Judy Kostura, a partner at Sorrels Law, is the recipient of the 2025 Luther (Luke) H. Soules III Award from the State Bar of Texas Litigation Section. This prestigious honor recognizes attorneys who demonstrate excellence in the practice of law, outstanding professionalism, and exemplary service to the Bar.
Marissa Marquez has been inducted into the Texas Lyceum, a nonpartisan group of community leaders that explores and addresses issues facing Texans. Marquez currently is the manager, labor and employment legal counsel for Houston Methodist Hospital.
Erleigh Wiley has been honored with the “Living Legend Award” for legal excellence by the Dallas Bar Association. Wiley serves as the Kaufman County district attorney and is the current chairman of the Texas District & County Attorney’s executive board.
Anna MacFarlane has been appointed to the San Antonio Bar Foundation Fellows Program newly elected class of 2025, in recognition of her professional achievement, exemplary reputation, and commitment to the legal community. MacFarlane is an associate with Pulman, Cappuccio & Pullen in San Antonio.
Stephanie Dodge Bigley has been appointed to the San Antonio Bar Foundation Fellows Program newly elected class of 2025, in recognition of her professional achievement, exemplary reputation, and commitment to the legal community. Bigley is of counsel at David Santos in the San Antonio area.
Michelle Casillas has been appointed to the San Antonio Bar Foundation Fellows Program newly elected class of 2025, in recognition of her professional achievement, exemplary reputation, and commitment to the legal community. Casillas is vice president and trust officer for Jefferson Bank, providing clients comprehensive guidance in trust administration and estate settlement.
Edward Snyder has been appointed to the San Antonio Bar Foundation Fellows Program newly elected class of 2025, in recognition of his professional achievement, exemplary reputation, and commitment to the legal community. Snyder heads his own San Antonio-based firm, specializing primarily in business law.
John K. Boyce III has been appointed to the San Antonio Bar Foundation Fellows Program newly elected class of 2025, in recognition of his professional achievement, exemplary reputation, and commitment to the legal community. Boyce specializes in business law and alternative dispute resolution at his San Antonio-based firm.
Carlos J. Contreras III has been named to Austin Business Journal’s Texas 100, which is an annual list of impactful Texans. Contreras is the President and CEO for Goodwill San Antonio and previously served as the Assistant City Manager for the City of San Antonio.
Garry Merritt has been named to Austin Business Journal’s Texas 100, which is an annual list of impactful Texans. Merritt is CEO of Great Springs Project, which plans to create a greenway of protected lands between Austin and San Antonio over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone.
Miguel Garza has been named to Austin Business Journal’s Texas 100, which is an annual list of impactful Texans. Garza is co-founder and CEO of Siete Family Foods, a Mexican-American food brand that provides gluten-, grain-, and dairy-free food products.
Betty Balli Torres has received the inaugural Impacto Award by the American Bar Association Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities. Torres is executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation and is being honored for her efforts to remove barriers to social justice and civic engagement facing Latinos in the U.S.
Feras Mousilli, a founding partner of Lloyd & Mousilli, has been named among the Top 50 U.S. Trademark Attorneys for 2024 by analytics firm Huski.ai’s AI-driven rankings. Mousilli previously served as senior corporate counsel for both Apple and Dell.
Michael Pearson, a partner at Jackson Walker, has been inducted into the 2025 Lawdragon Hall of Fame. Pearson chaired the firm’s energy practice group for over 30 years and currently serves as an adjunct professor at Texas Law.
Barrett Robin, partner at Hamilton Wingo in Dallas, has earned his fourth consecutive selection on the Best Lawyers Under 40 list published by D Magazine for his work in high-stakes personal injury lawsuits.
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.
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.
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.
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 has served as president and CEO of Puget Sound Energy since 2020 and previously was CEO of El Paso Electric.
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.
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.
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.
Scott Rozzell was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lone Star Flight Museum. As a member of the museum’s Board of Directors, Rozzell was integral in the reimagining and relocation of the museum following Hurricane Ike in 2008. He spent much of his career at Baker Botts, ending his tenure there as a senior partner, then worked another 13 years at CenterPoint Energy as executive vice president of general counsel and corporate secretary.
Sylvia Borunda Firth, of counsel at the Bojorquez Law Firm, was recognized for government service by McDonald’s at the 23d Annual Triunfadores Awards Luncheon. A past president of the State Bar of Texas, Firth previously served as city attorney for the City of El Paso.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Geoff Gannaway, a partner at Beck-Redden in Houston, has been named a 2024 Texas Super Lawyer in business litigation and a 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator in America in commercial litigation, class actions, and energy disputes. Previously he was honored in the 2025 Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation and litigation–health care.