Jason Blackmer has joined Latitude Legal, a global flexible legal staffing company, as leader and founding partner of the company’s new regional corporate office in Houston. Blackmer previously served as associate general counsel of Sunnova, where he advised the company on debt and equity transactions, public reporting matters, and restructuring.
Brian Haley has been inducted into the University of Texas at Austin Recreational Sports Hall of Honor for 2025.The co-founder of CB Capital, he served as the student government president during the 2003–04 academic year, and was appointed the first student on The University of Texas System Board of Regents in 2006.
Maine Goodfellow has joined Hilcorp in Houston as assistant general counsel. He previously served as m
Rachael Marsh has joined the leadership team of the Edison Electric Institute in Washington, D.C., as chief legal officer. She previously served as vice president of government affairs and managing counsel at Calpine Corporation, as well as partner at Bracewell LLP.
Brian Dupré has been appointed deputy associate general counsel for program integrity in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Division of the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He previously served as chief counsel for Region 1 in Boston.
John Donaleski has rejoined White & Case in New York as part of its global project development and finance practice, after working at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe as a partner in energy and infrastructure finance. He advises financial institutions on complex energy and infrastructure projects, with a focus on renewables, conventional power, and digital infrastructure.
Michael Riordan has been named a senior attorney at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings in Houston. A member of Bradley’s Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights Practice Group, he focuses his practice on the restructuring of companies in and out of bankruptcy, debtors’ and creditors’ rights, debtor-in-possession financers, and the acquisition and sale of distressed assets.
Michael Reeder, a seasoned trial attorney and patent litigator, has joined Blank Rome’s Houston office as a partner in the Intellectual Property Litigation group and member of the Technology industry team. Previously, Reeder was a partner and founding member at Cadwell Clonts Reeder & Thomas.
Keith Cohan, a partner at Reid Collins & Tsai in Austin, earned the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award as announced by Texas Lawyer. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including cases involving financial fraud, professional negligence, fiduciary liability, and other business torts. Cohan recently contributed to the first jury trial-to-verdict victory for the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana’s Justice Lab.
Stephen Clarke has been promoted to general counsel at Preston Hollow Community Capital in Dallas. Clarke will be supporting Preston Hollow in its strategic initiatives by providing legal advice and counsel on a broad array of corporate, contract, litigation, and compliance matters.
Tory Lauterbach has joined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP as a partner in the Energy, Regulation and Litigation Practice Group. Lauterbach, who has extensive experience in administrative litigation and settlement proceedings, will be joining the firm’s Washington D.C office.
Adrienne N. Wall has been named to the 2024 Texas Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” List for her excellence in banking law. As a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Dallas, Wall focuses on commercial finance transactions secured by real estate, business assets or other personal property, notes receivable and other property or assets.
Jennifer Johnson has joined Enstor Gas as general counsel. Johnson has more than a decade of energy-related legal experience and previously served as general counsel for Salt Creek Midstream.
Stephen Calhoun has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide as Texas: San Antonio & Surrounds – Up and Coming lawyers. Calhoun is a partner at Jackson Walker and litigation attorney who represents companies from a variety of industries.
George Hinchey has rejoined Haynes and Boone, LLP as partner in the firm’s San Antonio office and Real Estate Practice Group. Hinchey represents private and institutional parties with the acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing and development of commercial properties.
Jason P. Steed has been elected to the American Law Institute. Steed is currently a visiting professor at the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law and has previously worked as an appellate attorney.
Brian M. Gillett has been promoted to partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in Dallas. Gillett specializes in handling high-stakes, complex commercial matters at all stages of litigation.
Keith Y. Cohan has been named a Rising Star by Texas Lawyer. Cohan is a partner in the Austin office of Reid Collins & Tsai and focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation.
Kim Hicks has been named a Rising Star by Texas Lawyer. Hicks is a founding partner at the Austin office of Kirkland & Ellis and focuses on M&A and private equity in the energy sectors.
Nathan Robinson has been elected as partner of Wilson Sonsini, a leading legal firm for technology and life sciences. Robinson specializes in corporate and securities law, advising clients on general corporate matters and transactions including public offerings, private placements, and mergers and acquisitions.
