Class Notes

Grant Schmidt has become the first managing partner of the Dallas office of Hilgers Graben PLLC. Previously he was a partner in the Dallas office of Winston & Strawn.

Evan McCurdy has joined the Dallas office of Winstead PC’s real estate development and investments practice group as a shareholder.

Alex Toney has joined Bain & Company as counsel for employment law, managing employment litigation and counseling Bain on emerging issues in employment law. Toney was previously an associate at McGuireWoods LLP, where he represented employers and business owners on employment law matters.

Jackie Furlow was awarded with the Texas’ Outstanding Young Litigator Award at the State Bar of Texas annual meeting. Furlow is a partner at Beck Redden LLP, where she represents clients in matters including business disputes, professional malpractice, products liability and more.

Andrew Hettinger has been named a 2022 Flinn-Brown Fellow by The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation. This award goes to emerging civic leaders and recognized experts with diverse perspectives, unique experiences, and dedication to their respective communities. Hettinger currently serves as a magistrate for the City of Page, Arizona Magistrate Court.

Lynn Abell has joined the Houston office of Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher LLP as counsel. She will serve as a member of the Private Equity Practice Group.

Ryan J. Meyer has been recognized as a 2022 Texas Rising Star by Super Lawyers. Meyer is a litigation partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, where he defends companies and executives in government investigations, civil enforcement actions and criminal proceedings typically involving allegations of securities fraud and health care fraud.

Parth Gejji has been recognized as a Texas Rising Star in Super Lawyers. Gejji is an associate in the appellate section for Beck Redden LLP, focusing on civil appeals and complex civil litigation.

Jacqueline Furlow has been named a 2022 Texas Rising Star by Super Lawyers. Furlow is a partner in the Houston office of Beck Redden LLP and specializes in business litigation.

Nishi Kothari has been added to the 2022 list of Texas Rising Stars, a listing by compiled by Super Lawyers, that  recognizes the top 2.5% of young lawyers in Texas.  Kothari is a partner at the Brasher Law Firm in Beaumont.

Whitney Beckworth has been elected as Partner at Kelly, Hart, and Hallman, LLP. Beckworth focuses on civil litigation and was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star for business litigation in 2022 and Best Lawyer/One to Watch in DFW for 2022 by US News & World Report for appellate practice.

Hannah Watkins has been elected as Partner at Kelly, Hart, and Hallman, LLP. Watkins specializes in real estate law and was named a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2022.

Jim Weiss has been promoted to partner at litigation firm Reynolds Frizzell, LLP. A third generation lawyer, Weiss clerked for two years for The Hon. Sam Sparks on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

José M. Rubio has been elected to new member by Dykema, a national law firm. Rubio is an attorney in Dykema’s Commercial Litigation practice group.

Ross MacDonald has been named a partner of Gibbs & Bruns LLP. He is recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, 2021-2022; and Legal 500 US as a “Rising Star” in General Commercial Disputes, 2019-2021. MacDonald devotes his practice to complex commercial litigation disputes, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal court as well as in arbitration.

.

Jackie Furlow has been promoted to partner of Beck Redden. Furlow is a first-chair trial lawyer with significant experience in commercial litigation spanning a wide variety of industries.

Kevin P. Hess has been promoted to Principal of McKool Smith in the Austin office. His practice focuses on intellectual property litigation, particularly cases involving standard essential patents subject to FRAND or RAND obligations. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in district courts, the Patent Office, and the Federal Circuit.

The late Zachary Barker Chittick has been honored and memorialized with an endowment fund in his name to benefit Valley Youth House in Pennsylvania.

Robert Hughes has been promoted to partner at Vinson & Elkins effective Jan. 1, 2022. Hughes advises private equity firms, portfolio companies and a variety of public and private businesses in connection with a range of strategic transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, structured financings, leveraged buyouts and joint ventures. His work focuses on identifying practical solutions to complex legal issues and spans a variety industries, including infrastructure, renewables, telecommunications, energy and technology.

Rachel Fitzgerald has been elected partner with Locke Lord’s Houston practice. Fitzgerald practices corporate law, focusing primarily on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate restructurings, joint ventures and matters related to corporate governance and compliance. She has a particular focus in energy — including midstream, oilfield services, renewables and storage facilities — insurance and media.

Brandan Montminy has been elected partner with Locke Lord’s Dallas practice. Montminy provides counsel to clients in a wide array of litigation matters as well as in privacy, data protection, cybersecurity compliance, and incident preparedness and response. He represents clients across multiple industries, including banking and finance, commercial, construction, health care, insurance, professional services, real estate and technology.

Jennifer M. Gascoyne has been elected a partner at Latham & Watkins in London, effective January 1, 2022. A member of the Capital Markets Practice in the Corporate Department, she represents both issuers and investment banks on a range of capital markets transactions, including IPOs. She advises clients across a variety of industries and has particular experience with cross-border transactions and foreign private issuers. She received her JD from the University of Texas School of Law in 2013.

Jackie Furlow has been recognized in the 2022 The Best Lawyers in America ranking of the nation’s top legal talent. She is an attorney with Beck Redden who specializes in in Commercial Litigation.

Caitlin Rice has been promoted to the leadership position of Global Vice President, Customer Service. She was previously the Senior Director, Commercial Support for the evo^® Cold Chain Management Platform.

Parth S. Gejji, an associate with Beck Redden, has been recognized as a 2021 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers.

Jacqueline M. Furlow, an associate with Beck Redden, has been recognized as a 2021 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers.

Jacqueline Furlow was recently named to the inaugural edition of “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch,” which recognizes attorneys earlier in their legal careers.

Jacqueline Furlow is one of the six Beck Redden attorneys who have been recognized as 2020 Texas Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers.

Joel Daniel recently joined Foran Glennon as a commercial litigation attorney. He will focus his work on civil defense litigation and first-party insurance disputes, including bad faith claims, environmental damage, builder’s risk claims, and construction and design defect claims.

Lauren Fitte, an international tax and estate planning associate at the Austin firm of Giordani, Swanger, Ripp, & Jetel, LLP, has been named a Rising Star for 2018 by Texas Super Lawyers. Texas Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars recognizes up-and-coming attorneys who are either 40-years old and younger or have been practicing for 10 years or less. Each year, no more than 2 percent of lawyers in the state are named rising stars.

On February 1, 2018, Martha Todd joined McGinnis Lochridge—a legal fixture in Austin for 90 years—as Associate. McGinnis Lochridge has a strong presence in Austin and Houston, providing legal counsel on business and financial matters, and advocating for clients before administrative agencies, at the state capitol, and in courthouses across Texas and throughout the Southwest.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP announced that Adam Arikat has joined its Dallas office as an associate in the Firm’s Tax, Executive Compensation & Benefits Department. Prior to joining Weil, Arikat served as an Upstream Business Services attorney at ExxonMobil, where he worked on the structuring of upstream transactions, divestments and joint ventures. Arikat earned an Executive LL.M. in Taxation from New York University and previously completed his J.D. at The University of Texas School of Law.

Lanier Law Firm associate Ryan D. Ellis has been selected by Texas Lawyer to the magazine’s 2017 Lawyers on the Rise list of leading young attorneys in the state.

Megan Sheffield, ’13, welcomed daughter Mila Love Sheffield Motaghedi on Aug. 16, 2015.