Class Notes

Billy Joe McLain has been appointed associate United States attorney, where he will oversee capital cases and help implement Department of Justice priorities. He brings nine years of experience as an assistant U.S. attorney in California, where he successfully prosecuted federal murder cases, fraud, public corruption, and organized crime. McLain previously practiced at Hueston Hennigan and Irell & Manella, and has clerked for judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Lisa Magick is the co-founder of Bathe Austin, the city’s first bathhouse, which will open in fall 2025. In addition, Magick is an interior designer and is president of lifestyle brand Vacay Vans.

Chad Craycraft was appointed to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission by Governor Greg Abbott. Previously, Craycraft served on the Texas Ethics Commission where he was twice elected chairman.

Lisa Salinas Schneider has been appointed as the first general counsel at SpyCloud, a leader in Cybercrime Analytics. Schneider, who joined SpyCloud in 2020 after establishing the legal department at TrendKite and holding in-house roles at Apple and Xerox Services, will now oversee all legal and regulatory affairs for the company.

Taylor Halcomb has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide as an Up and Coming lawyer in environmental law. Halcomb is a partner at Jackson Walker where he regularly assists clients in compliance, development and permitting work relating to energy projects.

Andréa Villarreal has been named a partner of Barnes Lipscomb & Stewart PLLC.  In January 2024, Villareal was named a Rising Star by Texas Lawyer for a second consecutive year in a row and she recently became board certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 2023.

Atman Shukla has been named a Rising Star by Texas Lawyer. Shukla is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP and focuses on M&A and investment transactions in the energy, infrastructure, and aviation industries.

David G. Webster has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in Commercial Litigation. Webster is a partner at Bell Nunnally and has extensive trial experience litigating disputes in state, federal and appellate courts.

Shane Pennington has joined Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP as partner in its Washington, D.C., office. A former law clerk to federal judges, Pennington counsels clients on federal regulatory issues and was named to Best Lawyers’ Ones to Watch in America listing.

Orlando “Jay” Juarez has been promoted to partner with McCall Parkhurst & Horton. Juarez serves exclusively as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriters’ counsel, and trustee’s counsel on debt financing by public entities.

Jingli Jiang has been promoted to partner at Akin Gump. Jiang’s practice focuses on international trade and transactional areas, where her fluency in Mandarin has allowed her to spearhead the growth of the firm’s China and Asia trade practice.

Atman Shukla was promoted to partner at Sidley Austin in January of 2022. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and investment transactions for clients in the energy and infrastructure space, including upstream, oilfield services, midstream and downstream, as well as aviation matters.

An article authored by Michael J. Ritter – “Resolving the Anders Dilemmas: How & Why Texas Should Abandon the Anders Procedure” that was published in the St. Mary’s Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics – has received two honors. It was selected as the 2022 Outstanding Law Review Article Award by the Texas Bar Foundation and also won the Michael K. Moore Award from the State Bar of Texas Legal Services to the Poor in Criminal Matters Committee for excellence in research or writing in the area of indigent criminal defense. Ritter is senior counsel at Schmoyer Reinhard LLP.

Michael Collins has joined Tritium DCFC Limited as general counsel and company secretary. He leads the legal department and works closely with Tritium’s Board of Directors to further strategic and business objectives while minimizing risks and ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations and Company policies.

Kelli Bills has been promoted to counsel at Haynes and Boone, LLP. Bills is a member of the Appellate Practice Group, based out of the firm’s Denver office. She assists clients at every stage of litigation, from pretrial dispositive motions to complex appeals, in a wide array of industries.

Brad Wright has been appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Permanent School Fund Corporation Board of Directors which oversees the investment of funds for Texas public schools. Wright is a co-founder and managing partner of Bandera Group, LLC, an energy investment firm. He serves on the Advisory Council for Kay Bailey Hutchinson Center for Energy, Law, and Business and the Advisory Committee for the McCombs School of Business Energy Initiative at UT Austin.

Brian O’Reilly has been elected partner with Locke Lord’s Austin practice.  O’Reilly practices in the area of transportation, administrative, and public law, focusing on the development of major infrastructure projects by public and private entities. He advises clients on procurement matters and legal issues related to the planning, construction, financing and operation of infrastructure projects.

Ryan B. Hunsaker has been elected as a partner for global law firm Winston & Strawn LLP. He will serve in the firm’s Houston office. Hunsaker has experience in commercial lending and finance transactions, with a focus on oil and gas exploration, and production and oilfield services.

Michael J. Ritter has joined the San Antonio office of Schmoyer Reinhard LLP as senior counsel. Ritter focuses his practice on state and federal appeals, mandamus proceedings, litigation support, and labor and employment law.

Shane Pennington recently joined top-ranked national cannabis law firm Vicente Sederberg LLP as counsel in the firm’s New York office. He was also just elected to the board of directors for the International Cannabis Bar Association. Pennington, who focuses on federal appeals and regulatory issues, is co-counsel on several high-profile cases against the DEA regarding cannabis research, hemp, and psychedelics.

David G. Webster was promoted to Partner at Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP in Dallas. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation, Creditors’ Rights, Health Care and White Collar Criminal and Regulatory Defense practice areas. Prior to joining Bell Nunnally, he served as an active-duty Judge Advocate General (JAG) for the U.S. Army, where he represented military forces. Most recently, Webster served as a U.S. Army Officer with the Texas Army National Guard JAG Corps, assigned as trial counsel for the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

The San Antonio Bar Foundation (SABF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael J. Ritter, of the Fourth Court of Appeals, to the SABF Fellows Program newly-elected 2021 class.

A passionate servant leader, GoransonBain Ausley’s Britney E. Harrison, is taking on the role of President of the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA). She will work to mentor and empower the next generation of legal professionals. The family law firm associate was sworn into office in a virtual ceremony on June 26.