Matt Gates has joined Wittliff Cutter as senior counsel. Gates, who has more than a decade of experience in trial law, focusing on complex commercial litigation and intellectual property matters, antitrust matters, and product defect cases.
Adrienne Wall has been featured in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for her work in banking and finance law and real estate law. Wall is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt, where she focuses her practice on commercial finance transactions secured by real estate, business assets or other personal property, notes receivable and other property or assets.
Keith Y. Cohan has been named to the 2023 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation guide. Cohan is a partner at Reid Collins & Tsai and focuses his practice on commercial financial litigation.
Kat Li has been named to the 2023 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation guide. Li is an IP litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and focuses her trial practice on patent and technology litigation.
Jeremy Wells has been named to the 2023 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation guide. Wells is a partner at Reid Collins & Tsai and focuses his practice on complex commercial, insolvency, and qui tam litigation.
Randy Sawyer has been named general counsel for the clean-energy company Urban Grid. Sawyer began his career at law firms Holland & Knight and Latham & Watkins before joining EDP Renewables, where he served as associate general counsel.
Adrienne N. Wall (Dallas) has been promoted to equity shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. (Munsch Hardt). Adrienne is a member of the firm’s Real Estate and Finance practices. She specializes in commercial finance transactions secured by real estate, business assets or other personal property, notes receivable and other property or assets.
Kevin S. Little has joined FordHarrison LLP as counsel at the firm’s recently opened Houston office. Little was a former staff attorney under Justice Charles A. Spain in the Texas Court of Appeals for the Fourteenth District and previously was an associate at Littler Mendelson.
James Leech has been selected as managing attorney at Cesar Ornelas, a San Antonio-based injury law firm. Leech has experience as a trial lawyer in state and federal courts and has represented clients ranging from small businesses to large companies.
Anthony Baca has appointed to serve as a La Plata County Court judge in Durango, Colo., area. Baca has served as a judge of Dolores County and a district court magistrate.
Kat Li is a recipient of The Best Under 40 award, given to members of the AAPI legal community under the age of 40. Li is an IP litigation partner in the Austin office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
Jhett Nelson has been named a Rising Star by Law360, an honor awarded to top legal talents under 40. Nelson is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he co-led a team advising on one of the largest private acquisitions of oil and gas assets in recent years.
Terry Schuster has been appointed by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy as the head of the New Jersey Office of Corrections ombudsperson. The ombudsperson investigates complaints and conducts inspections of the Department of Corrections’ adult prison facilities.
Kerry Potter McCormick has joined Barnes & Thornburg as a partner in the firm’s Investment Funds and Asset Management practice in New York. McCormick’s practice focuses on representing fund sponsors and alternative asset managers in connection with the launch and ongoing operations of various investment products and structures, including private funds, managed accounts, funds-of-one and co-investment products.
Winter Woldemariam has been recognized as one of five distinguished alumni of the Riverwood International Charter School in a recently launched program to honor successful graduates. Woldemariam currently serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the US Justice Department.
Christie Yang has been appointed to general counsel for the Walton Family Foundation. Yang most recently served as the foundation’s interim general counsel. Before joining the WFF in 2019, Yang was associate general counsel at the Brookings Institution. She also was a litigator at Morrison & Foerster LLP, representing numerous Fortune 100 tech and financial services clients.
Brian M. Gillett has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Dallas, TX firm as senior attorney. Gillett is a trial attorney with experience handling high-stakes, complex commercial matters on both the plaintiff and defense sides at all stages of litigation in state and federal court and arbitration proceedings, from discovery through trial and appeal. His practice focuses on business litigation matters, including disputes involving claims for breach of contract, fraud, and breaches of fiduciary duties.
John Strohmeyer was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estates Counsel. ACTEC is a nonprofit association of lawyers and law professors skilled and experienced in the preparation of wills and trusts; estate planning; and probate procedure and administration of trusts and estates of decedents, minors, and incompetents.
Kevin M. Richardson has been elected to the partnership at Latham & Watkins LLP in Houston, effective January 1, 2021. He is a member of the firm’s Corporate Department who focuses his practice on complex corporate transactions, including M&A, capital markets transactions, securities, and corporate governance matters. He regularly advises public and private companies in the energy industry, private equity sponsors, and investment banking firms.
