Class Notes

Jon Allen Green passed away August 12, 2024. In addition to his law career, Green volunteered for the Volunteer Lawyers Program and was a talented thespian, emcee, and auctioneer.

Cathy Garza has joined the Jackson Walker’s Electric Regulatory practice in Austin. She regularly advises clients in the electricity sector, including investor-owned utilities, power generation companies, retail electric providers and developers on regulatory and commercial litigation, as well as compliance issues. Garza advocates for clients in contested proceedings before the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

Colombina Valera has joined Austin-based litigation firm Botkin Chiarello Calaf as an associate, following a two-year clerkship for U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin M. Howell of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Keith Cohan, a partner at Reid Collins & Tsai in Austin, earned the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award as announced by Texas Lawyer. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including cases involving financial fraud, professional negligence, fiduciary liability, and other business torts. Cohan recently contributed to the first jury trial-to-verdict victory for the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana’s Justice Lab.

Ronald E. Mendoza, a partner with Davis, Cedillo & Mendoza in San Antonio, has been inducted as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in the United States and Canada.

Joseph C. Blanton Jr., a partner at Blanton, Nickell, Collins, Douglas, Hanschen & Peters, has been inducted as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Blanton has been practicing in Southeast Missouri since 1987.

Kleber Miller was named a Tarrant County Legal Legend in recognition of his contributions to the profession and community. Miller, whose career spanned over 70 years, previously was recognized by his peers in the State Bar of Texas as a Texas Legal Legend.

Vianei Lopez Braun, a shareholder at Decker Jones, was named one of “100 Hispanic Board Members Making a Difference” by Board Recruitment Magazine in its October 2024 edition. Vianei has been an independent director of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. since 2020 and serves on the board’s Compensation, Risk, and Nominations & Governance committees.

Barrett Reasoner, a partner at Gibbs & Bruns and fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, will be honored with the prestigious Karen H. Susman Jurisprudence Award by the Anti-Defamation League’s Southwest Region.

Donald Lee Mau passed away Sept. 28, 2024. Following his retirement from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel, Mau earned his law degree from Texas Law and enjoyed a second career in philanthropy and fundraising including time with the Texas Law School Foundation.

William Andrew Barr passed away Oct. 6, 2024. A double Longhorn, Barr was assistant U.S. attorney in Dallas before serving as a corporate litigation partner at Locke Purnell Boren Laney & Neely and its successors.

Jaime A. Saenz, a partner at Colvin, Saenz, Rodriguez & Kennamer in Brownsville, Texas, was nominated and inducted as a Fellow to the American College of Trial Lawyers. Saenz specializes in personal injury litigation and has tried over 120 civil cases to verdict.

Lena Silva, an associate at Beck Redden’s Houston office, will receive the 2024 Texas Minority Counsel Program (TMCP) Rising Star Award. The award, from the State Bar of Texas Office of Minority Affairs and the Steering Committee of the TMCP, will be presented at the Keynote Awards Luncheon Oct. 24, 2024.

Macey Reasoner Stokes, a partner at Baker Botts’ Houston office, will be honored with the prestigious Karen H. Susman Jurisprudence Award by the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Southwest Region.

Robert L. Tobey, an attorney at Johnston Tobey Baruch in Dallas, has been named a 2024 Super Lawyer for professional liability: plaintiff and a Top 100 in Dallas/Fort Worth.

Julie Partain has been named a Distinguished Alumni of 2024 by Henderson ISD. As a partner at Bracewell LLP in Dallas, Partain focuses her practice on public debt offerings and serves as bond counsel for numerous school districts and cities.

Joe Profaizer has joined Linklaters LLP’s Washington, D.C., office as partner and international arbitration global co-head. Profaizer previously served as global co-chair of Paul Hastings LLP’s international arbitration practice and is an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center.

Melvin Priester Sr. passed away Oct. 2, 2024. Priester’s public service career spanned nearly 40 years, including more than nine years on the Hinds County Court.

Samuel Bryan Moore Jr. passed away Sept. 19, 2024. A double Longhorn, Moore served as a county judge in Dallas County before moving to Colorado, where he practiced law and advocated for workers’ rights until his passing.

Frank Aguilar passed away Sept. 29, 2024. Aguilar was elected as judge for the 228th Criminal District Court of Harris County in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022.

Margaret Ingram passed away Sept. 9, 2024. In her position with the Texas Legislative Council, Ingram drafted legislation for nearly two decades specializing in water law.

Alexander Hughes passed away Sept. 14, 2024. Hughes clerked for the Honorable Gregg Costa following law school and most recently served as Chief Legal Officer at Sandclock.

Tom Mason, an executive vice president of Energy Transfer LP in Dallas, has been appointed to the Texas Economic Development Corporation board of directors.

Zoraima Pelaez has been promoted to staff attorney with the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project. A double Longhorn, Pelaez previously worked with the ACLU as an Equal Justice Works fellow.

Fields Alexander, a partner at Beck Redden, has been honored by Benchmark Litigation in its 2025 ranking of the nation’s top litigation talent. Previously he was named a 2024 Texas Super Lawyer in business litigation and a 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator in America, and was listed in the 2025 The Best Lawyers in America for four different specialties.

David J. Beck, founding partner of Beck Redden LLP, has been named one of Benchmark Litigation’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the United States for 2025.  Previously he was named a 2024 Texas Super Lawyer in business litigation and a 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator in America. Beck also was honored in the 2025 Best Lawyers in America in six different categories and named to the 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators list.

