Rachel Fitzgerald has been elected partner with Locke Lord’s Houston practice. Fitzgerald practices corporate law, focusing primarily on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate restructurings, joint ventures and matters related to corporate governance and compliance. She has a particular focus in energy — including midstream, oilfield services, renewables and storage facilities — insurance and media.
Brandan Montminy has been elected partner with Locke Lord’s Dallas practice. Montminy provides counsel to clients in a wide array of litigation matters as well as in privacy, data protection, cybersecurity compliance, and incident preparedness and response. He represents clients across multiple industries, including banking and finance, commercial, construction, health care, insurance, professional services, real estate and technology.
Brian O’Reilly has been elected partner with Locke Lord’s Austin practice. O’Reilly practices in the area of transportation, administrative, and public law, focusing on the development of major infrastructure projects by public and private entities. He advises clients on procurement matters and legal issues related to the planning, construction, financing and operation of infrastructure projects.
Molly (Bentley) Fenton was recognized by Variety as one of Hollywood’s New Leaders of 2021.
Martin O. Siegmund has passed away on Nov. 3, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. Siegmund was a Fort Worth municipal judge for approximately five years and a former TCU professor. He also served on the Aledo school board, was a former Fort Worth United Fund Agency president, and a member of the Masonic Lodge (Shriner).
Ryan B. Hunsaker has been elected as a partner for global law firm Winston & Strawn LLP. He will serve in the firm’s Houston office. Hunsaker has experience in commercial lending and finance transactions, with a focus on oil and gas exploration, and production and oilfield services.
Sarah Gray has been appointed to serve as an Assistant General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at the Texas Tech University System. Prior to this position, Gray worked in private practice at Porter Hedges LLP in Houston, Texas.
Vicky Johnson of the 1st Judicial District of Nebraska announced that she is retiring at the end of January 2022. Johnson has served on the bench for 17 years and as the presiding judge for the Southeast Nebraska Adult Drug Court since 2007.
Charles “Chuck” William Hoffman has passed away Feb. 21, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. Hoffman was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army He spent most of his career working as a patent and corporate lawyer in Indianapolis.
William “Bill” Cook Fielder passed away Nov. 4, 2021 at age 83. Fielder was active in the Civil Rights movement as a student and then practiced law for over 50 years, helping many people in Austin and Lockhart. Passionate about helping people that were vulnerable and under-resourced, he worked in criminal law, juvenile law, probate, guardianship, and estate law.
Paul Singer has joined Kelley Drye & Warren LLP as a partner in the firm’s State Attorneys General practice group. Most recently, he served as the Texas Associate Deputy Attorney General for Civil Litigation.
Christie Yang has been appointed to general counsel for the Walton Family Foundation. Yang most recently served as the foundation’s interim general counsel. Before joining the WFF in 2019, Yang was associate general counsel at the Brookings Institution. She also was a litigator at Morrison & Foerster LLP, representing numerous Fortune 100 tech and financial services clients.
Ana Ibáñez has joined Broude Smith Jennings & McGlinchey PC as an associate representing clients in real estate and business transactions, estate planning and probate.
Sharmila Kassam has joined NASDAQ as Chief Operating Officer of their newly formed Nasdaq Asset Owner Solutions. Kassam joins with experience in institutional investing and a unique asset owner perspective. Most recently, she served as executive director of the AIF Institute, and as the Deputy Chief Investment Officer for the Employees Retirement System of Texas.
Pike Powers passed away after a battle with Parkinson’s disease. Powell served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives in the ’70s, representing Jefferson County. He then went on to serve as chief of staff to Texas Gov. Mark White in the ’80s. He was considered a trailblazer for Austin’s tech scene. Powers’ impact on Austin’s economy stemmed from his law career that had him structuring mega deals as he executed economic development in Austin as a Fulbright & Jaworski lawyer (now Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP).
Claire Powell has been named Lewisville, Texas’s next city manager. Powell, who has served as an assistant city manager in Lewisville since 2016, will become the eighth city manager in the city’s history and the second woman to hold the post. She first joined Lewisville in 2011 as assistant city attorney, and became the Assistant City Manager over Development Services.
