Class Notes

Keegan Warren has been named to the Equal Justice Works “40×40 Alumni Changemakers” list, which marks the organization’s 40th anniversary. She serves as the executive director of the Institute for Healthcare Access at Texas A&M University.

Janet Walker, a Longhorn tennis icon, was inducted into the UT Athletics Hall of Honor on Sept. 18, 2026.  During her college career from 1998-2001, she was an All-American in singles, the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year in 2000, and a five-time All-Big 12 selection. Walker is now president and CEO of the Texas Association of Community Health Plans based in Austin.

Andres Contreras was recently recognized on the Super Lawyers 2026 “Texas Rising Stars” directory based on his work as a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr (Munsch Hardt) in Houston. Contreras was included in the category General Litigation, placing him among only 2.5% of eligible attorneys in Texas receive this distinction. Previously he was recognized on the Woodward/White Inc. 2027 Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory in the categories Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation–Defendants and Product Liability Litigation–Defendants.

Daniel Sternthal has been recognized in the 2026 “Texas Super Lawyers” directory based on his work as a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr (Munsch Hardt) in Houston. Sternthal was listed among the top 5% of Texas lawyers in Health Care Law by this peer rating platform honoring those who have achieved a high degree of professional achievement and recognition.

Mitch McFarland has been recognized in the 2026 “Texas Super Lawyers” directory  based on his work as a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr (Munsch Hardt) in Houston. McFarland was recognized for his work in Business Litigation by the peer rating platform that includes 5% of lawyers in Texas who have achieved a high degree of professional achievement and recognition.

Mason Hester has been recognized in the 2026 “Texas Super Lawyers” directory based on his work as a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr (Munsch Hardt) in Houston. Hester earned additional distinction as one of the Top 100 attorneys in Houston and is listed among the top 5% of lawyers in Texas in Construction Litigation.

David Coligado has been recognized in the 2026 “Texas Super Lawyers” directory, based on his work as a shareholder and CEO at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr (Munsch Hardt) in Dallas. Coligado was recognized in Real Estate Law by the peer rating platform for lawyers who have achieved a high degree of professional achievement and recognition.

Jamie Vasquez has been sworn in as president of the San Antonio Bar Association. A tax lawyer, Vasquez is managing shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka in San Antonio and serves on the firm’s board of directors.

Austin Nelson, who has started a tenure-track assistant professorship at the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, received the Best Dissertation Award from the American Political Science Association’s American Political Thought Section.

Kelsi Stayart White has been named to Law360’s Rising Stars list, one of the appellate attorneys under age 40 to be honored. She currently serves as a partner at Ahmad Zavitsanos & Mensing in Houston.

Kelly Wise has been recognized on the Woodward/White Inc. 2027 Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory in the categories Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation–Defendant and Product Liability Litigation–Defendants. Wise is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr in Dallas. The peer-nominated list honors U.S.-based attorneys who demonstrate outstanding professional excellence in private practice.

Marisol Sobek has been recognized on the Woodward/White Inc. 2027 Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory in the Commercial Litigation category. Sobek is an associate at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr in Austin. The peer-nominated list honors U.S.-based attorneys who have been in practice for five to nine years and demonstrate outstanding professional excellence.

Madeline Mitchell has been recognized on the Woodward/White Inc. 2027 Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory in the Commercial Litigation category. Mitchell is an associate at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr in Austin. The peer-nominated list honors U.S.-based attorneys who have been in practice for five to nine years and demonstrate outstanding professional excellence.

Charles Fowler has been named to Law360’s Rising Stars of 2026, a list of more than 160 attorneys under 40 based on their legal accomplishments. He currently serves as the head of Texas trial firm McKool Smith’s appellate practice in Austin.

Nicholas Lowrey has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America since 2026. He currently works as a senior associate attorney in the Washington, D.C., office of Klasko Immigration Law Partners.

Gustavo Torres will receive the Attorney of the Year Award at the Hispanic National Bar Association’s (HNBA) 2026 National Awards. He is senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of Fervo Energy. Torres also serves as president-elect of HISBA, an HNBA affiliate.

Ronald B. King was selected to receive the 2026 American Inns of Court Bankruptcy Distinguished Service Award, recognizing his career, professionalism, mentoring, and service. King has been a U.S. bankruptcy judge for the Western District of Texas since 1988 and served as chief U.S. bankruptcy judge from 2006 to 2021. Although he officially retired in 2021, he still helps his Western District colleagues with their caseloads by serving as a recall judge.

Patricia Rigney of the Rigney Law Firm has been elected to membership in the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation. Fellows are selected for their outstanding professional achievements and their demonstrated commitment to the improvement of the justice system throughout the state of Texas.

Lourdes ‘Lulu’ Ortiz has been named to 2026 “Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation” legal guide. Ortiz is an associate attorney at Cleveland Kristin Austin and has served as an adjunct professor at Texas Law.

Abbey Garber has been elected chair of the Taxation Section of the State Bar of Texas for 2026-27. Garber is a partner at Holland & Knight in Dallas where he focuses his practice on tax litigation and providing advice on applying tax laws to individuals, estates, corporations and partnerships.

William Hagans has been elected a member of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates. ABOTA is a national, invitation-only organization of seasoned trial lawyers and judges committed to protecting the right to a civil jury trial and upholding the highest standards of civility, integrity, and professionalism. He is an attorney at the Hagans law firm in Houston.