Alistair B. Dawson, a partner at Beck Redden, has been included by Benchmark Litigation in its 2025 ranking of the nation’s top litigation talent. Previously he was named a 2024 Texas Super Lawyer in business litigation and a 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator in America for the practice areas of commercial litigation, class action, and energy. Dawson also was honored in 2025 The Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation and litigation–antitrust.

Sam Waldon has been appointed acting deputy director of the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission. Previously, Waldon served as chief counsel for the Division of Enforcement. He joined the SEC from Proskauer Rose LLP, where he was a partner.

Pamela E. George was named by South Texas College of Law Houston as the Stanley J. Krist Distinguished Professor of Texas Law. This title is awarded to an outstanding professor whose research and teaching helps develop Texas law and future Texas lawyers. George, the first tenure-track female professor at South Texas Law, has a distinguished 43-year academic career and has represented numerous clients as a board-certified specialist in family law and civil appellate law.

Richard Joseph has been named interim dean of the Knauss School of Business at the University of San Diego. Joseph is the former provost and chief academic officer at Bryant University who previously served for over a decade at UT’s McCombs School of Business.

Michelle Schulz is the founder and managing partner of the Dallas-based Schulz Trade Law. Schulz, a leader in international trade law with over 20 years of experience,  advises Fortune 500 companies on import and export compliance and serves on the U.S. Industry Trade Advisory Committee for Aerospace. A global speaker and author, she is fluent in English, German, and French.

David Tate passed away Sept. 21, 2024. Tate, whose legal career spanned 50 years with the same firm, served numerous clients in Wichita Falls, Texas, then later Fort Worth.

Melissa Shultz has been named assistant dean for legal writing and professor of law at St. Mary’s University. Prior to becoming a law professor, Shultz worked at King & Spalding in Washington, D.C., before opening her own law firm.

Michael McBride, a partner at Houston trial law firm Alavi Anaipakos, has been named to the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America based on his work in high-stakes intellectual property lawsuits. McBride focuses his practice on complex patent litigation and patent prosecution matters.

Scott Clark, a partner at Houston trial law firm Alavi Anaipakos, has been named to the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America based on his work in high-stakes intellectual property lawsuits. Clark previously was recognized in 2023 by IAM Patent 1000.

Brad Caldwell, a principal at Dallas law firm Caldwell Cassady & Curry, has been named to the 2024 Texas Super Lawyers guide as one of the top intellectual property attorneys in the state. Caldwell focuses on patent infringement and complex commercial litigation.

Chris Stewart, a principal at Dallas’ Caldwell Cassady & Curry, was named to the 2024 Benchmark Litigation 40 & Under list of the nation’s top young trial lawyers. Stewart was recognized in the annual guide for his expertise in intellectual property trials.

Karen Hansen has joined the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) executive management team as vice president of environmental law and regulatory compliance. Hansen, who’s had a working relationship with SAWS since 2007, will assist the utility in navigating state and national environmental issues.

Cynthia Fuller Leigh passed away Sept. 14, 2024. Leigh, who was a board-certified attorney in immigration and nationality law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, practiced immigration law and represented thousands of immigrants in her career.

Edward Guzman has been promoted to senior vice president/chief legal and ethics officer of the San Antonio Water System. Guzman joined SAWS in 2020 as senior corporate counsel, providing legal support for environmental and regulatory issues.

Rose Jenkins has been nominated by President Joe Biden as a judge to the United States Tax Court. Jenkins has over 15 years of career experience as a tax lawyer and is an expert in international tax law and administrative law. She is currently an attorney in the Office of Associate Chief Counsel at the Internal Revenue Service.

Elizabeth Noël Harwerth has been appointed as independent non-executive director at Hansard Global. Harwerth previously worked in the British government and recently was honored by King Charles III with the Order of the British Empire for her outstanding services to international trade.

Daniel Wade Sharp passed away Sept. 15, 2024. Sharp, who most recently served as senior corporate intellectual property counsel at Rimini Street, founded Sharp Family Vineyards  with his wife.

Kelly Frels has won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Texas Legal Awards. Throughout a career spanning over five decades, Frels spearheaded the desegregation of Houston ISD, served as president of the State Bar of Texas, co-founded the State Bar’s School Law Section, and was a managing partner at Bracewell LLP.

Suzanne Milton has been appointed as chief audit and compliance executive of Virginia Commonwealth University’s audit and compliance services unit. Previously Milton was VCU’s chief ethics and compliance officer after practicing in-house labor and employment law for the U.S. Postal Service.

Lawrence Allen Mann passed away Sept. 10, 2024. Mann was the third generation of his family to practice law in Laredo and enjoyed a 29-year legal career with the Mann firm.

Allison Miller, of counsel at Beck Redden in Houston, was named a 2024 Texas Super Lawyer in the practice area of professional liability: defense. Previously she was named a 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” in legal malpractice law–defendants by The Best Lawyers in America, as well as “Best Lawyer” in the areas of legal malpractice law–defendants and professional malpractice law–defendants.

Urban “Obie” O’Brien passed away July 26, 2024. O’Brien joined the campaigns to elect U.S. Rep. Mike Andrews and U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, worked for George Mitchell in the oil and gas industry, and later joined Apache Corporation and Raymond Plank.

Alex Anderson has joined Spencer Fane’s Plano office as an associate in the banking and financial services practice group. A double Longhorn, Anderson served as law clerk for Chief Bankruptcy Judge John S. Hodge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana.

Robert Sherman passed away on Sept. 15, 2024 after a courageous battle with cancer. Sherman was a partner at Morris & Campbell in Houston before moving to Carthage, Texas, where he founded a law practice, a title company, and an energy company.