Pete Geren has been appointed president of the Fort Worth ISD board of managers. Geren, a double Longhorn who formerly served as a U.S. House representative and in the Department of Defense, currently is president and chief executive officer of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation.
Becky Diffen has been named to Tamarindo’s Legal Power List 2026, which recognizes the 100 most influential lawyers in the clean energy and infrastructure sectors. A partner with Norton Rose Fulbright in Austin, Diffen is also an adjunct professor at Texas Law, teaching a course in wind and solar law.
Kalyani Adusumilli has written her debut novel, “The Invisible Canvas,” which explores themes of resilience, identity, and mental health. Adusumilli worked as an epidemiologist and an attorney before turning to writing fiction and is also author of The Happy Wildflower series, collections of reflective essays and poetry.
Dustin Fillmore has been named a shareholder and director at McDonald Sanders in Fort Worth. His practice focuses on business transactions with an emphasis on real estate, energy, and finance. Fillmore has experience in both litigation and transactional matters and continues to support clients across a wide range of industries.
Phyllis Y. Young has joined Eversheds Sutherland as a partner and head of Texas Finance in the firm’s Houston office. Young advises on finance and restructuring matters for public and private companies, financial institutions, investors and other market participants. She has successfully guided financings across multiple industries and has played a significant role in assisting companies and lenders through in-court and out-of-court restructurings.
Jeffrey Neill has taken on a new role as executive director of the Office of Acquisition and Logistics (OAL) and senior procurement executive at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to his roles at VA, Neill worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Texas A&M University System, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, and the Department of the Treasury.
Kerrie Ann Nanni has a new position as management officer at the Office of the U.S. Ambassador to Croatia at the United States Department of State Embassy in Croatia. She previously served as financial management officer at the Office of the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo.
Ryan Newman has started a new position as chief deputy attorney general with the Florida Office of the Attorney General. He previously served as general counsel with the Florida Executive Office of the Governor.
Sam Waldon has a new position as acting director at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Enforcement. He previously served as deputy director and chief counsel in this division.
William “Bill” Dorsaneo passed away on March 15, 2026. Dorsaneo was a faculty member at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law for more than four decades and was the principle author of the 26-volume Texas Litigation Guide, referred to by generations of attorneys simply as “Dorsaneo’s.” He also served for decades as a member of the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee.
Joe Deming passed away on March 17, 2026. Deming worked as an attorney for various oil companies including Saudi Aramco and Royal Dutch Shell until his retirement in 2010.
Richard Orsinger was honored with the John F. Sheehy Jr. Distinguished Attorney Award at the Texas Board of Legal Specialization 51st annual induction ceremony. The award recognizes dedication to public service, professionalism, and excellence in the legal profession. Orsinger, who also was the keynote speaker at the event, has spent decades advancing family law through scholarship, teaching and mentorship across Texas.
Leslie “Les” Acker passed away March 15, 2026. A double Longhorn, Acker started his career in Midland, Texas, working in the City Attorney’s Office and later serving as the Midland County attorney before relocating to Post, Texas and becoming the Garza County attorney.
Mark Taylor, a director with Kane Russell Coleman Logan in Austin, has been selected to the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Bankruptcy and Restructuring guide, which recognizes leading lawyers in several areas of financial restructuring. Taylor dedicates his practice to complex bankruptcy, bankruptcy litigation and commercial litigation.
Brendan Henry has joined the Beckage Firm as senior counsel, focusing on cybersecurity, privacy, and incident response services. Henry has more than 17 years of federal national security service, including roles at the National Security Agency (NSA), the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Intelligence and Analysis, and the Department of the Interior in Alaska.
David Kitner received the 2025 Luther “Luke” H. Soules III Award for Excellence in Litigation from the State Bar of Texas. Kitner is senior counsel at Clark Hill in Dallas, representing clients in civil litigation matters involving business and commercial disputes and professional liability.
Kassi Gonzalez has been named as a 2026 finalist in the legal category of the Austin Under 40 Awards. She currently works as a senior attorney for the Texas Civil Rights Project.
Mark Laughlin has been elected to the National Tax Lien Association Board of Directors for a three-year term. He is the founder and CEO of NAR Solutions, Inc., a firm that partners with local governments to manage and monetize delinquent property tax liens.
Kayvon Rashidi has been named a 2026 finalist in the legal category of the Austin Under 40 Awards. Board-certified in family law, he currently serves as a partner for Powers Kerr & Rashidi, PLLC.
Elizabeth Page Kanetzky passed away on March 2, 2026. A double Longhorn with an artistic side that led to an additional degree in interior design, Kanetzky was the owner of Page Kanetzky Design for nearly a decade.
Stephanie Franco is the judge-elect of the 187th District Court in Bexar County and will be sworn in Jan. 1, 2027. She has worked as a prosecutor at the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office and previously served as a juvenile public defender in Travis County.
Jonathan Harmon has been named on the 2026 Virginia Power 50 List. He is the chairman of McGuireWoods, the state’s largest law firm, a position he has held since 2017.
Daniel Klein joined Blank Rome’s business litigation team in the Dallas office as of counsel. Klein previously served as partner at Johnston Clem Gifford, focusing on business and financial services clients in high-stakes commercial disputes.
Gary Norton passed away on Feb. 11, 2026. Norton primarily practiced as a civil defense trial attorney, later becoming assistant attorney general in the Consumer Protection Division of the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Jennifer Gasser has joined Paul, Weiss as Energy and Infrastructure M&A partner in Houston. She previously worked for Kirkland and Ellis, where she engaged in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buy-outs, joint ventures, and corporate governance matters for a diverse range of clients.