Nancy Gail Black Sagafi-Nejad, 83, passed away on Sept. 27, 2021. She earned a Masters in art history and served in the Peace Corps teaching. Later, she graduated with her J.D. and worked as an employment discrimination and civil rights lawyer for the government and in private practice. Sagafi-Nejad wrote a book, Friends at the Bar: A Quaker View of Law, Conflict Resolution, and Legal Reform (SUNY Press, 2011), exploring how Quaker values can contribute to improvements in legal practice and the impact of the law on society.
Charles “Charlie” Cheever, Jr. has passed away at 93. Cheever graduated from West Point in 1949 and served as an Air Force pilot instructor and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve. After graduating law school, Cheever joined the San Antonio’s Broadway Bank in 1957 to work alongside his father. He was elected President of the bank in 1961, Chairman & CEO in 1982, and Chairman Emeritus upon his retirement in 2005. He was elected to the San Antonio Business Hall of Fame, the Texas Bankers Hall of Fame, and the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
Martha Hofmeister was awarded Altrusa International, Inc.’s highest honor: the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award. This award is worldwide community service organization’s only award given to an individual member. Designed to recognize an Altrusan who makes a lasting contribution to community service as a result of involvement with Altrusa, recipients must have a distinguished service record at the local, district, and international levels. Hofmeister is a founding partner of Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP.
Lindsey A. Mills has been promoted to counsel at Latham & Watkins in New York, effective Jan. 1, 2022. A member of the Capital Markets Practice in the Corporate Department, she advises clients on a range of equity and debt transactions, including IPOs and high yield and investment grade debt offerings. She also advises clients on securities law compliance and general corporate governance matters.
Jennifer M. Gascoyne has been elected a partner at Latham & Watkins in London, effective January 1, 2022. A member of the Capital Markets Practice in the Corporate Department, she represents both issuers and investment banks on a range of capital markets transactions, including IPOs. She advises clients across a variety of industries and has particular experience with cross-border transactions and foreign private issuers. She received her JD from the University of Texas School of Law in 2013.
Samuel D. Rettew has been elected a partner at Latham & Watkins in Austin, effective Jan. 1, 2022. A member of the Capital Markets Practice in the Corporate Department, he represents private and public companies, private equity firms, and investment banks in a variety of financing and other transactions, including cross-border and leveraged buyout transactions as well as debt and equity offerings.
Demetria Frank has been named as Associate Dean for Diversity & Inclusion at The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Frank will remain a member of the law school faculty, while also overseeing the law school’s diversity and inclusion efforts. She began her legal career as a toxic tort litigation attorney before moving into the public sector as a Community Prosecutor in the Dallas City Attorney’s Office. Her tenure as an Associate Judge for the City of Dallas and the City of Houston has been one of the most influential experiences in her legal career.
Jonathan K. Frels, a partner with Bracewell LLP, was named “Lawyer of the Year” for Public Finance Law in Houston in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Individual lawyers with the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region are named “Lawyer of the Year.” Only one lawyer is recognized for each specialty and region.
Hayley Ostrin has joined innovation and technology firm Merchant & Gould as a partner in the D.C. area office. Ostrin will specialize in Section 337 investigations before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), which involve unfair and injurious competition in trade. She has extensive knowledge of ITC procedural and substantive issues, discovery and trial strategies, and other nuances of this unique practice area.
Mollie Duckworth has joined firm Latham & Watkins LLP’s Austin office as a partner in the Corporate Department and member of the firm’s Capital Markets, Public Company Representation, and Mergers & Acquisitions Practices. Duckworth advises clients in connection with M&A transactions and represents issuers and underwriters in public offerings and private placements of equity and debt securities.
Alexander Gras has joined Dallas-based Caldwell Cassady & Curry as an associate after a prior stent in the firm’s summer associate program.
Robert Calvert Patterson passed away on Sept. 22, 2021. Patterson was born in West Point, MS. He worked for the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Texas from 1962-1966 and then went into private practice in San Antonio.
