David J. Beck, founding partner of Beck Redden, has been named the recipient of the prestigious 2025 Leon Jaworski Award for Community Service by the Houston Bar Association Auxiliary. This distinguished honor recognizes attorneys who exemplify a lifetime commitment to civic engagement, public service, and professional excellence.
Katy Zendeh was promoted to of counsel in the bankruptcy and litigation practice groups at Caplin & Drysdale in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 1, 2025. Zendeh’s practice centers around complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on bankruptcy litigation.
Hilda Galvan has retired from Jones Day after 28 years of service to seek new opportunities. She had served as the partner-in-charge of the Dallas office and was a partner in its Intellectual Property practice.
Craig Moore has been appointed as a criminal magistrate judge for Travis County, Texas. Moore, who previously served as an assistant district attorney, has broad experience practicing civil and criminal law. He is an adjunct faculty member at Texas Law.
Ewaen Woghiren has been elected partner at Jones Walker in Houston. A member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group specializing in the energy, construction, maritime, retail, and real estate sectors, Woghiren has prosecuted and defended a diverse docket that includes construction defects, oil and gas lease disputes, business divorces, business torts by officers of companies, and products liability.
Elizabeth Romefelt has been promoted to partnership at Gibson Dunn, where she focuses on mergers and acquisitions, in New York City. Romefelt has a broad range of experience in M&A, from representing public and private companies to financial sponsors and handling other complex corporate transactions.
Edwin Flores has been appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Texas School Safety Center Board, which supports counties in developing defense systems. Flores is a managing partner at Chalker Flores, LLP, and also serves on the boards of Medical City Hospital Dallas and the Mary Crowley Cancer Research Center.
Terri Lynn Harris Motl passed away on Dec. 13, 2024. Motl was one of the first board-certified family law attorneys in San Angelo, Texas.
Versel (Wall) Rush was presented with the Kathy Amonett Award of Excellence at the October 2024 Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) statewide annual legal conference. Rush is a Child Protective Services lawyer and advocates for abused and neglected children.
Frances Blake is the new general counsel and vice president of regulatory affairs for the Texas Association of Builders. Previously, Blake served as bond counsel and general counsel to various local governmental entities, as well as an assistant United States attorney.
John L. Stavinoha III has been promoted to partner at Bracewell’s Houston office, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Stavinoha will work in the firm’s oil and gas practice.
Andrew W. Monk has been promoted to partner at Bracewell in Houston, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Monk will work in the firm’s corporate and securities practice.
W. Jared Berg has been promoted to partner at Bracewell in Houston, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Berg will work in the firm’s corporate and securities practice.
Joseph Bart Budetti passed away on Dec. 11, 2024. After starting his legal career in Florida including nine years as Broward County judge, Budetti was the senior assistant city attorney in Overland Park, Kansas, for 21 years.
Shannon Edmonds was named the executive director of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association (TDCAA) in Austin, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Edmonds has served as the director of governmental relations for the TDCAA, the largest statewide association of prosecutors in the nation.
Parth Gejji, an associate at Beck Redden in Houston, has been elected to the partnership effective Jan. 1, 2025. A double Longhorn, Gejji was included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for his work in appellate practice.
Nicholas Bruno, an associate at Beck Redden in Houston, has been elected to the partnership effective Jan. 1, 2025. As lead appellate counsel, Bruno practices in all levels of the Texas appellate system.
Jeri Stone passed away Nov. 26, 2024. Stone worked as a writer, attorney, and lobbyist with the Texas Classroom Teachers Association for over four decades and served as executive director from 1985 – 2022.
John “Buck” Ritts passed away Nov. 23, 2024. Prior to spending 25 years as an assistant attorney general for the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Ritts was assistant county attorney for Travis County. He also worked with the Water Rights Commission, private law firms, and the Independent Cattlemen’s Association.
Robert “Bob” Barnes Thornton passed away Nov. 22, 2024. Thornton co-founded the firm Thornton & Summers in San Antonio, which later became Thornton, Biechlin, Reynolds and Guerra with additional offices in Houston, Austin, Corpus Christi and McAllen.
Clyde Wesley (Wes) Clements passed away Dec. 9, 1941. A member of the Texas Bar Association, Clements practiced criminal law in Houston until 2022.
George Walter Rockwell passed away Nov. 29, 2024. Following law school graduation, Rockwell moved to Houston, where he practiced corporate law for 56 years.
Judge Ogden Bass passed away Nov. 23, 2024. Judge Bass served as Brazoria County District Attorney for four terms and also served three terms as a judge in the 300th District.
Patricia Rigney has been appointed to the Business Advisory Council to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Rigney is owner of Rigney Law Firm and is currently the city attorney for the City of Mission.
Todd Hartis has been promoted to counsel at Vinson & Elkins’ Houston office. Hartis focuses his practice on corporate and securities transactions and has been named to Best Lawyers in America’s Ones to Watch list since 2023.
Zach Rider has been promoted to partner at Vinson & Elkins’ Houston office. Rider advises clients on a range of financing transactions and was named to Best Lawyers in America’s 2025 Ones to Watch list for banking and finance law.