Terry Scarborough passed away on Feb. 25, 2026. After starting his career at the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, he founded Hance Scarborough LLP and served as a celebrated litigator there for most of his 50-year career. Scarborough earned induction into the American Board of Trial Advocates and the International Society of Barristers.
Hayden Tiner has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings’ litigation practice group as an associate in the firm’s Dallas office. He previously clerked for the Hon. David S. Morales of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Sidney Clifton Farrar passed away on Feb. 22, 2026. A retired senior district judge, Farrar led a long career of involvement in the Fort Worth judicial community before joining his son’s law firm as of counsel while also acting as a visiting judge and mediator.
Charles Helms passed away on Nov. 2, 2025. Helms practiced law in Dallas for many years alongside his friend and partner Paul Pesek, then spent his last years teaching theology at the University of Dallas. He was president of his local Catholic lawyer’s guild—the St. Thomas More Society—and was a member of the Catholic Bar Association.
Nicholas Taunton has been selected as the next president of Texas A&M’s Association of Former Students, starting in 2027. He joined the association as director of development and later became the organization’s first executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Brian D. Miller has been reappointed by the United States District Court to continue as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, until the vacancy is filled by the president. Miller was originally appointed to the post Oct. 27, 2025. He previously served as special inspector general for pandemic recovery. Miller’s interim appointment is for 120 days or until a presidential appointment is made, whichever occurs first.
Chris Scruggs recently published “Leviathan & the Lambs,” the final book in the Arthur Stone series—which also includes “Marshland” and “Peace at Battle Mountain”—written under the pen name Alystair West. This newest release covers the events of the Great Recession. Scruggs practiced law for more than 14 years before entering full-time ministry, from which he retired in 2019.
Tom Scott passed away Feb. 1, 2026. In addition to helping build the Bullock, Scott, Neisig and Owens law firm in Midland, Texas, he was a founding member of the Oil, Gas and Mineral Law Specialty Section of the State Bar of Texas.
Robert Carter Wilson passed away Feb. 4, 2026. A double Longhorn, Wilson’s legal career spanned over five decades across three law firms and focused on environmental law, water rights law, and radioactive materials regulation.
Aimeé Vidaurri has been named administrative partner at Norton Rose Fulbright’s San Antonio office. A trial lawyer, Vidaurri has been with the firm since 2018 and focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation for clients in the financial services, energy, and grocery retail industries.
Jay Dewald has been named head of litigation and disputes at Norton Rose Fulbright’s San Antonio office, focusing on white-collar criminal defense, crisis management, internal investigations, and government investigations involving whistleblower claims. Dewald also leads the firm’s U.S. Healthcare Investigations division.
Dennis Alvoid passed away on Jan24, 2. 026. Alvoid started his career at Hultgren, Jewell, Kolb, and Ivey specializing in medical malpractice, products liability, and defense law, then later dedicated himself to the juvenile justice system.
Cody Martinez has joined Jackson Walker’s Dallas office as partner, bringing his experience in sensitive internal investigation and high-profile litigation. He previously clerked for the Honorable Renee Toliver of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, working on cases related to intellectual property disputes, SEC enforcement actions, OFAC penalties, and class actions.
Rony Kishinevsky has joined Jackson Walker’s Austin office as partner in the Corporate & Securities section. A double Longhorn, he focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private fund formations, joint ventures, and private placements of debt and equity securities.
Sean Gallagher has joined Jackson Walker’s Austin office as partner with a wide range of experience from First Amendment litigation to trade secret infringement. He previously served as a business trial lawyer at Reese Marketos.
Allison Allman has joined Jackson Walker’s Ft. Worth office as partner, focusing on complex commercial matters at the trial and appellate levels. She previously worked as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Tyson Ehlinger has joined Jackson Walker’s Austin office as partner, specializing in wealth preservation strategies and estate planning. He previously served as a tax attorney for Timothy J. Ehlinger.
Creighton Neil White passed away Feb. 5, 2026. A double Longhorn and veteran who served in the Korean War, he was the Waxahachie city attorney and Ector County attorney before spending over 50 years in private practice in the oil and gas industry.
Samuel A. Simon, an author, actor and former public interest lawyer who worked with Ralph Nader, and his wife Susan are featured in a Washington Post story about his performance of “The Dementia Man.” The one-act play is based on Simon’s new book about living a meaningful life with Alzheimer’s disease.
T.L. Cubbage, who won the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions as a first-year law student in 1989, returned to the popular quiz show in January 2026 as a competitor in the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament. With this appearance, he became only the second person to compete in tournaments on the show in five different decades. Cubbage is the president of The Center for American and International Law, is a nonprofit institution based in Plano, Texas, dedicated to advancing justice and promoting the rule of law through the professional development of legal and law enforcement practitioners worldwide.
A new documentary, “Calming the Waters,” follows Jim Blackburn through decades of legal and conservation fights that brought Texas’ environmental stakes into public view. Blackburn is a professor of environmental law and co-director of the Severe Storm Prevention, Education and Evacuation from Disaster Center at Rice University.
Steven Stodghill has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office as a new litigation partner, specializing in trial and global disputes as well as intellectual property. An accomplished commercial litigator who has represented high-profile clients, he previously served as a partner at Winston & Strawn.
Rex Mann has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office, where he will focus his practice on patent litigation and other complex commercial litigation matters. He previously served as a partner at Winston & Strawn in Dallas.
Michael Bittner has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office as an intellectual property trial lawyer, with an emphasis on patent litigation. He previously served as a partner at Winston & Strawn in Dallas.
Chad Walker has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office, bringing experience successfully handling patent cases and complex commercial litigation disputes. He previously served as a partner at Winston & Strawn in Dallas.