Class Notes

Reid Barnes has joined Steptoe & Johnson’s Dallas office as an associate. A double Longhorn, Barnes specializes in commercial real estate properties and is a member of the Dallas Bar Association.

Marysia Laskowski has been promoted to counsel at Hunton Andrews Kurth in Dallas. Laskowski focuses her practice on corporate and regulatory matters involving banks and other financial institutions.

John L. Stavinoha III has been promoted to partner at Bracewell’s Houston office, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Stavinoha will work in the firm’s oil and gas practice.

Andrew W. Monk has been promoted to partner at Bracewell in Houston, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Monk will work in the firm’s corporate and securities practice.

W. Jared Berg has been promoted to partner at Bracewell in Houston, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Berg will work in the firm’s corporate and securities practice.

Todd Hartis has been promoted to counsel at Vinson & Elkins’ Houston office. Hartis focuses his practice on corporate and securities transactions and has been named to Best Lawyers in America’s Ones to Watch list since 2023.

Garrett Brawley was honored in the fifth edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America for Commercial Litigation, Litigation–Antitrust, and Litigation–Trusts and Estates. He also was recognized in the 2024 Lawdragon 500 X–The Next Generation for Commercial Litigation. Brawley is an associate at Beck Redden in Houston.

Claire Campbell has joined Kirkland and Ellis as a Houston-based corporate partner focused on representing private equity funds, equity investments, and related portfolio management. Previously working as a managing director with Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm focused on the infrastructure and real estate sectors, she has extensive experience negotiating mergers and acquisitions and structured equity investments for private equity clients in multiple jurisdictions.

Ryan Phelps has been named a partner in the Tax, Executive Compensation and Benefits Practice Group at Holland & Knight in Houston. Phelps’ practice focuses on the tax aspects of complex domestic and cross-border transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, tax-free spinoffs, restructurings, public offerings and other financings.

Garrett S. Brawley has been appointed as co-chair of the Texas Young Lawyers Association’s National Trial Competition Committee and vice-chair of the Texas Young Lawyers Association’s State Moot Court Competition Committee for the 2024-2025 bar year. Brawley is an associate  at the Houston office of Beck Redden LLP, working on high-stakes commercial cases from across the country.

Kayvon Rashidi is now a partner at Powers Kerr & Rashidi, PLLC. Rashidi joined the team at Powers and Kerr, PLLC in August 2020, and represents clients in all manner of family law cases, including complex property division, high conflict custody litigation, marital property agreements, and protective orders. While at Texas Law he was an executive editor of the Texas Review of Entertainment & Sports Law.

Anya Bidwell argued a case before the Supreme Court regarding retaliatory arrests, probable cause, and First Amendment rights. She also hosted the Short Circuit podcast with three other Supreme Court lawyers at the National Press Club in April. Bidwell is an attorney at the Institute for Justice and leads the firm’s Project on Immunity and Accountability.

Garrett Brawley has been recognized as a 2024 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers. Brawley is an associate and trial lawyer at Beck Redden LLP, where he specializes in complex commercial litigation.

Tracy Carson has joined Munck Wilson Mandala as a senior associate, focusing his practice on complex commercial litigation. Carson previously worked as a senior associate at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough.

Jasmine Harding Adams has joined the global toy and entertainment company Mattel as the manager of investigations in the Legal Department. Adams previously worked at Ogletree, a national employment law firm, where she received numerous recognitions for her work, leadership and integrity.

Kayvon Rashidi is now Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) after passing the 2023 board exam. Rashidi is with Powers and Kerr, PLLC.

Carson Glass Lamle has been elected as one of the newest shareholders at Hall Estill. Lemle, who rejoined Hall Estill in January 2022, started her career with the firm in 2016 before serving as a law clerk for the Honorable John F. Heil, III. Carson practices in complex commercial litigation and energy and natural resources law.

Taylor Mauze has been named a Rising Star by Texas Lawyer. Mauze is a litigator and trial attorney at Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg LLP and specializes in complex business disputes and patents.

Rachel McKenna has been named a 2023 Texas Rising Star by Texas Super Lawyers for her work in business litigation. McKenna is a partner and civil trial lawyer at Almanza Blackburn Dickie & Mitchell LLP in Austin.

Garrett Brawley was named in the fourth edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for his work in Commercial Litigation, Antitrust Litigation, and Trusts and Estates Litigation. Brawley is an associate at Beck Redden LLP and was previously recognized as a “Rising Star” in Business Litigation by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers in 2023.

W. Jared Berg has been named to the 2023 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation guide. Berg is an associate at Bracewell LLP’s Houston office and focuses his practice on Mergers & Acquisitions and the energy industry.

Andrew W. Monk has been named to the 2023 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation guide. Monk is an associate at Bracewell LLP and focuses his practice on corporate and securities transactions.

