Class Notes

S. Brad Brown has been honored in Lawdragon’s 2024 list of the 500 leading litigators in America. Brown specializes in product liability litigation at Jackson Walker.

Joseph Colbert passed away on Sept. 9, 2023. Colbert served in the U.S. Marine Corps prior to attending Texas Law, later opening a practice specializing in personal injury and workers’ compensation.

Harry Jung Jr. passed away on Sept. 9, 2023. Jung was an Army veteran of the Korean War and a double Longhorn. He had a law office in Crosbyton, Texas, and went on to serve as Crosby County Attorney.

Obadele Thompson has been elected to the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) Board of Directors. Not only is he a skilled litigator, Thompson is also a three-time Olympian and the only Olympic medalist from Barbados.

Austin B. Light has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, for the second consecutive year.  Light specializes in advising clients on a variety of compensation-related plans and employee-related aspects of public and private transactions.

Marvin Blum has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for his work in trusts and estates law, making this his ninth year being selected for the honor. Blum is the founder of The Blum Firm, the largest group of estate planning attorneys in Texas.

Garland Andrews passed away on Sept. 14, 2023. Andrews was a successful patent litigator best known for changing the standard of proving inequitable conduct in virtually every patent case; he retired in 2000.

Geoff Gannaway, a partner at Beck Redden in the firm’s Houston office, was named in Thomson Reuters Texas Super Lawyers 2023. Gannaway was the grand chancellor for his class at Texas Law.

John Adcock, of counsel at Beck Redden’s Houston office, was named in Thomson Reuters Texas Super Lawyers 2023. Adcock has been a member of the firm’s appellate section since its inception and his practice focuses on complex civil matters.

Robert C. Trenchard Jr. has been named one of the Best Personal Injury Lawyers in El Paso by Forbes Advisor. Trenchard is a founder of Trenchard & Hoskins LLP and has been honored as one of the top 100 trial lawyers in Texas by the National Trial Lawyers.

Chris Hamilton ’04 has been selected to the 2023 Texas Super Lawyers list based on his work in high-stakes personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. Hamilton is owner/partner of Hamilton Wingo, LLD.

Elizabeth F. “Liza” Eoff, an associate at Munsch Hardt, has been honored in the 2024 edition of the Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory in the Commercial Litigation and Real Estate Law categories. Eoff is a trial lawyer who focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, including litigation related to the oil and gas industry.

Andres Contreras, an associate at Munsch Hardt, is featured in the 2024 edition of the Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory in the Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation–Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation–Defendants categories. Contreras focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation in both state and federal courts.

Munsch Hardt Senior Attorney Kelly E. Wise has been named to the 2024 Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory in recognition of her excellence in the Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants categories. Kelly focuses her practice on a range of litigation matters, including construction liability and defects, premises liability and transportation and trucking liability.

Jana M. Lambro, a shareholder at Munsch Hardt, has been recognized in the 2024 edition of the Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory in the Real Estate Law category. Lambro’s practice focuses on commercial real estate development, including purchases, sales, retail and ground leases, brokerage agreements, and transactional financing.

Nicolas A. Gavrizi, an associate at Munsch Hardt, has been honored in the 2024 edition of the Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory. Gavrizi was featured for his excellence in Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, and Litigation – Construction. His practice focuses on commercial litigation, with an emphasis on the construction industry.

Connor Best (’15), an associate at Munsch Hardt, has been featured in the 2024 edition of the Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory in the Construction Law category.
Connor’s practice focuses on a wide range of complex business litigation matters, including commercial disputes, construction matters and labor and employment litigation.

Daniel Z. Sternthal is featured for his excellence in Health Care Law in the 2024 edition of the Best Lawyers in America directory. A shareholder at Munsch Hardt, he serves as strategic counsel to a diverse range of health care entities as they evaluate regulatory, administrative and transactional opportunities and navigate through challenges.

Stuart Miller ’98 has been honored in the 2024 edition of the Best Lawyers in America listing in the Health Care category. A shareholder at Munsch Hardt, Miller represents health care clients in corporate and regulatory matters such as their operational, governance, formation and restructuring issues, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, employment matters, compliance and reimbursement controversies.

Maria Arcelia “Arcie” Izquierdo Jordan passed away on Sept. 7, 2023. Jordan was an accomplished international law and immigration lawyer for nearly 25 years and  a former partner at Foley & Lardner LLP.

Ned Sherman has been included in Variety magazine’s list of 2023’s Top In-House Entertainment Attorneys. Sherman is the chief business affairs and legal officer at Skybound Entertainment, where he has spearheaded M&A activities and global expansion.

Joe W. Redden Jr. was named a 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator in America. Redden is a founding partner at Beck Redden LLP and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Jackie M. Furlow was named a 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator in America. Furlow is a partner at Beck Redden LLP, where she focuses her practice on commercial, employment, and energy litigation.

Alistair B. Dawson has been named a 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator in America. An attorney at Beck Redden, Dawson serves as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Board of Trial Advocates and a commissioner on the Texas Equal Access to Justice Commission. He also was named in Thomson Reuters Texas Super Lawyers 2023.

