Kennon Wooten has been selected as chair-elect of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors. Wooten is a partner at Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP and currently serves as a member of the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee.
Peter Moir has joined Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP as a toxic torts litigation partner. Moir, who previously worked at Forman Watkins & Krutz, has more than 30 years of experience in handling product liability and toxic tort cases at trial.
Jay Howard has received the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Kansas School of Business. The is the owner and president of JDH Asset Management and JDH Investments in Austin, he is a member of KU Endowment’s Board of Trustees Executive Committee.
Alexandra Harrison Gaiser has been appointed to the board of trustees at The King’s College. She currently works as the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Bitcoin company River Financial, Inc. and previously served as the Executive Secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Thomas Harkness has been named a Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Austin by Forbes Advisor. Harkness specializes in product liability and aviation accidents at Whitehurst, Harkness, Brees, Cheng, Alsaffar, Higginbotham, and Jacob, PLLC ; he has been listed as one of the Best Lawyers in America by Woodward White, Inc., since 1995.
Judy Kostura has been named a Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Austin by Forbes Advisor. She founded Kostura & Putnam, P.C. and specializes in representing victims of negligence. Kostura was recognized as a Champion of Justice in 2019 by Texas Watch.
Jeffrey Edwards has been named a Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Austin by Forbes Advisor. He is the founder of Edwards Law, where he is known for his work in medical malpractice, civil rights, and personal injury.
Michelle Cheng has been named a Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Austin by Forbes Advisor. Cheng is an attorney at Whitehurst, Harkness, Brees, Cheng, Alsaffar, Higginbotham, and Jacob, PLLC and has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer since 2009.
In her nearly 30-year career, Cheng has set multiple records in recovery for injured clients and has had active roles as a leader of the Austin area.
Robert Alden has been named a Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Austin by Forbes Advisor. A double Longhorn, Alden focuses his practice at Byrd Davis Alden & Henrichson, LLP on motor vehicle, premise liability and medical malpractice.
Mike Singley has been named a Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Austin by Forbes Advisor. Singley specializes in complex wrongful death and serious personal injury cases at Edwards Law and received the Texas Super Lawyers award in 2020 and 2021.
Carrie Douglas has joined Bracewell LLP as a partner in healthcare and life science practice. A double Longhorn who earned dual bachelor degrees from UT, Douglas represents hospital systems, ambulatory surgery centers and large physician practices in coverage and reimbursement disputes.
Kameron D. Johnson has been named to the South Central Regional Advisory Board of the Gault Center. Johnson is the juvenile public defender for Travis County.
Chari Kelly ’02 and Adam Schramek ’01 welcomed daughter Chari Adora Schramek on March 13, 2023. Kelly is a justice on the Third Court of Appeals of Texas, an adjunct professor at Texas Law, and incoming vice president of the Alumni Association Executive Committee. Schramek is a commercial litigation partner at Norton Rose Fulbright and immediate past president of the Texas Law Review Association. They met on an interscholastic mock trial team and were engaged beneath the UT Tower.
Kimberly A. Chojnacki has been elected a shareholder with Baker Donelson in Houston. A double Longhorn, Chojnacki is a complex commercial litigator and transactional attorney representing clients in an array of industries.
Jim Hill has been selected as a 2023 Super Lawyer in the area of Bankruptcy: Business. A 17-year veteran of Super Lawyers, Hill is currently a shareholder at Sullivan Hill Rez & Engel and practices primarily in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency and commercial law.
Erleigh Norville Wiley has been appointed to the Texas Crime Victims’ Institute Advisory Council. Wiley is the Criminal District Attorney for Kaufman County and is an executive board member of the Texas District & County Attorneys Association.
Chris Stewart has been recognized on the 2023 Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for his work in intellectual property law. Stewart is a trial lawyer who focuses on patent and general commercial litigation as a principal at Caldwell Cassidy & Curry.
John H. Eichelberger, III has been appointed to the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board. He is a partner at Schwartz, Page & Harding, LLP and serves on the Board of Directors of Urban Reform.
Sally Gillette Hankins has been appointed city attorney of Falls Church, Va. A double Longhorn, Gillette Hankins previously served as town attorney for Purcellville, Virginia and has 25 years of combined experience in municipal law and urban planning.
Chris Hawkins has been selected as a 2023 Super Lawyer in the area of Bankruptcy: Business. Hawkins is currently a shareholder at Sullivan Hill Rez & Engel and works in the Insolvency and Criminal Bankruptcy, Business Transactions, and Commercial and Business Litigation practice groups.
Maurice W. Dobson has been appointed General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Dobson has served as Deputy General Counsel since 2005 with increasing responsibilities and mostly recently oversaw the Operations and Legislation Division.
David Pendarvis, who has been Chief Administrative Officer and Global General Counsel for ResMed Inc., has announced his retirement. Pendarvis has held various positions throughout his two decades with the company.
Marc R. Stanley is the U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Argentine Republic. Prior to his service as a diplomat, Stanley was a trial lawyer for 40 years, focusing on national class actions and complex litigation.