John L. Stavinoha III has been named to the 2023 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation guide. Stavinoha is an associate at Bracewell LLP and focuses his practice on energy and infrastructure.

Ashley Wilder has been named to the 2023 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation guide. Wilder is an associate attorney at Marrs Ellis and focuses her practice on eminent domain litigation.

Amanda Goldstein has been named to the 2023 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation guide for her work in commercial litigation. Goldstein is an attorney at Hicks Thomas LLP, where she represents businesses and individuals in commercial litigation matters.

Garrett Brawley has been recognized as a 2023 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers. Brawley specializes in commercial litigation at Beck Redden, and previously clerked for Hon. Alfred H. Bennett of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Garrett Brawley was featured in a Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) Director Spotlight. Brawley currently serves on the TYLA Board of Directors and specializes in commercial litigation at Beck Redden.

Ethan Glenn has joined the Commercial Litigation group at the international law firm Butler Snow LLP. Glenn previously served as a judicial law clerk under Hon. Alia Moses and Hon. Renee Harris Toliver, and as an assistant attorney general.

Aaron Gregg has joined Balch & Bingham as a partner to their public policy and government relations practice in Austin, Texas. His background includes working in the Texas Capitol and previously serving as chief of staff to former Texas House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts.

Jaime Garcia was promoted to Partner of J. Cruz & Associates, LLC in Laredo, Texas. Garcia will continue to serve public and private clients in the areas of general civil litigation, education law, employment law, and public finance.

Luke Thomas helped open new Austin office for the venture capital law firm Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP, with with a focus on private equity work. Thomas, a senior associate, has experience working on transactions and public offerings as an attorney and has previously worked as a financial adviser.  Previously he worked at Vinson & Elkins for about five years.

Michella Gibbs joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon as a new associate. Gibbs participates in all aspects of litigation, with key areas of focus in product liability. She also has experience handling labor and employment disputes. She issues reports to clients assessing factual, legal and procedural aspects of cases, including liability analysis, litigation strategy and settlement evaluation for purposes of early dispute resolutions.

The law firm of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner is proud to announce that Edward Festeryga has joined the firm as an Associate. His current legal practice focuses on a wide range of personal injury matters, including catastrophic injuries, commercial motor vehicle accidents, workplace injuries, plant and refinery explosions, and wrongful death.

Bollier Ciccone LLP is happy to announce attorney Elizabeth J. Ayala has joined our growing family law practice. Elizabeth is an exceptional family law attorney, specializing in complex custody cases, protective orders, and cases involving mental health experts. She is a skilled litigator and experienced client advocate involved in all aspects of client cases. Elizabeth works exclusively for the firm’s Family Law section.

Edward Festeryga has joined the Houston personal injury law firm of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner as an Associate. His current legal practice focuses on a wide range of personal injury matters, including catastrophic injuries, commercial motor vehicle accidents, workplace injuries, plant and refinery explosions, and wrongful death.

Jasmine M. Harding has joined Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.,in Austin, TX. In two consecutive years, 2019 – 2020, Harding was named by the Austin Monthly Magazine as a Top Employment Lawyer in Austin and was also named as an Up and Coming Attorney in the Austin Black Business Journal.

On October 22, 2019, Beck Redden LLP obtained a $176 million unanimous jury verdict on behalf of our client, HP Inc. The verdict followed a week-long trial in a Houston federal court in which the jurors deliberated for less than five hours and found that defendants Quanta Storage Inc. and Quanta Storage America Inc. knowingly and intentionally violated U.S. antitrust laws. By law, the damages could be tripled by U.S. District Judge David Hittner.

On February 1, 2018, Alison Lenner 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.

Melissa Bailey recently joined one of North Carolina’s leading law firms, Brooks Pierce, as an associate. She will work in the Raleigh office, focusing her practice on corporate transactional law and commercial real estate law.

Amanda Laviage has joined McGlinchey Stafford PLLC’s Houston office and Commercial Litigation practice group. She represents clients in general commercial litigation, consumer financial services litigation, and labor and employment matters. She also has experience in appellate matters, including those assigned by the State Bar of Texas Appellate Section Pro Bono Committee.

Corinne Sullins has joined BoyarMiller, a Houston business and litigation law firm, as associate. She represents domestic and foreign entities, as well as individuals, in a broad range of corporate matters. While a law student, she represented children involved in cases of abuse or neglect as an Attorney Ad Litem through the Children’s Rights Clinic. She also clerked for the Texas House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee.

Litigator Craig Lauchner has joined BoyarMiller, a Houston business and litigation law firm, as associate. Lauchner clerked for the Federal Immigration Court in Houston and, while at law school, served as managing editor of business for the Texas International Law Journal.

Hannah Alexander is a 2016 Equal Justice Works Fellow, working with the Equal Justice Center in Dallas, providing representation to = low-wage, immigrant janitorial workers in theft-of-wages cases, employer fraud schemes, and similar severe employment abuses.