Class Notes

Dana Paul, owner of Paul Law Firm, PLLC, has been appointed to the school board for Life Way Christian School in Centerton, Arkansas, a K-12th grade private school with over 500 students.

Andrew Keller recently joined Hogan Lovells as a partner in the international trade and investment group. His practice focuses on economic sanctions, export controls and other national security and international legal matters. Immediately prior to joining Hogan Lovells, Andrew served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counterthreat Finance and Sanctions at the U.S. Department of State. He has also served in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the State Department and as chief counsel to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Daniel Sternthal, a shareholder in Baker Donelson’s Houston office, has been ranked as a leading practitioner in the recently released 2017 edition of Chambers USA in the “Up and Coming” category in the area of health care in Texas.

Daniel Sternthal, a shareholder in Baker Donelson’s Houston office, will be ranked in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA, a highly regarded directory of America’s leading lawyers for business, as a leading practitioner in the area of healthcare.

Venable LLP recently announced that Evan Pritchard has joined the firm’s Real Estate practice as counsel in Tysons Corner, Virginia. Mr. Pritchard’s practice focuses on securing zoning and land use approvals for developers and landowners in jurisdictions throughout Northern Virginia, particularly in Arlington, Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and the City of Falls Church, among others. He advises clients on state and federal legislation and regulations affecting real estate development and important changes to local jurisdictions’ comprehensive plans and zoning ordinances. His clients include mixed-use project developers, large corporate clients and some work for nonprofits and churches.

Andrew Baumgardner has been selected to join Leadership San Antonio, a program jointly sponsored by the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Baumgardner is a partner in the Real Estate and Family Office practices at Jackson Walker LLP.

Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. (Munsch Hardt) is proud to announce the promotion of Aryn Self to shareholder, effective May 1. Self works in the Dallas office and is an active members of the Real Estate practice group.

Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, has further expanded its Dallas office with securities and commercial litigation partner Bryce Benson in the Litigation Practice Group. He joins Akerman’s national bench of trial lawyers and enhances the firm’s core strengths in the financial services sector.

The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) today announced that Mollie Bell, who has served as the association’s Chief Transformation Officer since September, will be leading CUNA’s engagement team. The role combines what had previously been separate engagement and transformation roles. Bell will lead CUNA’s engagement team and broader cross-functional and collaborative member development and engagement work as CUNA begins operating under the new bylaws overwhelmingly approved recently by its member credit unions. Bell will continue to serve on CUNA’s Leadership Team.

Porter Hedges announced today that James T. Thompson has joined the firm as a partner in the energy section in Houston. Mr. Thompson represents a wide spectrum of energy companies, including majors, independents, oilfield service providers and royalty owners in the purchase and sale of energy assets and in connection with their exploration and development activities. His practice also includes the negotiation, preparation and implementation of all types of oil and gas-related agreements, along with litigation support on disputes involving upstream and midstream energy issues.