JR Lanis has joined BakerHostetler as a partner at the firm’s Los Angeles office. With his specialization in mergers and acquisitions and securities, Lanis’ clients include publicly traded and privately held companies and investors in a variety of industries.
James “Jim” Smith passed away on April 24, 2023. Smith became Chief Capital Prosecutor for criminal court in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, then spent the rest of his 50-year career in private practice litigation.
Fred Hagans has been selected as a recipient of the 2023 Texas Bar Foundation’s Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award. A double Longhorn, Hagans is the founder of Hagans Montgomery Hagans and is double board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law.
Martin “Marty” Schexnayder has joined Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP as the new chair of its Houston office. A double Longhorn, Schexnayder has more than 25 years of litigation experience and specializes in professional liability matters.
Adrienne N. Wall (Dallas) has been promoted to equity shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. (Munsch Hardt). Adrienne is a member of the firm’s Real Estate and Finance practices. She specializes in commercial finance transactions secured by real estate, business assets or other personal property, notes receivable and other property or assets.
Aaron Reitz has been named Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. In addition to his experience in private practice, Reitz has been the as Deputy Attorney General for Legal Strategy for the State of Texas since fall 2020.
Lee Yeakel has joined King & Spalding’s trials and global disputes practice group as senior counsel. Yeakel recently retired from the federal judiciary after serving for 20 years as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas.
Randolph Wheless Jr. passed away on May 5, 2023. A double Longhorn and Army veteran, Wheless started his career as an assistant district attorney. After working in private practice, Wheless was appointed federal bankruptcy judge for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Southern District of Texas in 1985. He later became chief bankruptcy judge.
Courtlyn Ward has been selected to The National Black Lawyers’ “Top 40 Under 40 in Texas” list. Ward is an associate at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, where she focuses on government enforcement and investigations and commercial litigation matters.
Michael Slack has been appointed to the external advisory board of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University. A former NASA aerospace engineer, Slack focuses his practice on aviation accidents and recently was named the 2023 Distinguished Aggie Lawyer.
Barney Young passed away on May 2, 2023. Young founded Rain Harrell Emery Young and Doke, a predecessor of Locke Lord LLP. He focused on corporate and securities law and remained active in mentorship and nonprofit work throughout his illustrious legal career.
Bill Sherbert passed away on April 19, 2023. Sherbert opened his own law firm in Houston – Sherbert & Campbell – specializing in personal injury cases. He enjoyed a legal career that spanned 50 years.
Kennon Wooten has been selected as chair-elect of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors. Wooten is a partner at Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP and currently serves as a member of the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee.
Peter Moir has joined Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP as a toxic torts litigation partner. Moir, who previously worked at Forman Watkins & Krutz, has more than 30 years of experience in handling product liability and toxic tort cases at trial.
Jay Howard has received the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Kansas School of Business. The is the owner and president of JDH Asset Management and JDH Investments in Austin, he is a member of KU Endowment’s Board of Trustees Executive Committee.
Kristi Gamble passed away on March 9, 2023. She began her career at Rudolph and Beers before starting her own law firm with Adam Kaplan. She then worked for the City of New York and later joined the New York Federal Reserve Bank, where she was the assistant general counsel.
Prentis Otis Hibler passed away on April 20, 2023. Hibler opened his own civil litigation practice and spent 50 years representing a range of clients. He also served as Mayor of Hill Country Village, a city near San Antonio, Texas.
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.
Thomas Harkness has been named a Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Austin by Forbes Advisor. Harkness specializes in product liability and aviation accidents at Whitehurst, Harkness, Brees, Cheng, Alsaffar, Higginbotham, and Jacob, PLLC ; he has been listed as one of the Best Lawyers in America by Woodward White, Inc., since 1995.
Judy Kostura has been named a Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Austin by Forbes Advisor. She founded Kostura & Putnam, P.C. and specializes in representing victims of negligence. Kostura was recognized as a Champion of Justice in 2019 by Texas Watch.
Jeffrey Edwards has been named a Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Austin by Forbes Advisor. He is the founder of Edwards Law, where he is known for his work in medical malpractice, civil rights, and personal injury.
Michelle Cheng has been named a Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Austin by Forbes Advisor. Cheng is an attorney at Whitehurst, Harkness, Brees, Cheng, Alsaffar, Higginbotham, and Jacob, PLLC and has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer since 2009.
In her nearly 30-year career, Cheng has set multiple records in recovery for injured clients and has had active roles as a leader of the Austin area.
Robert Alden has been named a Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Austin by Forbes Advisor. A double Longhorn, Alden focuses his practice at Byrd Davis Alden & Henrichson, LLP on motor vehicle, premise liability and medical malpractice.
Mike Singley has been named a Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Austin by Forbes Advisor. Singley specializes in complex wrongful death and serious personal injury cases at Edwards Law and received the Texas Super Lawyers award in 2020 and 2021.
Robert Cole Grable passed away on April 20, 2023. Texas Law’s Grand Chancellor in the fall of 1971, Grable served in the Navy JAG Corps after getting his law degree. He then practiced law in Austin, where he developed a specialty in oil, gas and mineral law. Grable co-founded the Kelly Hart & Hallman law firm in 1979 and served as the longtime chair of the firm’s Oil and Gas section.
Robert D. Forrester passed away on April 18, 2023. A double Longhorn, he wrote extensively in the areas of probate, intestacy, and tax law over his five decades of practicing law. Forrester retired from Peterson, Farris, Pruitt & Parker where he was of counsel.