The international law firm Milbank LLP has promoted Jeffrey Leider to partner effective January 1, 2020. He is a member of the Global Project, Energy and Infrastructure Finance Group, based in New York. Mr. Leider’s experience includes the representation of financial institutions and project sponsors in domestic and international project and structured financings.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that the firm has elected Russell H. Falconer to partnership, effective January 1, 2020. Falconer has extensive experience representing clients who operate in heavily regulated industries, including broker-dealers, airlines, electric utilities, investment firms, and pharmaceutical companies. He has played a substantial role in a wide range of high-stakes appeals, trials, and litigation. Falconer graduated in 2009 with highest honors from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, where he was the Grand Chancellor of his class and served as a member of the Texas Law Review.
Ruffner Schoenbaum PLLC was a finalist for the Rising Star award as part of the fourth annual Austin Woman’s Way Business Awards by Austin Woman Magazine. The firm was selected for recognition from over 300 nominees. Founding partners, Eleanor Ruffner and Lauren Schoenbaum, lead their team of litigators and transactional attorneys in Austin, TX. For more information, please contact Molly Smith at firm@rslawtx.com or 512-275-6277.
Intellectual property and technology law firm Patterson + Sheridan LLP has promoted Nick Transier to partner in the firm’s San Diego office. Transier joined the firm in 2017 as of counsel. He has more than a decade of experience in both prosecution and litigation and currently focuses on building patent portfolios for clients, especially in the area of data science including artificial intelligence, software, telecommunications, automotive technologies and consumer electronics.
Commercial litigator Ryan Hackney was promoted to partner at Houston-based civil trial law boutique Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C. on Jan. 28, 2019. He has represented energy companies in a variety of disputes and previously worked as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group. Mr. Hackney has earned recognition on Super Lawyers magazine’s peer-reviewed Texas Rising Stars list of top young lawyers the past two years. Less than 2.5% of lawyers in Texas are chosen.
Becky Diffen has been recognized by Renewable Energy World on its inaugural “Solar 40 Under 40” list of solar industry professionals with unparalleled accomplishments. Diffen previously worked as a utility-scale wind developer before graduating from The University of Texas School of Law, where she now teaches a seminar on electric power and renewable energy law. She also co-founded the Texas Energy Law Association alumni organization at her alma mater and co-chairs the Austin chapter of Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE).
McGuireWoods LLP promoted Becky H. Diffen to partner effective Jan. 1, 2018. Based in the firm’s Austin office, Becky represents developers, private equity firms, investment banks, and other public and private companies in the renewable energy, energy storage, power generation, and oil and gas industries in complex transactions, including the acquisition, development, joint venture, financing and sale of energy projects and companies.
Susman Godfrey LLP has named Ashley McMillian to the firm’s partnership, effective January 1, 2018.
McMillian has already made her mark at the Texas-based litigation boutique, most recently in energy litigation, as part of the team that won a $43.2 million jury verdict for client Apache, in Apache Deepwater LLC v. W&T Offshore, Inc. She also helped obtain an early summary judgment dismissing a plaintiff’s damages claim of hundreds of millions of dollars for client Hess Bakken, in Spring Creek
Vinson & Elkins has promoted Shamus Crosby to partner effective Jan. 1, 2018. Crosby’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, including initial public offerings and public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, private equity investments and buyouts, joint ventures and corporate governance matters. His clients include public and private companies, private equity funds and investment banking firms.
Caldwell Cassady & Curry is pleased to announce the addition of Alexis Mosser as a litigation associate in the firm’s Dallas office. She represents clients in a variety of federal cases involving complex business disputes and patent litigation, including handling inter partes review proceedings and other matters before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Ms. Mosser joins Caldwell Cassady & Curry with an extensive track record in state and federal courts, including cases heard by the Texas Supreme Court and the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. A USPTO-registered patent attorney, Ms. Mosser also provides years of experience in patent prosecution cases.
Jackson Walker LLP announces the election of Cale McDowell to the firm’s partnership. Cale McDowell represents public and private companies, executives, investors, and investment fund sponsors in a broad array of engagements, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, the structuring and formation of private equity funds and other entities, offerings of debt and equity securities, and general corporate governance, securities and transactional matters.