David J. Beck was named a 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator in America. Beck is a trial lawyer and founding partner at Beck Redden LLP and is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He also was named in Thomson Reuters Texas Super Lawyers 2023.

Fields Alexander has been named as a 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator in America. Alexander is a partner at Beck Redden LLP, where he specializes in trial law and handles a wide range of matters on both sides of the docket for both individual and corporate clients. He also was named in Thomson Reuters Texas Super Lawyers 2023.

D. Mitchell McFarland has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in commercial litigation. McFarland, who has more than 35 years of experience and specializes in the oil and gas industry, is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt and has gained a reputation for successfully taking complex business cases to trial.

Mason P. Hester has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in construction law. Hester is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt, where he focuses his practice on construction-related legal matters such as construction litigation, arbitration and transactions.

Jim Bettis has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in insurance law. Bettis is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt and maintains an active complex commercial litigation practice with an emphasis on contract disputes, personal injury defense and insurance coverage matters.

Adrienne Wall has been featured in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for her work in banking and finance law and real estate law. Wall is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt, where she focuses her practice on commercial finance transactions secured by real estate, business assets or other personal property, notes receivable and other property or assets.

Richard O. “Rick” Kopf has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in leisure and hospitality law and real estate law. Kopf is a founding partner of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr and serves as a member of the Operations Committee.

E. David Coligado has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in real estate law. Coligado currently serves as the head of the Real Estate Section at at Munsch Hardt, where he focuses on the ownership, development and investment of commercial real estate.

Angela A. Hunt has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for her work in real estate law. Hunt is a member of Munsch Hardt’s Real Estate Section and spearheads the firm’s zoning and land use practice.

Rick Addison has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in environmental law.  Addison is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt, where he focuses his practice on litigation and counseling with a strong emphasis on civil and criminal governmental and environmental litigation and regulation.

Darcell Walker has co-developed a new app to help inventors, artists, businesses, and others identify the appropriate protection for their ideas. Walker has nearly 30 years of experience in intellectual property law and has authored two books.

Walter A. Buchanan has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in Banking and Finance Law. Buchanan is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt, where he represents lenders and borrowers in complex domestic and international financing transactions, as well as in other banking and corporate matters.

William Albert Thau Jr. passed away on August 26, 2023. Thau was head of the 50-lawyer Real Estate Section of Jenkins, Anson, Spradley and Gilchrist for 25 years.

Stephanie Townsend Allala received the Member of the Year Award from the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Texas Chapter for her outstanding service. Townsend Allala is a partner in the Townsend Allala, Coulter & Kludt law firm.

Orie Theodore Dinkins Jr. passed away August 26, 2023. Dinkins specialized in probate litigation and co-founded the law firm of Dinkins, Kelly, Lenox & Lamb before opening his own law practice in Brenham, Texas.

Josiah M. Daniel III has published “Cooptation of the Carmack Amendment by the Railroads, 1906-1917: A Study in Associational Lawyering” in the Kentucky Law Review and “AI Chatbots Are Useless for Bankruptcy Lawyering” in The Texas Lawbook. Daniel is a retired partner in residence of Vinson & Elkins and a visiting scholar of the History Department of the University of Texas at Austin.

Bob F. Young passed away August 23, 2023. Following his 20 years of service in the U.S. Army, Young served as general counsel and vice president at Texas Oil & Gas Corp until his retirement in 1988.

David Kinder was elected to the San Antonio chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. A trial attorney at Dykema, Kinder has more than 38 years of experience with complex and high stakes litigation matters and serves as co-chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee.

D. Ronald Reneker has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in commercial litigation. Reneker is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt, where he has tried numerous jury and non-jury cases in addition to handling appeals and serving as counsel in arbitrations.

Mary Evelyn McNamara was included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America  and received the 2023 Joseph W. McKnight Award for the best Family Law CLE Article from the State Bar of Texas. McNamara is a partner at Rivers McNamara, PLLC and is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Susana Alemán was featured on the Austin Bar Association’s “Council of Firsts” podcast. Alemán, who was Texas Law’s longtime Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, was the first female and first Hispanic dean here. She has founded numerous scholarships to support new generations of law students.

Judge J. Blair Cherry Jr. passed away August 18, 2023. After serving one term as a district attorney, he opened a private law practice and managed his family’s oil and gas business. Cherry went on to serve as District Judge of Lubbock and Crosby counties, then Senior District Judge.

Justice Anne Gardner has passed away. Gardner was a justice on the Second Court of Appeals for 17 years, during which time she served on the Texas Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee and as president of the Tarrant County Bar Association.

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.

Jay M. Wallace has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in Labor and Employment Litigation. Wallace is a partner at Bell Nunnally and is board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Kassandra G. McLaughlin has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for her work in Real Estate Law. McLaughlin is a partner at Bell Nunnally and has been practicing broad-based commercial real estate for more than two decades.