Versel (Wall) Rush was awarded the 2023 Rutland Excellence in Advocacy Award by the Texas State Bar Child Protection Law Section “in recognition of her outstanding legal advocacy and service on behalf of children and families.” This is the highest award given by the section to an attorney. Rush is a regional attorney with the Child Protective Services based out of Montague County.
Zeena Angadicheril has joined Greenberg Traurig LLP as a Real Estate of counsel in the Austin office. A double Longhorn, Angadicheril specializes in sports and real estate law.
Edwin Flores has been reappointed to the Texas School Safety Center Board. Flores is the managing partner at Chalker Flores, LLP and is a member of the Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees.
Jake Bleveans has been selected for a Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who. In a career that spanned three decades within the public and private sectors, Bleveans’ positions included counsel at Arthur Anderson, partner at Mayer Brown, senior vice president and deputy general counsel of Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust, and trial and appellate attorney for the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. He also served in the JAG Corps of the U.S. Navy.
Mary Kate Raffetto has been recognized as a 2023 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers. Raffetto was an educator prior to beginning her legal career, where she specializes in appellate matters and commercial litigation.
David J. Beck, founder of Beck Redden, was presented with the E. Ernest Goldstein Award from the Texas International Law Journal (TILJ). This marks just the second time in the publication’s history the award has been given to a TILJ alumnus who has made a lasting impact on the journal or as a member of the Texas or international legal community.
Parth Gejji has been recognized as a 2023 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers. Gejji specializes in appellate matters at Beck Redden, focusing on civil appeals and complex civil ligation.
Nicholas Bruno has been recognized as a 2023 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers. Bruno regularly practices in all levels of the Texas appellate system, representing clients in a wide range of litigation.
Jacqueline Furlow has been recognized as a 2023 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers. Furlow is a partner at Beck Redden, specializing in commercial litigation, employment litigation, energy litigation and professional liability.
Garrett Brawley has been recognized as a 2023 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers. Brawley specializes in commercial litigation at Beck Redden, and previously clerked for Hon. Alfred H. Bennett of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Michael B. Dear has formed Dear & Johnston Law Office, PLLC, with Brenda Johnston. Dear specializes in estate planning and real estate law.
Janiece Longoria has been reappointed to the University of Texas System Board of Regents. Longoria previously served a six-year term on the board, which is the governing body for the UT System. She is a founding member of the Center for Women in Law.
Max Africk has been named General Counsel at Legacy Housing Corporation. Africk most recently served as an attorney at King & Spalding LLP, where he focused on complex commercial litigation.
Glen Rosenbaum was honored with the 31st Annual Leon Jaworski Award, as presented by the Houston Bar Association, in recognition of qualities of civic-mindedness, professionalism, social and cultural concern, demonstrated over many years. Rosenberg is a senior partner at Vinson & Elkins.
Ben Lane has been appointed to the Bipartisan Elections Task Force in Arizona, where he will make recommendations to strengthen state election laws, policies and procedures. Lane currently serves as Scottsdale city clerk, a role he has held since 2021.
Heather J. Kliebenstein has been named managing director of national the technology and innovation law firm Merchant & Gould’s seven offices. Kliebenstein comes from a technical background with experience as an IP and technology litigator.
Aron Potash ’07 has been elected as partner at Latham & Watkins LLP. Potash focuses on environmental law with an emphasis on air quality and climate change issues.
Jim Hill has been recognized by San Diego Magazine as a 2023 Top Lawyer in San Diego in the field of bankruptcy. A founding member of Sullivan Hill, he is chair of the firm’s Insolvency and Commercial Bankruptcy practice group and a member of its Executive Committee.
Scott A. Marks has joined Duane Morris LLP as a partner in the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group in its Austin office.
Ken Wall has joined the Houston trial law firm Alavi Anaipakos as of counsel, focusing his practice on complex business disputes. He also serves as a constitutional law instructor at the University of Houston Law Center.
Robert Hilton has been added as a partner at Barnes & Thornburg’s Dallas office and Intellectual Property Department. He will focus his practice on building and managing large and high-stakes patent portfolios for business from small startups to Fortune 500 companies.
Brian J. Willey has been promoted to chief financial officer of Matador Resources Company. Willey, who has a background in accounting and law, joined Matador in 2014 and has been primarily building the company’s legal department and midstream business.
On Feb. 15, 2023, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Adrienne C. Nelson, an associate justice on the Oregon Supreme Court, to serve as a federal district court judge. Nelson is the first Black woman jurist in Oregon to become a federal judge.
Sara Harris has been promoted to partner at Jackson Walker LLP. Harris specializes in healthcare and employment law and has been recognized among the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Labor and Employment Law since 2022.
Sam Roberts has joined McAfee & Taft as a transactional attorney. Roberts, who specializes in corporate law, will be joining the firm’s Business Transactions and Finance and Securities practice groups.
Jim Ormiston has been named chair of the Controversies Department at Gray Reed & McGraw LLP. Ormiston has been with Gray Reed for 35 years and has been included in the “Best Lawyers in America” publication since 2013.
Michael B. Overstreet has been promoted to shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka. A member of the firm’s Tax Planning & Business Transactions Group, he has significant experience forming, structuring, negotiating and implementing business acquisitions and dispositions, corporate reorganizations, mergers, conversions, and recapitalizations.