Shane Pennington has joined Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP as partner in its Washington, D.C., office. A former law clerk to federal judges, Pennington counsels clients on federal regulatory issues and was named to Best Lawyers’ Ones to Watch in America listing.
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.
Jill Applegate wrote an essay for the New York Times about marijuana convictions and deportation. Applegate is an immigration attorney and fellow at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, where she represents clients with deportation orders.
Hugh L. McCulley passed away June 10, 2023. McCulley, whose legal career spanned more than 50 years, was a partner at Crady Jewett McCulley & Houren L.LP. Throughout his career, he represented railroad companies in their business and regulatory activities.
Herlinda Rodriguez passed away June 7, 2023. Rodriguez focused on providing legal aid to the Hispanic community through her private practice. She also helped her husband establish a construction business.
Willard Kent Johnson passed away June 4, 2023. In addition to his work as an attorney for two state agencies — the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation then later the Employees Retirement Systems of Texas — Johnson was a football referee for 45 years.
Reagan Reaud will serve on the Board of Directors for the Beaumont Foundation, a nonprofit Texas corporation that provides grants for charitable causes. Reaud is the founder and CEO of Privateer Capital Management, L.P. and is the founder and Chairman of the Lucena Group.
Lee Otis “Otie” Zapp Jr. passed away June 6, 2023. He served as president of Zapp Realty Property Management and Insurance from 1960 until his retirement and received numerous accolades for his accomplishments and service to his community.
Patrick Lingwall has joined Kane Russell Coleman Logan PC as a senior attorney in the Business & Corporate practice in Houston. A double Longhorn, Lingwall specializes in the energy and infrastructure sectors and represents companies in complex business transactions and commercial matters.
Joseph Weaver Russell passed away June 2, 2023. A double Longhorn who served two years in the U.S. Army, he started his legal career as a briefing attorney for Texas Supreme Court justices. Russell went on to work at law firms in Corpus Christi and San Antonio before before forming his own firm in 1993, eventually practicing with his son.
David Powell has been recognized as a 50-Year Member of the Florida Bar. Powell is a professor emeritus at Florida State University and has taught multiple courses related to estate planning.
Michael Appleton has been recognized as a 50-Year Member of The Florida Bar. He founded Appleton Law Offices in Winter Park, Fla., and specializes in business law, commercial law, and real estate litigation cases.
Stuart F. Miller has been included in the 2023 edition of the Chambers USA directory for his work in healthcare law. Miller is a a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Houston and represents healthcare clients in a variety of corporate and regulatory matters.
Daniel Sternthal has been included in the 2023 edition of the Chambers USA directory for his work in healthcare law. Sternthal is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Houston and serves as strategic counsel to a diverse range of health care entities.
Irina B. Plumlee has been included in the 2023 edition of the Chambers USA directory for her work in immigration law. Plumlee is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. and focuses her immigration practice on business and family immigration.
emJesse Pierce has received his 15th consecutive selection to the Chambers USA legal directory for his work in commercial litigation and oil and gas expertise. Pierce has more than 45 years of litigation experience and specializes in civil trials of cases dealing with complex energy and commercial issues. He also was recently recognized by Texas Super Lawyers.
Charles K. Bluntzer passed away on May 27, 2023. After receiving the Purple Heart for his service in the U.S. Army First Cavalry Division in Vietnam, Bluntzer began his career in municipal law in multiple Texas cities. In 1984, he entered private practice where he continued for more than three decades until retiring.
Russell Winfield Schell has passed away. After serving as a partner at Thomson Coe and heading the litigation division at Riddle & Brown, Schell founded his own law firm in 1992 and enjoyed a successful career as a trial lawyer.
Julie Hardin has joined Reed Smith LLP’s senior management team as managing partner, Americas. Hardin, who focuses on the energy and life science sectors, is one of the founding members of Reed Smith’s Houston office and has served on the Executive Committee since 2016.
Dianne Shank Brode passed away on May 26, 2023. Brode began her law career at Shapiro, Edens and Cook as one of only three female attorneys before successfully initiating a joint venture, Techline Inc., with her husband.
Victor Michael Firth passed away on May 17, 2023. After working for law firms in Oklahoma City and El Paso, Firth founded his own law firm, which eventually became Firth, Bunn, Kerr, Neill, P.C. In addition to his successful career in real estate law, Firth officiated college football games for many years.
Zachary Wyatte has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as an associate in the Litigation Practice Group. Wyatte’s practice focuses primarily on commercial and construction litigation and he has experience representing large corporations in complex litigation involving corporate, maritime, and international trade matters.
David Park has joined Credit Union National Association as the senior director of advocacy and counsel. Park previously served as the senior policy and compliance officer at Navy Federal Credit Union and has more than a decade of experience in legal analysis and regulatory compliance.
Jason Villalba is rejoining Frost Brown Todd to lead its new Texas public affairs subsidiary, CivicPoint. A former member of the Texas House of Representatives, Villalba is a financially trained business advisor and corporate strategist.
Adele B. Simpson passed away on April 26, 2023. One of two women in her graduating law school class, Simpson’s legal career spanned numerous cities and positions in Texas, including an appointment as the first municipal court judge in the City of Huntsville.
Gregory Clark has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as a senior attorney in the firm’s Construction Practice Group. Clark, a member of Construction Law Section of the Texas Bar Association, focuses on business and residential commercial construction matters.
Lisa McDaniel Crane passed away on May 15, 2023. She enjoyed a successful career as an attorney and real estate developer. She joined her husband Les as a partner in the ownership of Longhorn Dental, a business they worked together to build and expand.
Jeffrey Van Horn passed away on May 6, 2023. A double Longhorn, he was appointed as the first criminal district attorney for Caldwell County before serving as the state prosecuting attorney until his retirement.
John Wooddell passed away on April 23, 2023. Wooddell, who served in the United States Army Special Forces as a Green Beret, enjoyed a successful law career as a trial attorney in Texas.
Betty Balli Torres was awarded the Emily C. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award by the Texas Access to Justice Commission. Torres is executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation and was recognized for her longtime contributions to improving access to justice for low-income Texans.
Justin T. Sigman passed away on Oct. 26, 2022. He spent the majority of his career overseas, where he managed the construction of schools, hospitals, and bridges in war zones such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Sigman was additionally instrumental in writing the constitution for the Southern Sudan.
The Honorable Horace Ronald “Ron” Poole passed away on May 8, 2023. He was elected District Court Judge for Douglas County (ore.) and soon became a Douglas County Circuit Court Judge in 1984. Poole was one of the longest-serving circuit court judges in Oregon at the time of his retirement in 2013.
Frank Ryon Monroe passed away on May 8, 2023. Monroe spent two decades with Sheinfeld, Maley and Kay as a bankruptcy attorney and managing partner, then was appointed as United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Texas, and serving 20 years in Austin in that role.
Joseph Robert “Bob” Schneider Sr. passed away on May 3, 2023. A double Longhorn, Schneider started his legal career practicing with his father at Schneider and Schneider. After the death of his father, the firm name was changed to Schneider & McWilliams and Schneider spent his legal career focusing on oil and gas, estate planning, real estate, and probate. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the State Bar and the Board of Trustees of the Texas Bar Foundation.
Katie Carmona has joined Jackson Walker as a senior counsel in the firm’s Trial & Appellate Litigation practice in Austin. Carmona previously served as a career law clerk to U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel and has more than 25 years of experience handling complex trial and appellate cases.
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.