joined Bourelly George & Brodey, a Washington, D.C.-based boutique litigation firm. Previously, Calhoon practiced at Baker Botts, where his team scored a nearly billion-dollar verdict in a complex securities fraud case.
Fields Alexander, a partner at Beck Redden, has been honored by Benchmark Litigation in its 2025 ranking of the nation’s top litigation talent. Previously he was named a 2024 Texas Super Lawyer in business litigation and a 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator in America, and was listed in the 2025 The Best Lawyers in America for four different specialties.
Sam Waldon has been named acting deputy director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Enforcement. Waldon has been with the SEC for 14 years, most recently as chief counsel for the Division of Enforcement.
Scott White, a senior vice president in the Global Commercial Bank at Bank of America in Los Angeles, was selected to join the board of trustees at Pasadena Ronald McDonald House. He also represents B of A’s Pacific Southwest Region on the Sustainability Council within the Global Commercial Bank.
Jennifer Parker Ainsworth has been inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. A shareholder in the Tyler, Texas firm of Wilson, Robertson & VanDeventer, Ainsworth represents clients in commercial and intellectual property litigation.
Fields Alexander was honored in the Chambers USA 2024 Guide in the practice area of Litigation: General Commercial and was named a 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Energy Lawyer. Alexander is a partner at Beck Redden LLP, where he specializes in trial law involving commercial transactions, business torts, professional malpractice, and energy litigation.
Janet Carl passed away on May 4, 2024. Carl worked in environmental law before retiring to live near family and give back to her community through charitable giving.
Professor Lonny S. Hoffman has been appointed to serve as a member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee for the Supreme Court of Texas. Hoffman is the law foundation professor at the University of Houston Law Center.
Paul F. Schuster has been promoted to partner at Bracewell’s litigation department. Schuster specializes in representing healthcare providers on a range of litigation and regulatory matters.
Fields Alexander earned the Litigation Star Award in Benchmark Litigation 2024. Alexander is a partner at Beck Redden LLP, where he specializes in trial law.
Janet McQuaid has joined Frost Brown Todd (FBT), a national law firm with specialized expertise in the energy industry. Prior to law school, McQuaid worked for 11 years as a chemical engineer for Exxon, equipping her with a unique background and a distinct perspective on developments in the energy industry.
Fields Alexander has been named as a 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator in America. Alexander is a partner at Beck Redden LLP, where he specializes in trial law and handles a wide range of matters on both sides of the docket for both individual and corporate clients. He also was named in Thomson Reuters Texas Super Lawyers 2023.
Fields Alexander has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America. Alexander is a trial lawyer at Beck Redden LLP and is being recognized for his work in Commercial Litigation, Labor and Employment Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants.
Tarek F.M. Saad has joined Reid Collins & Tsai LLP as partner. Saad has three decades of experience trying cases in U.S. and international civil and criminal courts as he specializes in resolving cross-border commercial disputes.
Paul Schuster has joined Bracewell LLP’s Dallas office as a partner in the litigation department. Schuster specializes in healthcare law and has been recognized on D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas” list since 2019.
Kameron D. Johnson has been named to the South Central Regional Advisory Board of the Gault Center. Johnson is the juvenile public defender for Travis County.
David Peavler is joining Jones Day as a partner in its Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement practice. Peavler was the former Director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s Fort Worth office.
Fields Alexander has been recognized as a 2022 Super Lawyer for his work in business litigation, as well as a Local Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation for 2023 and in the inaugural guide of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America. Alexander is a partner at Beck Redden.
Christine Aguilera has been named CEO of MedHealth Partners. Aguilera previously served as the company’s president and CFO since 2020; she will retain her role as president. Aguilera is also a board member at the marketing company Belardi Wong.
Colleen Marie Sullivan is the recipient of the Austin Bar Association’s 2022 Larry F. York Mentoring Award. This award honors Central Texas lawyers or judges who have exhibited extreme skill and generosity in their mentorship of younger members of the bar. Sullivan is the mandamus attorney at the Supreme Court of Texas. She joined the Court in April 2021 after 11 years as a staff attorney at the Third Court of Appeals.
Alexis Ander Kashar has been appointed to the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board by President Biden. Kashar is a civil rights attorney, business leader, technologist, and is the President of the Board for the New York School of the Deaf.
Wilson G. Jones has joined Bracewell LLP as a partner and chair of the healthcare practice. Over his 28-year career, Jones has provided counsel on the full range of legal issues faced by clients in the healthcare, pharma and life sciences industry, including representing and advising clients in compliance and regulatory matters, health industry transactions, and investigation and enforcement actions.
Patrick Bredehoft has joined Bracewell LLP as a partner in the healthcare practice. Based in Dallas, he maintains an active trial and arbitration practice, with a focus on healthcare and commercial disputes and qui tam litigation defense.
