Class Notes

Claire Campbell has joined Kirkland and Ellis as a Houston-based corporate partner focused on representing private equity funds, equity investments, and related portfolio management. Previously working as a managing director with Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm focused on the infrastructure and real estate sectors, she has extensive experience negotiating mergers and acquisitions and structured equity investments for private equity clients in multiple jurisdictions.

Andy Cooper has been named a partner with the Dallas-based firm Chamblee Ryan PC. Having joined the firm in 2014, his practice focuses on a variety of subject matters, including the defense of personal injury, insurance coverage, commercial, trucking, premises liability, environmental and toxic tort claims, indemnity, and trade practice cases in federal, Texas, and Louisiana courts.

David J. Beck has been named to the 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators list.

William Gordon Childs has written a book titled “Recreation and Risk,” which delves into the law through recreational businesses. In addition to being an author, Childs works as an in-house litigation counsel for a Fortune 500 company in Minnesota and is an adjunct professor of law at Western New England University School of Law and Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

Josh R. Lounsbury, a shareholder with Coolidge Wall, was inducted into the Ohio State Bar Foundation Fellows Program, recognizing his commitment to professionalism and serving the community. Lounsbury has more than 15 years of experience representing businesses, public entities, and individuals in his practice areas of municipal law, civil litigation, and workers’ compensation defense.

Pam Giblin has joined the Good Neighbor Environmental Board under the Federal Advisory Committee Management Division of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With over 30 years of experience in environmental law, Giblin is knowledgeable in advising clients on environmental matters such as air quality.  She has also served as president of the American College of Environmental Lawyers and on the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee, a team that advised the EPA on the implementation of the Clean Air Act.

Mary Kate Raffetto, a partner at Beck Redden LLP as a trial and appellate specialist, was recognized on Lawdragon’s 500 X–The Next Generation for Appellate and Commercial Litigation and 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer lists for 2024. Raffetto also was named a 2024 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers.

Cori Loomis has joined the healthcare group at McAfee & Taft, where she will represent and counsel hospitals and health systems, physicians and medical practices, and other healthcare providers. Before taking on this role, Loomis served as the compliance officer and HIPAA privacy official for the University of Oklahoma and as the general counsel for the Oklahoma State Medical Association.

Linda Broock’s new film “Unleashed” will be shown at the Waco Independent Film Festival. The film, which investigates the harsh world of sex trafficking, has been nominated for the Best Feature Film and Best Documentary Feature awards.

David Kavanaugh has taken on a new role as global head of investment operations at Dimensional Fund Advisors. Previously, Kavanaugh served as Dimensional’s head of global client group operations, where he managed the operations of the firm’s global client group in client onboarding, intermediary relationships, client reporting, and business data analytics.

Jackie Furlow, partner at Beck Redden LLP, was recognized by Lawdragon as a Leading Energy Lawyer and 500 X–The Next Generation for Commercial Litigation, Employment and Energy for 2024. She also was recognized as a 2024 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers.

Irwin Steinhorn has joined Steptoe & Johnson PLLC in the firm’s Oklahoma City office. Steinhorn has decades of experience assisting clients with corporate compliance, corporate governance and ethics, mergers and acquisitions, securities regulation and compliance, capital market transactions, securities offerings, shareholder activism, and environmental law.

Kristen Pauling Doyle has been unanimously voted to be hired as CEO by the oversight committee for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). She previously served as CPRIT’s general counsel and DEO since 2009.

Carlos Eduardo Cárdenas of the Law Office of Carlos Eduardo Cardenas, P.C., has been elected 2024-2025 chair of the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees. Cárdenas also received the Reynaldo G. Garza Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas in recognition of his “long commitment and made great achievements in addressing concerns and issues affecting the Hispanic community.” In addition, Cárdenas has been elected 2024-2025 chair of the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees.

Lena Silva was recognized in the 2024 Lawdragon 500 X–The Next Generation for Commercial Litigation. She also recently received the 2023-2024 Outstanding Director Award from the Houston Young Lawyers Association. 

J. Holt Foster III has joined  Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as the managing partner of Willkie’s newly launched Dallas office. Holt’s practice focuses on private equity, venture capital and creative financings, mergers and acquisitions, fund formation and international transactions. He was most recently a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, where he served as co-leader of the firm’s global energy practice team.