Nathalie Stewart has been named as one of Houston Business Journal’s 2021 Transportation and Logistics honorees in its 2021 Women Who Mean Business awards. Stewart is a senior attorney and lead negotiator at Murphy Oil Corporation.
Brian M. Gillett has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Dallas, TX firm as senior attorney. Gillett is a trial attorney with experience handling high-stakes, complex commercial matters on both the plaintiff and defense sides at all stages of litigation in state and federal court and arbitration proceedings, from discovery through trial and appeal. His practice focuses on business litigation matters, including disputes involving claims for breach of contract, fraud, and breaches of fiduciary duties.
The late Ruben W. Hope, Jr. has been honored by Conroe ISD which dedicated its newest elementary school in his name, Ruben W. Hope, Jr. Elementary School. In 1996, Hope was elected to the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees. During his time on the Board, he held the position of trustee and vice president. In 1999, Hope also served his community as State Representative between 1999 and 2006. During his career, Hope tried over 200 cases to jury verdicts and handled appeals before the Texas Supreme Court. He passed away in 2015.
Chris Graff has joined global law firm K&L Gates LLP as a partner in the intellectual property (IP) procurement and portfolio management practice. Graff joins the firm’s Austin office from IP firm Pirkey Barber PLLC. He has worked with many iconic brands, and has represented clients in more than 100 cases before a wide variety of courts and tribunals, including federal and state courts and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Madison Young has joined Beck Redden LLP as an associate. Prior to joining the firm, Young clerked for The Honorable Ed Kinkeade of the Northern District of Texas. While a student at Texas Law, she received the Beck Award for Legal Research and Writing Excellence and the Outstanding Memorandum Award.
Nick Bunch has joined Haynes and Boone, LLP as a partner in the White Collar and Government Investigations Practices. His practice focused on the investigation, prosecution, and trial of sophisticated fraud cases, including healthcare fraud, securities fraud, bank fraud, public corruption, cybercrime and intellectual property matters, such as the theft of trade secrets.
Kenneth A. Clark has been appointed to Board of Directors of Summit Therapeutics, Inc. Clark was a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR) based out of the firm’s Palo Alto, CA, office where he advised biotech companies in strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, and financing transactions, in addition to a range of other matters.
Jeffery Scott Mecom died on Oct. 12, 2021. Mecom taught business law in Estonia at the Estonian Business School in Tallinn. During his time in the Baltics, he visited several eastern European countries, Scandinavia and Russia. He had a successful career as an attorney for both private and public companies. He also served as a mentor in the Texas Law Mentoring Program.
Marilyn Aboussie was named an Iconic Woman in Legal History by the Texas Young Lawyers Association. She was also the first female district judge in Tom Green County and was elected as the Chief Justice of the Third Court of Appeals of Texas in 1998, holding that office until her retirement in January 2003. Since then, she has continued serving as a Senior Judge for the State of Texas and also as a trained mediator. She has served as president of the Texas Law Alumni Association and honored as a Leader and Champion by the Center for Women in Law.
Jim Ormiston has been recognized in 2021 Texas Super Lawyers for his work in Commercial Litigation. He is a partner and Chair of the Litigation Department at Gray Reed & McGraw LLP. The majority of his practice involves handling energy litigation and complex commercial disputes.
Jorge A. Solis passed away on Oct. 8, 2021 at the age of 70. A former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Solis was a former prosecutor, a judge, a mentor for dozens of lawyers, and once considered a candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court. Solis began his legal career as an assistant criminal district attorney for the Taylor County District Attorney’s Office in Abilene, Texas and went into private practice in 1981. He was then elected as the first Hispanic District Attorney for Taylor County, serving in that role for five years. He was a special prosecutor for the Narcotics Task Force in 1988 before running for judge. In lieu of flowers, the family requests for memorial gifts to be made to The Judge Jorge A. Solis Memorial Scholarship Fund at UTLSF.org/solis.
Emily Chou has joined Forshey Prostok LLP, a Fort Worth bankruptcy boutique, as a partner in the firm’s Fort Worth office. Chou brings over 20 years of experience in business reorganization, creditors’ rights, and commercial litigation. Her work has included representing official creditors’ committees and post-confirmation liquidation/litigation trustees in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases all over the United States.