Fields Alexander has been recognized in 2021 Texas Super Lawyers for his work with General Litigation. This annual award listing is based on peer recognition and professional achievements and published by Thomson Reuters. Alexander is a partner with Beck Redden LLP.
Fields Alexander has been recognized in the 2022 The Best Lawyers in America ranking of the nation’s top legal talent. He is a partner with Beck Redden who specializes in Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation, and Product Liability Litigation.
Douglas Neill Carnes passed away on August 12, 2021. Carnes practiced law in Austin for 30 years, his latest position being staff attorney for the Travis County Juvenile Probation Department. He loved traveling, studying history, and painting.
Patrick Bredehoft is joining Bracewell LLP as a partner. Bredehoft is ranked as a leading lawyer in Texas Healthcare in Chambers USA (2021) and brings significant experience to Bracewell.
Wilson Jones has joined Bracewell LLP as a Partner. Jones, who chaired Thompson & Knight’s healthcare practice group, will also chair the healthcare regulatory and litigation practice at Bracewell.
Cynthia Dooley has joined Dallas’ Brousseau Naftis & Massingill. Her practice focuses on wills, trusts, estates and probate issues. Dooley earned her undergraduate degree from Rice in 1986 and her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law in 1992.
The San Antonio Bar Foundation (SABF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Carol Bertsch, from The Law Offices of Carol Bertsch, P.C., to the SABF Fellows Program newly-elected 2021 class.
Norton Rose Fulbright’s Global Chief Executive Gerry Pecht appointed Richard Krumholz as the law firm’s new Global Head of Litigation and Disputes. Krumholz will lead one of the world’s largest Litigation and Disputes Practice Groups, with more than 1,200 lawyers across 52 cities worldwide. Krumholz has led the US Litigation and Disputes Practice Group since 2014.
Texas Super Lawyers has again recognized Beck Redden LLP in its 2020 annual award listing, featuring 16 lawyers including Fields Alexander, who is specialized in general litigation.
Benchmark Litigation 2021 has recognized Fields Alexander in its 2021 ranking of the nation’s top litigation talent. Alexander is considered to be a “Local Litigation Star”, recommended consistently as a reputable and effective litigator by clients and peers.
Fields Alexander was named in the 2021 Best Lawyers in America. He specializes in Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation, and Product Liability Litigation.
Beck Redden LLP is pleased to announce that Partner Fields Alexander has been inducted as a Fellow into The American College of Trial Lawyers at its Spring Meeting held last week in Tucson, Arizona.
William S. Snyder has joined the Dallas office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as a Partner. Mr. Snyder has an active practice in state and federal courts and in arbitration. He represents clients in a broad spectrum of business litigation and is included in The Best Lawyers in America, and was named a Texas Super Lawyer for the last 10 consecutive years. He has argued cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Texas appellate courts.
International law firm Clark Hill Strasburger announced that Member Elizabeth Copeland has been confirmed to the U.S. Tax Court. Senators approved her appointment on the evening of August 28, 2018 in a voice vote. Elizabeth was nominated by President Trump in August 2017 and was approved by the Senate Finance Committee in June 2018.
Jeff Plotkin, UT JD ’92 with Honors, CPA, Realtor® & VP of Habitat Hunters, Inc., celebrates his company’s win as the Austin Chronicle’s “Best of 2017” awards for both Best Realtor® and Best Apartment Locator out of ~3200 other realty companies! Habitat Hunters is one of Austin’s oldest, independent, locally owned real estate firms. They handle both commercial and residential transactions. Contact Jeff for expert assistance with all of your Austin area property needs, Jeff@HabitatHunters.com.
Jackson Lewis P.C. is pleased to announce James Ward has joined our Kansas City Region office. Mr. Ward’s practice focuses on trial and appellate work on behalf of private and government employers. Mr. Ward has briefed and argued a number of appeals in employment matters in both federal and state court, including before the Missouri Supreme Court. Several of these appeals have involved first-impression issues, including claims for same-sex and “gender stereotype” discrimination, as well as an appeal before the Missouri Supreme Court that triggered a revised MHRA general verdict director and a brand new MHRA verdict director dedicated to disability discrimination claims.
Donna Gooden Payne, East Carolina University counsel and vice chancellor for legal affairs, was elected in June to a three-year term as a member-at-large on the Board of Directors of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) during its annual conference in San Francisco. Payne, a member of NACUA since 2002, has served for eight years on NACUA’s Editorial Board for The Journal of College and University Law. In addition, she has also served on the NACUNOTES Editorial Board, the Committee on Legal Education and the Committee on Program for the Annual Conference.
The law firm of Thompson & Knight LLPis pleased to congratulate Wilson Jones for his inclusion in D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas 2016,” which is featured in the magazine’s May issue.