Madison Moore, an associate at Beck Redden in Houston, was recognized in the 2024 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation for Commercial Litigation.

Parth Gejji, an associate at Beck Redden in Houston, was recognized in the 2024 Lawdragon 500 X–The Next Generation in Appellate.

Nicholas Bruno, an associate at Beck Redden in Houston, was recognized in the 2024 Lawdragon 500 X–The Next Generation for Appellate.

Garrett Brawley, an associate at Beck Redden in Houston, was recognized in the 2024 Lawdragon 500 X–The Next Generation for Commercial Litigation.

William G. Hagans of the Hagans law firm in Houston has been named chair of the State Bar of Texas Professionalism & Civility Committee for the 2024-2025 bar year.

Ryan Phelps has been named a partner in the Tax, Executive Compensation and Benefits Practice Group at Holland & Knight in Houston. Phelps’ practice focuses on the tax aspects of complex domestic and cross-border transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, tax-free spinoffs, restructurings, public offerings and other financings.

Garrett S. Brawley has been appointed as co-chair of the Texas Young Lawyers Association’s National Trial Competition Committee and vice-chair of the Texas Young Lawyers Association’s State Moot Court Competition Committee for the 2024-2025 bar year. Brawley is an associate  at the Houston office of Beck Redden LLP, working on high-stakes commercial cases from across the country.

Jacqueline Watson was elected second vice president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association for the 2024-25 term.  As a former AILA Texas chapter chair and elected director of the AILA National Board of Directors, Watson specializes in citizenship and naturalization, family-based immigration, defense from removal, asylum, federal court litigation, and other complex immigration matters.

Brad Caldwell has earned selection in the 2024 Chambers USA guide. Caldwell, who is an attorney of the Dallas law firm Caldwell Cassady & Curry, is being recognized as one of the top intellectual property attorneys in the U.S.

Scott Clark has earned selection in the 2024 IAM Patent 1000 guide. Clark, who is an attorney for the Houston trial law firm Alavi Anaipakos, is being recognized for his work in high-stakes intellectual property lawsuits.

Stacy Sharp has been appointed by Governor Abbott to the new Fourth Business Court Division in San Antonio. Sharp, who is an attorney and owner of Sharp Appellate PLLC, also teaches as an adjunct professor at Texas Law.

Drew L. Kershen has been awarded the United States Department of the Interior’s Citizen’s Award for Exceptional Service. Kershen, who is the Earl Sneed Centennial Professor of Law Emeritus in the OU College of Law, received this award for his notable contributions to public service.

Morgan Lawson has joined Hall Estill as an associate at its Oklahoma City office. Lawson’s practice includes civil rights, corporate, business, employment litigation, Native American law, products liability and real estate.

Tory Lauterbach has joined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP as a partner in the Energy, Regulation and Litigation Practice Group. Lauterbach, who has extensive experience in administrative litigation and settlement proceedings, will be joining the firm’s Washington D.C office.

Steve Stodghill has been reappointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Public Safety Commission—which oversees the Texas Department of Public Safety—for a term set to expire on Jan. 1, 2030. Stodghill is a partner at Winston & Strawn, LLP in Dallas.

Brenda Barret has joined the HeartGift Foundation board of directors. The nonprofit organization provides free, life-saving heart surgeries to patients with congenital heart defects who live in countries where specialized pediatric cardiac care is scarce or non-existent. Barrett is  partner at Husch Backwell, representing clients in the energy and credit union industries.

Jerry Bullard has been appointed by Governor Abbott to the new Eighth Business Court Division in Fort Worth. Bullard, who is a shareholder and attorney with Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C., has over 30 years of experience in state and federal court litigation.

Melissa Andrews has been appointed by Governor Abbott to the new Third Business Court Division in Austin. Andrews, who is an equity partner at Holland & Knight, will work to resolve complex commercial disputes in Texas.

Scott K. Field has been appointed by Governor Abbott to serve as one of the first three members of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals. Field, who previously served as a justice of the Third Court of Appeals, will be working to ensure the Texas Constitution and state statutes are applied uniformly throughout Texas.

