Class Notes

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Class of 2004

Shannon Teicher

Shannon Zmud Teicher

Class of

Shannon Zmud Teicher has been named in Lawdragon’s 2024 list of top 500 leading litigators in America. Teicher was awarded for her IP litigation practice, as an advocate and counselor with deep experience in intellectual property, media and technology.

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Meghan Griffiths

Meghan Griffiths

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Meghan Griffiths has been elected as firmwide chair of Jackson Walker’s Environmental, Regulatory, & Legislative practice. She also has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide for her Energy: State Regulatory & Litigation practice. Griffiths’ practice focuses on complex litigation in the energy and electric power sector.

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Kennon Wooten

Kennon Wooten

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Kennon Wooten has been appointed to serve as a member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee for the Supreme Court of Texas. Wooten is a partner at Scott Douglas McConnico, focusing on general civil litigation and complex commercial litigation.

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Connie Pfeiffer headshot

Connie Pfeiffer

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Connie Pfeiffer has been appointed to serve as a member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee for the Supreme Court of Texas. Pfeiffer is a partner at YetterColeman as a board-certified appellate specialist.

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Hilary Frisbie headshot

Hilary Frisbie

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Hilary Frisbie has been appointed to senior director of investor relations at Oceaneering International, Inc.. Frisbie has served as associate general counsel, leading Oceaneering’s global contracting programs.

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Carrie Douglas headshot

Carrie Douglas

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Carrie Douglas has been promoted to partner at Bracewell, specializing in the firm’s healthcare and life sciences practice. Douglas represents hospital systems, surgery centers, and large physician practices in coverage and reimbursement disputes with health insurers.

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Mary Hall

Mary Hall

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Mary Hall passed away on Nov. 14, 2022. Hall, who also earned an MBA from UT, specialized in family law in her native Vermont and enjoyed traveling around the world.

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Amanda Tyler headshot

Amanda Tyler

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Amanda Tyler testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee’s Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs. Tyler is the executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC) and lead organizer of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign.

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Chris Hamilton

Class of
Mr.

Chris Hamilton ’04 has been selected to the 2023 Texas Super Lawyers list based on his work in high-stakes personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. Hamilton is owner/partner of Hamilton Wingo, LLD.

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Portrait of Allison S. Miller

Allison S. Miller

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Allison S. Miller has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for her work in Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants. A double Longhorn, Miller is an attorney at Beck Redden LLP and specializes in professional liability defense.

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Chris Hamilton

Chris Hamilton

Class of

Chris Hamilton has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in personal injury and product liability trials, as well as his expertise in medical malpractice lawsuits. Hamilton is owner and partner at Hamilton Wingo in Dallas and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

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Headshot of Reagan Reaud.

Reagan Reaud

Class of

Reagan Reaud will serve on the Board of Directors for the Beaumont Foundation, a nonprofit Texas corporation that provides grants for charitable causes. Reaud is the founder and CEO of Privateer Capital Management, L.P. and is the founder and Chairman of the Lucena Group.

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A photograph of Kennon Wooten.

Kennon Wooten

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Kennon Wooten has been selected as chair-elect of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors. Wooten is a partner at Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP and currently serves as a member of the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee.

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A photograph of Carrie Douglas.

Carrie Douglas

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Carrie Douglas has joined Bracewell LLP as a partner in healthcare and life science practice. A double Longhorn who earned dual bachelor degrees from UT, Douglas represents hospital systems, ambulatory surgery centers and large physician practices in coverage and reimbursement disputes.

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Heather Kliebenstein

Heather J. Kliebenstein

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Heather J. Kliebenstein has been named managing director of national the technology and innovation law firm Merchant & Gould’s seven offices. Kliebenstein comes from a technical background with experience as an IP and technology litigator.

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Jon Hyland

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Jon Hyland honored by the “Best Lawyers in America” publication for 2023 for his work in intellectual property litigation. Hyland is a partner in the Hilgers Graben PLLC Dallas office.