University of Texas School of Law alumnus Daniel Lynch has been promoted to partner at Akin Gump.

Stephanie DeBrow has been promoted to partner at Norton Rose Fulbright in Houston. She is an accomplished litigator in the firm’s Austin office whose practice focuses on patent litigation and appeals. She represents clients in a variety of fields, including mechanical, telecommunications, computer, semiconductor, e-commerce and Internet technologies.

Vinson & Elkins LLP has promoted Christie Alcalá to counsel effective Jan. 1, 2020. Alcalá advises and represents employers on all aspects of employment and labor law in business transactions, day-to-day operations, administrative proceedings and litigation, including issues relating to wage and hour laws, restrictive covenants, employment and severance agreements, reductions-in-force, employee privacy rights, internal investigations, anti-discrimination, leaves, unions and drug testing.

Vinson & Elkins LLP promoted Taylor Holcomb to counsel effective Jan. 1, 2020. Holcomb helps clients develop and permit domestic projects, operate in compliance with federal and state laws and defend against claims brought by the government and other groups. He primarily practices before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas Railroad Commission, the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Promoted to partnership effective January 1, 2020, Sivinski is a member of the intellectual property litigation practice group in Haynes and Boone’s Dallas office. She has obtained trial victories in technologically complex cases ranging from patent-infringement to breach-of-contract matters. Her practice has touched on technology as varied as pharmaceuticals, thermodynamics, computer software, and semiconductor manufacturing.

Christie Alcalá was promoted to counsel effective Jan. 1, 2020, at Vinson & Elkins. Alcalá advises and represents employers on all aspects of employment and labor law in business transactions, day-to-day operations, administrative proceedings and litigation, including issues relating to wage and hour laws, restrictive covenants, employment and severance agreements, reductions-in-force, employee privacy rights, internal investigations, anti-discrimination, leaves, unions and drug testing.

Fish & Richardson has elevated Jackob Ben-Ezra to principal in the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group in Houston. Overall, 11 attorneys were promoted to principal. Ben-Ezra represents the world’s largest tech companies in complex patent litigation.

Vinson & Elkins has promoted Danielle Patterson to partner, effective Jan. 1, 2019. Patterson advises domestic U.S. and international clients in mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, joint ventures and project development transactions. She most frequently represents public and private companies, private equity funds and financial institutions involved in the energy industry, particularly in the upstream and midstream oil and gas and renewable power sectors.

Bracewell LLP is pleased to announce the election of Molly E. Butkus to the 2019 partnership class. Butkus represents clients in upstream oil and gas acquisitions, divestitures, exchanges, service agreements and other operational matters. She also advises on transactions in the water supply, disposal and infrastructure space, as well as transactions in the midstream energy sector.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has elected Erland Modesto as a member of the Firm, effective January 1, 2019. In addition to Erland’s promotion to Partner, he was recognized as a 2018 “Lawyer on the Rise” by Texas Lawyer magazine. Erland advises clients on banking, credit and other corporate matters, with a particular focus on the energy sector.

Mr. Sam Denton with Denton & Fahring, PLLC has been elected to membership in the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation. Fellows of the Foundation are selected for their outstanding professional achievements and their demonstrated commitment to the improvement of the justice system throughout the state of Texas.

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP has promoted Jocelyn Tau to partner. Jocelyn focuses her practice on federal income tax law with an emphasis on domestic business transaction planning. She has significant experience advising publicly traded partnerships on capital formation, ongoing qualification, and acquisition and disposition activities.

GoransonBain family law attorney Britney Harrison Dieng has made her debut appearance on the Super Lawyers 2018 Texas Rising Stars list. This recognition places her among the only 2.5 percent of Texas’ nearly 97,000 attorneys who receive the annual honor.

Steven Espenshade was named a member of Austin-based Pirkey Barber PLLC, one of the largest firms in the United States practicing exclusively in the fields of trademark, copyright and unfair competition law. His practice includes advising clients regarding the selection and clearance of trademarks, obtaining domestic and foreign trademark registrations, and handling trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP is pleased to announce that Katherine L.I. Hacker has been elected partner of the firm.

Spencer Fane is pleased to announce the addition of Associate Jordan Jackson to its Oklahoma City office. He will join the firm’s litigation team, contributing a broad depth of experience in a range of practice areas, from real estate and acquisitions to oil and gas law. Jordan joins the firm from Freeman Mills PC of Tyler, Texas. “We are happy to welcome the experience and abilities that Jordan brings to our firm,” said Shannon Davies, Managing Partner of the Spencer Fane Oklahoma City office. “His emphasis on energy and land disputes will be an excellent addition to our litigation and energy practice.”

Katie English has earned her Board Certification in Oil, Gas & Mineral Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Katie is an associate in Gray Reed & McGraw’s energy section in Houston and her practice focuses on oil and gas title and transactional matters in Texas, North Dakota and Montana.

The law firm of Thompson & Knight LLP congratulates Matt Mitzner for his inclusion in Texas Rising Stars® 2016 by Thomson Reuters. The list will be published in the April 2016 issue of Texas Monthly.

Christopher T. Borniger was elected to partnership with the firm Morris, Laing, Evans, Brock & Kennedy, Chtd. The firm has offices in Wichita and Topeka, Kan.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Chicago; and Cleveland. Chris focuses his practice in the areas of civil litigation, financial services, bankruptcy, real estate, and title matters. He also recently joined the board of directors of Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, a nonprofit hospice based in Wichita.

The law firm of Thompson & Knight LLP is pleased to announce Travis Youngblood has been selected as an Emerging Leader in Healthcare by Real Estate Forum magazine.