Lisa Salinas Schneider has been appointed as the first general counsel at SpyCloud, a leader in Cybercrime Analytics. Schneider, who joined SpyCloud in 2020 after establishing the legal department at TrendKite and holding in-house roles at Apple and Xerox Services, will now oversee all legal and regulatory affairs for the company.

David J. Beck was honored in the Chambers USA 2024 Guide in the practice areas of Litigation: Trial Lawyers and Litigation: General Commercial and named a 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer. Beck is a trial lawyer and founding partner at Beck Redden LLP. Beck is a trial lawyer and founding partner at Beck Redden LLP and is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Alistair Dawson has been honored in the Chambers USA 2024 Guide in the practice area of Litigation: General Commercial and named a 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer. He also was appointed to Texas’ Supreme Court Advisory Committee.  A partner at Beck Redden, Dawson serves on the Texas’ Supreme Court Advisory Committee, a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Board of Trial Advocates, and a commissioner on the Texas Equal Access to Justice Commission.

Fields Alexander was honored in the Chambers USA 2024 Guide in the practice area of Litigation: General Commercial and was named a 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Energy Lawyer. Alexander is a partner at Beck Redden LLP, where he specializes in trial law involving commercial transactions, business torts, professional malpractice, and energy litigation.

Kate Goodrich was ranked by Chambers as a “Nationwide Associate to Watch” in the Government Relations: State & Local category. She has been a government affairs consultant with Jackson Walker for four years after working in the Texas Senate.

Jesse Pierce, partner at Pierce & O’Neill, has been recognized by Chambers USA for the 16th year for his commercial litigation practice in Houston. He also received national Band 1 rankings—the highest honor—for excellence in oil and gas matters. Pierce has tried cases in state and federal courts, representing both plaintiffs and defendants across all areas of complex litigation, including oil and gas matters, environmental issues, product liability, securities and corporate matters, and others.

Jack O’Neill, managing partner at Pierce & O’Neill, has been honored by Chambers USA or his commercial litigation expertise. With more than 50 years experience, O’Neill handles large-scale commercial litigation including disputes involving energy and trade secret issues, and has successfully tried numerous cases relating to virtually all aspects of the oil and gas business.

Scott Clark of the Houston trial law firm Alavi Anaipakos has earned selection in the 2024 Chambers USA guide based on his work in high-stakes intellectual property lawsuits.

Brad Caldwell of the Dallas law firm Caldwell Cassady & Curry has earned selection in the 2024 IAM Patent 1000 based on his work in high-stakes intellectual property trials.

Lynda Tealer was announced as the new senior vice president of championships for the NCAA. Tealer will be overseeing 84 NCAA championships after having spent the past 21 years at the University of Florida, where she oversaw the Gator women’s programs and men’s basketball.

Susan Salch married Ty Sanders on March 23, 2024, in Austin. Texas Law alumna Edythe Payan was a bridesmaid, and many other alumni were in attendance, including Elizabeth Pearsall Lippincott, Cindy Olson Bourland, John Gillard, David McDowell, Jackie Lain Nussbaum, Katie Carmona, Tim Tyler, Bill Hopkins, Leslie Strauch, Greg Shields, Tiffany Roper and Mike Marcin. Salch has been a managing partner at Cantilo & Bennett, LLP since 2018.

Robert L. Tobey has been appointed to the Board of Legal Aid of Northwest Texas and elected to the Texas Bar College Board of Directors. Tobey is a shareholder at Johnston Tobey Baruch.

The Hon. Jon Burrows recently retired after 20 years as County Judge of Bell County. Burrows served on the boards of directors of the Texas Association of Counties and the National Association of Counties. He was past president of the North & East County Judges and Commissioners Association and served two terms as president of the National Conference of Republican County Officials. He had practiced law in Temple, where he was board certified in Residential and Commercial Real Estate Law.

Judge Jan Soifer recently was honored with the Austin Bar Association’s Larry F. York Mentoring Award. Judge Soifer is the judge of the 345th District Court in Travis County, a civil and family trial court. This award is given to a local lawyer or judge who has demonstrated exceptional skill and generosity in mentoring younger members of the bar.

Elizabeth Brandon, a partner at Reed Smith, LLP,  has earned a place on the 2024 INvolve Empower Executive Role Model List for her advocacy work in diversifying the legal and business communities.