Jeremy Hawpe

Jeremy Hawpe

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Jeremy Hawpe has been appointed as office managing shareholder at Littler. Hawpe advises and represents employers in the infrastructure, healthcare, insurance, staffing and transportation industries in a range of employment law matters.

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Matt Allen

Matt Allen

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Matt Allen has joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi in Jackson as an assistant United States attorney in the Criminal Division.

Allison Standish Miller

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Allison Miller has been recognized as a 2022 Texas Super Lawyer. Miller is a trial attorney and serves as counsel for the Houston office of Beck Redden.

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Jose Vela

Jose Vela

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Jose Vela has been elected to the Austin City Council representing District 4, after running a campaign based on tackling housing affordability in Austin. Vela works as an immigration attorney for Walker Gates Vela, PLLC.

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Claire Powell

Claire Powell

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Claire Powell has been named Lewisville, Texas’s next city manager. Powell, who has served as an assistant city manager in Lewisville since 2016, will become the eighth city manager in the city’s history and the second woman to hold the post. She first joined Lewisville in 2011 as assistant city attorney, and became the Assistant City Manager over Development Services. 

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Portrait of Allison S. Miller

Allison Standish Miller

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Allison S. Miller has been recognized in 2021 Texas Super Lawyers for her work with Professional Liability, Defense. This annual award listing is based on peer recognition and professional achievements and published by Thomson Reuters. Miller is of counsel with Beck Redden LLP.

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Portrait of Scott Craig

Scott Craig

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Scott Craig has joined the new Austin office of Latham & Watkins LLP in the Emerging Companies Practice. He joins from Wilson Sonsini and represents emerging growth and late stage venture capital backed companies in technology, life sciences, and other high-growth industries, as well as the private equity and venture capital funds that invest in those companies, 

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Michael Paul Lewis

Michael Paul Lewis

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Michael Paul Lewis, age 42, passed away May 28, 2021. He practiced law in Kansas City, Missouri, and in Washington, D.C. He loved guitar, the blues, music in general, and his family. He delighted in finding the perfect analogy and could always be counted on to help anyone in need.

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Portrait of Dennis Windscheffel

Dennis J. Windscheffel

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The San Antonio Bar Foundation (SABF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dennis J. Windscheffel, of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, to the SABF Fellows Program newly-elected 2021 class.

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Portrait of Erica Valladares

Erica E. Valladares

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The San Antonio Bar Foundation (SABF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Erica E. Valladares, of Langley & Banack, Inc., to the SABF Fellows Program newly-elected 2021 class.

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Portrait of Allison S. Miller

Allison S. Miller

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Texas Super Lawyers has again recognized Beck Redden LLP in its 2020 annual award listing, featuring 16 lawyers including Allison S. Miller, who specializes in defense of professional liability.

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Connie Pfeiffer

Class of

Connie Pfeiffer, a widely respected appellate specialist with a practice in state and federal courts, has joined Yetter Coleman as the new leader of its appellate team. Her practice focuses on business disputes, legal malpractice and fiduciary claims, and statutory and procedural issues. She joins Yetter Coleman from a leading trial boutique, Beck Redden LLP, where she was a partner.

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Leslie Tan

Class of
Senior Counsel

Leslie Tan recently joined the Houston office of national law firm, Chamberlain Hrdlicka, as Senior Counsel in the Labor & Employment Group. Tan brings 16 years of experience in complex civil litigation to the firm. Her current practice focuses on guiding employers through challenges, from counseling on daily operations to navigating litigation, and all stages in between. She has been named to the Texas Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers® consecutively from 2012 to 2019.

Cori Hash

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Partner

Austin-based immigration law firm Lincoln-Goldfinch Law has named Cori Hash as partner. Hash was inspired to become a lawyer after serving in the U.S. Peace Corps in Zimbabwe and observing the injustices and political unrest there. Before joining Lincoln-Goldfinch Law in 2018, she was the Managing Attorney of the Washington, D.C. office of Human Rights First.

September Rea

Class of

The University of Texas School of Law alumnus September Rea joined Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli as Principal in the Los Angeles office. September joined Polsinelli’s Labor and Employment practice, which will focus on advising California and national employers within multiple industries on all aspects of employment.