Thomas Joseph Brorby passed away on April 13, 2023. An Army veteran, he founded two different law firms, most recently Brorby, Crozier & Dobie law firm in Austin in 1993. Brorby focused on tax law and notably served as tax counsel in State Bar of Texas v. U.S., a lawsuit establishing the tax-exempt status of the Texas Bar.
Edmond Moreland Jr. passed away on April 4, 2023. Moreland began his own law practice in 2000 and founded the Moreland Verrett, P.C. law firm in 2013. He specialized in labor and employment law and was recognized many times on The Best Lawyers in America list for his work.
Carrie Douglas has joined Bracewell LLP as a partner in healthcare and life science practice. A double Longhorn who earned dual bachelor degrees from UT, Douglas represents hospital systems, ambulatory surgery centers and large physician practices in coverage and reimbursement disputes.
Allan Graber passed away on April 15, 2023. A double Longhorn, Graber had a 60-year career as an attorney and CPA and worked in his own private practice for more than 40 years.
Kameron D. Johnson has been named to the South Central Regional Advisory Board of the Gault Center. Johnson is the juvenile public defender for Travis County.
James Warren “JW” Gary passed away on March 30, 2023. Gary served in the U.S. Marine Corps before beginning a law career that spanned 50 years. He spent the majority of his career with the Gary, Thomasson, Hall & Marks law firm and specialized in public school law.
Stanley “Todd” Lowry passed away on April 10, 2023. A double Longhorn, Lowry enjoyed a lengthy academic career and served as an economics professor at Washington and Lee University for more than 35 years until his retirement in 1995.
Chari Kelly ’02 and Adam Schramek ’01 welcomed daughter Chari Adora Schramek on March 13, 2023. Kelly is a justice on the Third Court of Appeals of Texas, an adjunct professor at Texas Law, and incoming vice president of the Alumni Association Executive Committee. Schramek is a commercial litigation partner at Norton Rose Fulbright and immediate past president of the Texas Law Review Association. They met on an interscholastic mock trial team and were engaged beneath the UT Tower.
Kimberly A. Chojnacki has been elected a shareholder with Baker Donelson in Houston. A double Longhorn, Chojnacki is a complex commercial litigator and transactional attorney representing clients in an array of industries.
Jim Hill has been selected as a 2023 Super Lawyer in the area of Bankruptcy: Business. A 17-year veteran of Super Lawyers, Hill is currently a shareholder at Sullivan Hill Rez & Engel and practices primarily in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency and commercial law.
Erleigh Norville Wiley has been appointed to the Texas Crime Victims’ Institute Advisory Council. Wiley is the Criminal District Attorney for Kaufman County and is an executive board member of the Texas District & County Attorneys Association.
Chris Stewart has been recognized on the 2023 Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for his work in intellectual property law. Stewart is a trial lawyer who focuses on patent and general commercial litigation as a principal at Caldwell Cassidy & Curry.
John H. Eichelberger, III has been appointed to the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board. He is a partner at Schwartz, Page & Harding, LLP and serves on the Board of Directors of Urban Reform.
Sally Gillette Hankins has been appointed city attorney of Falls Church, Va. A double Longhorn, Gillette Hankins previously served as town attorney for Purcellville, Virginia and has 25 years of combined experience in municipal law and urban planning.
Chris Hawkins has been selected as a 2023 Super Lawyer in the area of Bankruptcy: Business. Hawkins is currently a shareholder at Sullivan Hill Rez & Engel and works in the Insolvency and Criminal Bankruptcy, Business Transactions, and Commercial and Business Litigation practice groups.
Maurice W. Dobson has been appointed General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Dobson has served as Deputy General Counsel since 2005 with increasing responsibilities and mostly recently oversaw the Operations and Legislation Division.
David Pendarvis, who has been Chief Administrative Officer and Global General Counsel for ResMed Inc., has announced his retirement. Pendarvis has held various positions throughout his two decades with the company.
Marc R. Stanley is the U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Argentine Republic. Prior to his service as a diplomat, Stanley was a trial lawyer for 40 years, focusing on national class actions and complex litigation.
Paul H. Brunette passed away on March 29, 2023. A U.S. Navy veteran, he enjoyed a lengthy legal career that spanned more than 50 years. Brunette was employed by the Wichita County Attorney as an assistant prosecutor before transitioning into private practice.
Michael McConnell passed away on March 25, 2023. A U.S. Air Force veteran, McConnell enjoyed a long career practicing bankruptcy law and was a partner in several law firms, finishing his career as Chairman of Kelly Hart & Hallman’s Reorganization and Bankruptcy practice. He also served three years as a U.S. bankruptcy judge for the Northern District of Texas.
William F. Young passed away on March 20, 2023. A double Longhorn, Young was an accomplished academic, serving as a professor at Columbia Law and a visiting professor at Harvard, Duke, Stanford, SMU, Wake Forest, the University of Georgia, and his alma mater.
Versel (Wall) Rush was awarded the 2023 Rutland Excellence in Advocacy Award by the Texas State Bar Child Protection Law Section “in recognition of her outstanding legal advocacy and service on behalf of children and families.” This is the highest award given by the section to an attorney. Rush is a regional attorney with the Child Protective Services based out of Montague County.
Zeena Angadicheril has joined Greenberg Traurig LLP as a Real Estate of counsel in the Austin office. A double Longhorn, Angadicheril specializes in sports and real estate law.
David H. Burrow passed away on March 10, 2023. Burrow was an accomplished trial lawyer for cases ranging from personal injury, products liability, and cases involving petroleum plants. Early in his career, he served as a U.S. Army Judge Advocate General (JAG).