Jeremy Reichman has been promoted to partner at Vinson & Elkins’ Dallas office. Reichman is a commercial litigator with a focus on professional liability matters.
Brooke Rollins has been selected by president-elect Donald Trump as the agriculture secretary. Rollins is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute and previously served as director of the Domestic Policy Council and assistant to the president for strategic initiatives.
Liam Corriston has joined Weil, Gotshal & Manges as an associate in the firm’s Dallas office. Corriston previously served as a judicial intern at the U.S. District Court.
Mack Ray Hernandez passed away in late August of 2024 after more than 20 years of battling metastatic breast cancer. A double Longhorn, he had his own practice—the Hernandez Law Firm in Austin—where he specialized in wills, probate, and real estate.
Daniel Sternthal, shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr in Houston, has been elected as the newest member of the firm’s board of directors. Sternthal is a recognized authority on regulatory, business and policy issues related to health care, serving as strategic counsel to a diverse range of health care entities.
David Coligado, CEO-elect at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, is featured in D CEO Magazine’s 2025 edition of the Dallas 500 directory, The Dallas 500 publication profiles the most powerful leaders in North Texas across more than 60 different business categories; this is Coligado’s first year of inclusion in the Dallas 500.
Mary Kipp was named to the transition team for Washington’s governor-elect Bob Ferguson as an advisor. Kipp serves as president and CEO of Puget Sound Energy since 2020 and previously was CEO of El Paso Electric.
Bert Massey passed away Nov. 13, 2024. Massey served as mayor of Brownwood, Texas, for 26 years and previously was a partner in the law firm of Massey, Shaw, and West.
Erton Frank Tate passed away Nov. 14, 2024. Tate, who practiced both law and accounting throughout his career, spent more than 50 years helping clients at Tate, Gowan & Wilson and its predecessors.
Cara Shaffer joined the faculty at the University of Colorado Law School as an associate teaching professor in the fall. Shaffer, who teaches legal writing, formerly worked as the founding director of the legal writing center at South Texas College of Law Houston.
Amanda Tyler has written a book titled “How to End Christian Nationalism,” which provides critical insights into the ideological and legal battles against Christian nationalism in the United States.
Reid Powers has been named the director of gift and estate planning for the Alumni Relations and Development Office at Texas Law. Reid previously worked for the Office of the Texas Attorney General and at the boutique law firm Saunders & Associates, specializing in estate planning.
Sarah Christian has joined Jackson Walker’s Austin office in the firm’s Finance & Banking practice group. Christian has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a “Texas Rising Star” and by Austin Monthly Magazine as a top finance attorney for the past three years.
Omar Alaniz, a partner at Reed Smith, is among the 2024 100 LGBTQ+ Executives selected by INvolve, in recognition of his advocacy and support efforts on behalf of LGBTQ+ diversity, equity and inclusion. Alaniz is member of Reed Smith’s Restructuring & Insolvency Group.
Nina Cortell, senior counsel at Haynes and Boone, was honored with the Larry Schoenbrun Jurisprudence Award by the Anti-Defamation League. Cortell represents corporations, public entities, and individuals in cases that have put her at the forefront of Texas litigation practice.
Jordan S. Hatcher co-founded a new tech company called The Grid, which recently announced its funding. Hatcher also serves as its COO.
Amanda Arriaga was named In House Impact Award Winner of the Year by Texas Lawyer Magazine and a finalist for Corporate Counsel of the Year by the State Bar of Texas Office of Minority Affairs. Arriaga is the general counsel of Sperry Commercial.
Brianna Herman has joined Ogletree Deakins’ Houston office as an associate. A former Harris County prosecutor, Herman focuses her practice on a variety of labor and employment matters.
Shavonne Smith has joined Ogletree Deakins as of counsel at the firm’s San Antonio office. Her practice focuses on employment litigation matters, including workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to accommodate, wrongful termination, and related issues.
Edward Dunbar passed away on Oct. 30, 2024. After starting his legal career as a public defender, Dunbar committed over 30 years to developing El Paso Community College. He specialized in school and labor law, serving as general counsel to the college and other educational institutions and school districts in the area.
Frank McClendon Jr. passed away on Oct. 28, 2024. During McClendon’s 50-year legal career as an expert in negotiating major construction contracts, he worked in 35 countries and 30 states for various companies. He later founded his own firm, McClendon & Associates.
Wade A. Barrow was raised to the rank of advocate by the American Board of Trial Advocates. His firm, Barrow Law, is based in Fort Worth and focuses on personal injury and wrongful death cases.
Greg Sorensen has been promoted to counsel at Latham & Watkins’ Houston office. Sorensen is a member of the firm’s M&A and Private Equity Practice and Corporate department and advises clients on strategic energy and infrastructure transactions.
David Moore has been elected to partner at Latham & Watkins’ Houston office. Moore, who is a member of the firm’s Investment Funds Practice and Corporate department, focuses his practice on U.S. and international private investment funds and joint ventures.