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Smita Bhakta

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Partner

Kruger Carson, PLLC, has promoted Smita Bhakta to Partner of the law firm, which works with a wide range of business clients from its offices in San Antonio and Austin. Bhakta focuses on complex commercial real estate matters. She joined Kruger Carson in 2016 as Attorney and Counselor.

Bhakta served on the 2016 and 2017 Board of Directors for the San Antonio chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). She is active in the Real Estate Council of San Antonio.

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Ryan Chargois

Class of
Partner at Foster LLP

Ryan Chargois was honored in Who’s Who Legal 2018 as a leading corporate immigration attorney. Ryan is a partner at Foster LLP and leads the global immigration practice out of the Austin office.

David Hoffman

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Principal

David Hoffman, a principal at Fish & Richardson, the largest intellectual property law firm in the country, was named a top IP attorney in Texas in the 2018 edition of “Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.”

Jamie T. Hall

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Jamie Hall, Land Use and Environmental Attorney and President of the Laurel Canyon Association in Los Angeles, spearheaded an effort to acquire 17 acreas of open space in the Hollywood Hills to preserve as wildlife habitat. The “Let’s Buy a Mountain” project was a collaboration between the Laurel Canyon Association, Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. Over $1.6 million was raised to acquire the parcel. Donors included Don Henley.

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Smita Bhakta

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Kruger Carson PLLC attorney, Smita Bhakta, has been accepted into the 2018 Class of Leadership San Antonio, a highly selective annual program, launched in 1975, which helps to train the city’s next generation of leaders. The 2018 Class (Class 43) will be remarkable because it will integrate San Antonio’s tricentennial into the program.

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Chris Hamilton

Class of
Attorney

High-profile Dallas trial lawyer Chris Hamilton and attorney Paul Wingo have teamed up to form Hamilton Wingo, LLP, to represent individuals and companies in high-stakes litigation. The two lawyers’ commitment to fight for justice and their shared passion for helping people in tough legal disputes sparked their decision to establish a new law firm together. The firm’s clients include companies in all types of business disputes and individuals seriously injured through corporate negligence.

Scot Clinton

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Scot Clinton has joined Wilson Cribbs + Goren, PC as a senior attorney in its Real Estate Litigation practice. An experienced trial lawyer, Clinton will focus his practice on real property and real estate, including lien, contract and warranty issues, as well as construction and general business litigation.

Kennon L. Wooten

Class of

Kennon L. Wooten has been elected to the American Law Institute. As an attorney at Scott Douglass McConnico, she represents individuals and entities involved in complex commercial litigation, general civil litigation, and civil appeals. At the trial level, she represents both plaintiffs and defendants. To the appeals, she brings experience and expertise that she gained as the rules attorney and as a law clerk to former Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson of the Supreme Court of Texas.

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Connie Pfeiffer headshot

Connie Pfeiffer

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Beck Redden Partner, Connie Pfeiffer, led the charge to overturn a Fifth Circuit decision affecting millions of Texas homeowners in May. The Fifth Circuit had decided that homeowners with constitutionally defective liens on their homestead must file suits to set the lien aside within four years of originating a home equity loan. This meant that lenders could foreclose on a home when they had not complied with all of the Constitution’s consumer protection requirements to make a valid lien. Pfeiffer co-authored the briefs and presented the oral arguments in front of the Texas Supreme Court and the Fifth Circuit’s decision was overturned.

Shannon Zmud Teicher headshot

Shannon Zmud Teicher

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Jackson Walker congratulates Shannon Zmud Teicher for her selection to the “Texas Super Lawyers – Rising Stars” list by Thomson Reuters. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected to receive this honor. The annual selections are made using a multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive, and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys. The list will be published in the April 2016 issue of Texas Monthly.

Melissa M. Davis

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Thompson & Knight LLP is pleased to announce Melissa M. Davis has joined the Firm’s Austin office as Counsel in the Trial Practice Group.

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