Austin Nelson, who has started a tenure-track assistant professorship at the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, received the Best Dissertation Award from the American Political Science Association’s American Political Thought Section.
Lourdes ‘Lulu’ Ortiz has been named to 2026 “Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation” legal guide. Ortiz is an associate attorney at Cleveland Kristin Austin and has served as an adjunct professor at Texas Law.
Richard Hood has joined Ryman Clark, a new trial firm in Round Rock founded by two fellow Texas Law alumni. Hood, who is of counsel at the firm, specializes in construction defect, tenant health and safety, and mold-related issues. The U.S. Army veteran previously ran his personal practice, Richard R. Hood.
Alex McClintic has joined Ryman Clark, a new trial firm in Round Rock founded by two fellow Texas Law alumni. McClintic, who is of counsel at the firm, works with a large range of legal disputes spanning consumer protection and real estate.
Cory Fish has been appointed policy director for the Office of the Texas Governor. Fish previously served as a budget and policy advisor to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and was later promoted to deputy policy director. He was previously a fellow at the Cicero Institute in Austin.
Adam Goodrum has joined the Austin law firm Botkin Chiarello Calaf as a litigation associate. Goodrum joins the firm after serving as assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Oklahoma, where he was the 2024 Gaye L. Tenoso Indian Country Fellow, part of the Attorney General’s Honors Program. He also worked as a term clerk for U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Lane of the Western District of Texas.
Lourdes “Lulu” Ortiz has been named to the 2025 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation list. She is an associate at Cleveland Krist PLLC in Austin who represents plaintiffs and defendants in commercial disputes in state and federal courts.
Andrew Coleman has joined BraunHagey & Borden as a litigation attorney in the firm’s New York office. Coleman, whose practice will cover complex commercial disputes, recently clerked for the Honorable Brian A. Jackson of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
Nik Soni has joined bi-coastal boutique BraunHagey & Borden as an associate in the New York City office. He works as a complex commercial litigator, focusing on high profile commercial disputes. Soni is now the fifth Texas Law alum at BHB.
Colombina Valera has joined Austin-based litigation firm Botkin Chiarello Calaf as an associate, following a two-year clerkship for U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin M. Howell of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Zoraima Pelaez has been promoted to staff attorney with the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project. A double Longhorn, Pelaez previously worked with the ACLU as an Equal Justice Works fellow.
Claire Demers has joined Bracewell LLP as a first-year associate. Demers previously worked at Bracewell as a summer associate and clerked at the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas.
Daniela de Souza has joined Kemp Smith as an associate in the firm’s Public and Environmental Law department in Austin. Souza served as president of the Human Rights Law Society during her time at Texas Law and is a member of the Administrative and Public Law and the Environmental and Natural Resources sections of the State Bar of Texas.
Rodrigo Martinez has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as an associate in its Corporate and Securities Practice Group. Martinez focuses his practice on corporate matters in the U.S. and Latin America and specializes in representing clients in cross-border transactions.
William Logan McCallie has joined the Nashville office of Bass, Berry & Sims. McCallie specializes in corporate and securities issues including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, and securities regulations matters and filings.
Cristina De La Cruz has joined Wright Close & Barger as a new associate. Cruz previously served as a law clerk for the Travis County probate court and as an intern for the Travis County Attorney’s Office.
Insiya Aziz has joined litigation firm Reynolds Frizzell LLP as an associate. As a trial attorney, Aziz draws upon her diverse background to find unique resolutions to legal issues for her clients across the energy, real estate, and financial sectors.