Starling Thomas “Tom” Morris died Monday, Oct. 4, 2021 at age 101. Morris entered Texas Law in 1939 and paused to serve in the U.S. Navy Air. He returned to graduate in 1946 and then taught at the law school for two years. In 1948 he began his law practice and went on to join the firm of Gibson, Ochsner and Little where he practiced from 1950 to 2003. He then practiced with the Underwood Law Firm until his time of death. His law practice brought many achievements and honors. Perhaps his greatest achievement was his victory in 1966, in the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark case of Graham v. Deere, which established the law of non-obvious subject matter in patent cases, and remains the law today after 55 years.
Brian Newby, Managing Partner of Cantey Hanger LLP, has been selected to receive the 2021 Law “Good Scout” Award from The Longhorn Council, Boy Scouts of America. Newby served a 31-year military career that included assisting both the Director for Operational Law and the Deputy Judge Advocate General, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force. He was also appointed by former Gov. George W. Bush to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents and served as vice chair. Former Gov. Rick Perry appointed Newby as his General Counsel and as his Chief of Staff, and asked him to head the state’s recovery effort after Hurricane Ike.
Charles Randolph Curson passed away in October 2021 at his home in Georgetown, Texas. The double Longhorn began his career as an Assistant District Attorney in Houston, Texas and then went on to work as a Real Estate Attorney for Mitchell Energy and then National Convenience Stores before retiring. He was a member of the Coast Guard before enlisting in the Navy as an Officer serving in the Judge Advocate General’s Corp.
Charles Michael “Mickey” Matkin passed away on Aug. 28, 2021, at the age of 84. Matkin practiced law both as a partner and in private practice in Houston and, after moving to Spring, Texas, in the Champions area. He also served in the Texas Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force Reserve from 1961 through 1969.
Kirby Cronin has joined the Dallas-based FBFK law firm as a shareholder and will lead market efforts at its new Austin office. Cronin is an Intellectual Property (IP) attorney formerly of Cronin PLLC. He is a 25-year attorney with expertise in intellectual property transactions, litigation, and counseling as well as extensive experience representing financial institutions’ technology-related matters.
Jamie E. France has rejoined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP as an Of Counsel in its Washington, D.C. office. She will serve as a member of the Litigation and Antitrust and Competition Practice Groups. Before rejoining Gibson Dunn, France served as an attorney in the Mergers IV Division of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition from 2015 to 2021. Previously, she was an associate attorney at Gibson Dunn from 2012 to 2015.
Kenneth “Ken” Hawari passed away on Aug. 22, 2021 at the age of 62 in Houston, Texas. He was a double Longhorn and worked 17 years for Hughes and Luce Law Firm, in Dallas, Texas, where he had become a partner. He became in-house counsel for ANS Medical Device in Plano, Texas, and later served as board director for private companies. He retired to his beloved home in Taos, New Mexico.
Rocio Guadalupe Mendoza has joined Paul Hastings LLP’s Houston office as partner. Mendoza comes to the firm from Baker & McKenzie. She advises on a diverse range of domestic and international energy-related transactions and projects, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and project development.
Lisa S. Tsai, a founding partner of Reid Collins & Tsai LLP, has become Managing Partner and joined the Executive Committee of the national trial boutique. Tsai is recognized for her leadership and contributions to the elevation of women and Asian-Pacific American (APA) attorneys regionally and nationally. She is past chair of the State Bar of Texas Asian Pacific Interest Section.
James “Jim” McCartney died at age 91, on Sept. 18, 2021. Post graduation from Texas Law, Jim joined the law firm of Vinson & Elkins and maintained an office there until the end of his life. The law business also brought him before federal and state regulatory agencies where he was involved in landmark cases. He loved the legal profession and came by it naturally. His father, grandfathers, great grandfather, as well as his uncle, had all been lawyers. He endowed a Lectureship at The University of Texas Law School in the name of his great uncle A. W. Terrell.