Alexandra Harrison Gaiser has been appointed to the board of trustees at The King’s College. She currently works as the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Bitcoin company River Financial, Inc. and previously served as the Executive Secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Mary Kate Raffetto has been recognized as a 2023 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers. Raffetto was an educator prior to beginning her legal career, where she specializes in appellate matters and commercial litigation.
Nicholas Bruno has been recognized as a 2023 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers. Bruno regularly practices in all levels of the Texas appellate system, representing clients in a wide range of litigation.
Max Africk has been named General Counsel at Legacy Housing Corporation. Africk most recently served as an attorney at King & Spalding LLP, where he focused on complex commercial litigation.
Brittany Dadon has become a partner at Stahl, Davies, Sewell, Chavarria & Friend. She specializes in real estate, regulatory, and permitting aspects of utility scale wind, solar, and battery storage projects in Texas. While at the firm, Dadon has worked on wind, solar, battery storage, and natural gas energy projects at various stages.
Samoneh “Sammy” Schickel has joined McDermott Will & Emery as a partner specializing in patent litigation. Schickel previously served as a senior associate at Baker Botts LLP.
Aashish Kapadia has joined McDermott Will & Emery as a partner specializing in intellectual property litigation, post-grant trials and patent prosecution. Kapadia previously served as a senior associate at Baker Botts LLP.
Mary Kate Raffetto has been named a Texas Rising Star by Super Lawyers. Raffetto is an associate in the Houston office of Beck Redden LLP and specializes in appellate law and commercial litigation.
Nicholas Bruno has been recognized as a 2022 Texas Rising Star by Super Lawyers. Bruno is an associate at Beck Redden LLP, where he practices in all levels of the Texas appellate system.
Aimee Vidaurri has been selected as a Foundation Fellow for the San Antonio Bar Foundation. Vidaurri is a senior associate at the San Antonio office of Norton Rose Fulbright and a member of the dispute resolution and litigation group.
Marianne Nitsch has been elected shareholder with Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody, PC in Austin, Texas.
Mary Kate Raffetto has been recognized in the 2022 The Best Lawyers in America ranking of the nation’s top legal talent. She is an associate with Beck Redden who specializes in Commercial Litigation.
Grant O’Hickey joined Gunster in Jacksonville, FL, where his practice focuses on commercial litigation and e-discovery.
Andrea Meza has joined the Board of Directors at Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice. Meza is the Director of Family Detention Services at RAICES, which offers free universal representation to families held in ICE custody at the Karnes family prison in Karnes City, Texas.
Wright Close & Barger welcomes the University of Texas School of Law alumnus Michael Hurta, who will bolster the firm’s trial and appellate practice.
Kent McKinley has joined the Boston firm Hermes, Netburn, O’Connor & Spearing as a litigation associate. Kent counsels clients across a range of industries including corporate defense, product manufacturing, heavy machinery and automotive.
On February 1, 2018, Shana McGirl 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.
In October, Cameron Byrd and Kelsi Stayart White won a secured lending federal jury verdict in the Southern District of Texas. Cameron Byrd was first chair, and Kelsi White was second chair. They both practice at AZA in Houston, Texas.
Theanna M. Sedlock has joined Polsinelli’s Dallas office as a new associate in the Labor and Employment practice. Sedlock has experience representing employers in state and federal court litigation, arbitrations, and mediations involving claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to accommodate, unpaid wages and breaches of contract, and draws on her valuable pre-practice experience in the Human Resources department of a national insurance company.
Connor Best has joined Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr in Austin under the litigation practice group. Prior to joining Munsch Hardt, Connor served as a clerk under Justice Jeffrey S. Boyd of the Supreme Court of Texas. During his clerkship, Connor researched and drafted study memos on issues briefed for the court, drafted orders, and contributed to opinions published by the Court. In addition, Connor interned for Justice Eva Guzman of the Supreme Court of Texas, the Honorable Lee Yeakel of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, and the Office of the Solicitor General of Texas where he researched and drafted memoranda on tax law, federal habeas corpus law, arbitration and insurance law.
Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals presented the new Barbara Jordan American Inn of Court with its Charter at the Federal Courthouse in Austin on April 14. Accepting the Charter from Chief Judge Stewart were Frank A. King (BA ’78, JD ’95), Assistant Attorney General, co-founder and President of the Barbara Jordan Inn of Court; Presiding Judge of the Austin Municipal Court Sherry Statman, President-elect of the Jordan Inn of Court; Treasurer and co-founder, JoAnn Dalrymple (BA ’91, JD ’94)(in absentia); Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Boyd, Counselor of Jordan Inn of Court; and Administrator, Allison Cunningham (BA ‘11, JD ‘15).
Sarah Scott was just hired by Coats Rose, P.C. as an Associate in the Affordable Housing practice group in the Austin office.