A portrait of Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses was ceremoniously unveiled June 26 at the U.S. courthouse in San Antonio, the headquarters of the federal judiciary’s Western District of Texas. Moses was the first woman  appointed to a district bench in the Western District of Texas in 2002, then became the district’s first female chief judge in 2022.

Mark Taylor, a director in the Austin office of Kane Russell Coleman Logan, has been recognized in the Chambers USA 2026 Guide: Texas for bankruptcy/restructuring.

Stephanie E. Kaiser, a director in the Dallas office of Kane Russell Coleman Logan, has been recognized in the Chambers USA 2026 Guide: Texas in the area of general commercial litigation.

Lisa S. Blatt has been named to Forbes’ “America’s Top Women Lawyers“ list for appellate law. Blatt serves in Williams & Connolly’s supreme court and appellate practice in Washington, D.C.

Lisa Tsai has been named to Forbes’ “America’s Top Women Lawyers“ list for litigation. She is the managing partner and co-founder of Reid Collins & Tsai in Austin.

Sarah Stasny has been named to Forbes’ “America’s Top Women Lawyers“ list for Investment Funds & Asset Management. Stasny is the head of Proskauer’s Private Equity Transactions Group in New York.

Jessica Dean has been named to Forbes’ “America’s Top Women Lawyers“ list for litigation. Dean is a founding partner at Dean Omar Branham Shirley in Dallas.

Kim Bueno has been named to Forbes’ “America’s Top Women Lawyers“ list for litigation. Bueno is a litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Austin.

Tom Wright, founding partner of Wright Close Barger & Guzman in in Houston, has been recognized by Chambers USA 2026 Guide for appellate litigation. The firm also received an elevated ranking in the publication.

Mary McKerall was honored with the Tiffany Star Award by the Houston Association of Women Attorneys at the organization’s 50th Anniversary celebration, in recognition of her role as a founding member. She serves as senior assistant city attorney for the City of Houston and previously served as a Harris County assistant attorney for 29 years.

Brian Haley has been appointed to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board by Governor Greg Abbott.  Haley is the co-founder and partner of CB Capital in Austin.

Jack Hicks has joined the advisory board at the Elon University School of Law.

Hilda Galvan has joined the board of trustees of the  Southwestern Medical Foundation. She currently serves as president of the Center for Women in Law and vice chair of the University of Texas Law Foundation, and serves on the boards of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Broadway Dallas, Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep, and the SMU Lyle School of Engineering Executive Board.

Luke Ledbetter has been appointed to the Finance Commission of Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott.  He is the CEO of the Kestrel Group, and previously served as executive vice president and chief underwriting officer at State National Companies.

Ernesto Alvarez, a trial lawyer at Zehl & Associates in Houston, has been named to the 2026 Lawdragon 500 X The Next Generation list.

Irina B. Plumlee, a shareholder with Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Dallas, has been named to D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas 2026” list for immigration law.

David Coligado, a shareholder and chief executive officer with Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Dallas, has been named to D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas 2026” list for real estate law and D CEO’s 2026 “Dallas 500 List”.

Frederick W. “Rick” Addison, III, a shareholder with Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Dallas, has been named to D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas 2026” list for environmental law.

Angela A. Hunt, a shareholder with Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Dallas, has been named to D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas 2026” list for land use/zoning law.

Elena Thompson,  an associate with Miller Nash in Seattle, has been appointed as co-chair of the Legal Foundation of Washington’s 2026 Associates Campaign for Equal Justice (CEJ). For the past three years, Elena has helped spearhead Miller Nash’s internal CEJ fundraising efforts.

Marissa Marquez has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Senior Counsel of the Year for a Nonprofit or Governmental Agency presented by the Association of Corporate Counsel Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook. She currently is the labor and employment counsel at Houston Methodist Hospital.

Dani Sanchez, senior assistant general counsel over litigation and employment at Academy Sports + Outdoors, has been named the 2026 Outstanding Mentor of the Year by the Houston Young Lawyers Association.

Amber Russell’s Austin-based firm, LOAR PLLC, has received the 2026 Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association Firm of the Year Award. Russell began her career at Baker Botts before founding LOAR in 2006 with a vision to reinvent the personal injury firm model, building a practice focused not just on case outcomes, but on long-term impact.

Brooke E. Lierman has been selected as the keynote speaker for Howard Community College’s 55th commencement exercises on May 22, 2026. She serves as the 34th Comptroller of Maryland and the first woman independently elected to one of the state’s constitutional offices.

Richard Orsinger has earned the 2026 Patrick A. Nester Outstanding Achievement in CLE Award for his career-spanning dedication to the promotion and advancement of continuing legal education. He currently serves as the a co-founder and name partner in the family law firm Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson.

Gary Farmer was featured on Texas Exes’ “Hello Longhorn,” a podcast and video series. As president of Heritage Title Company of Austin and past chair of Opportunity Austin, Farmer reflected on his time at the university and how it shaped his career. Earlier this year he received the Texas Exes 2025 Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Charles Foster, chairman of Foster LLP who served as chair of the Asia Society Texas Center Board of Directors for 24 years, was honored with the 2026 Stephen L. Klineberg Award by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University for his decades of leadership and advocacy for a more inclusive, globally connected Houston. A double Longhorn, he was also honored with the ASTC’s inaugural 2026 Roy Huffington Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jim Noles, professor of environmental law at Auburn University, was awarded the Student Government Association’s 2026 Outstanding Faculty Award for the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment.