David Kitner received the 2025 Luther “Luke” H. Soules III Award for Excellence in Litigation from the State Bar of Texas. Kitner is senior counsel at Clark Hill in Dallas, representing clients in civil litigation matters involving business and commercial disputes and professional liability.
Kassi Gonzalez has been named as a 2026 finalist in the legal category of the Austin Under 40 Awards. She currently works as a senior attorney for the Texas Civil Rights Project.
Mark Laughlin has been elected to the National Tax Lien Association Board of Directors for a three-year term. He is the founder and CEO of NAR Solutions, Inc., a firm that partners with local governments to manage and monetize delinquent property tax liens.
Kayvon Rashidi has been named a 2026 finalist in the legal category of the Austin Under 40 Awards. Board-certified in family law, he currently serves as a partner for Powers Kerr & Rashidi, PLLC.
Stephanie Franco is the judge-elect of the 187th District Court in Bexar County and will be sworn in Jan. 1, 2027. She has worked as a prosecutor at the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office and previously served as a juvenile public defender in Travis County.
Jonathan Harmon has been named on the 2026 Virginia Power 50 List. He is the chairman of McGuireWoods, the state’s largest law firm, a position he has held since 2017.
Daniel Klein joined Blank Rome’s business litigation team in the Dallas office as of counsel. Klein previously served as partner at Johnston Clem Gifford, focusing on business and financial services clients in high-stakes commercial disputes.
Jennifer Gasser has joined Paul, Weiss as Energy and Infrastructure M&A partner in Houston. She previously worked for Kirkland and Ellis, where she engaged in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buy-outs, joint ventures, and corporate governance matters for a diverse range of clients.
Hayden Tiner has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings’ litigation practice group as an associate in the firm’s Dallas office. He previously clerked for the Hon. David S. Morales of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Nicholas Taunton has been selected as the next president of Texas A&M’s Association of Former Students, starting in 2027. He joined the association as director of development and later became the organization’s first executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Brian D. Miller has been reappointed by the United States District Court to continue as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, until the vacancy is filled by the president. Miller was originally appointed to the post Oct. 27, 2025. He previously served as special inspector general for pandemic recovery. Miller’s interim appointment is for 120 days or until a presidential appointment is made, whichever occurs first.
Chris Scruggs recently published “Leviathan & the Lambs,” the final book in the Arthur Stone series—which also includes “Marshland” and “Peace at Battle Mountain”—written under the pen name Alystair West. This newest release covers the events of the Great Recession. Scruggs practiced law for more than 14 years before entering full-time ministry, from which he retired in 2019.
Aimeé Vidaurri has been named administrative partner at Norton Rose Fulbright’s San Antonio office. A trial lawyer, Vidaurri has been with the firm since 2018 and focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation for clients in the financial services, energy, and grocery retail industries.
Jay Dewald has been named head of litigation and disputes at Norton Rose Fulbright’s San Antonio office, focusing on white-collar criminal defense, crisis management, internal investigations, and government investigations involving whistleblower claims. Dewald also leads the firm’s U.S. Healthcare Investigations division.
Cody Martinez has joined Jackson Walker’s Dallas office as partner, bringing his experience in sensitive internal investigation and high-profile litigation. He previously clerked for the Honorable Renee Toliver of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, working on cases related to intellectual property disputes, SEC enforcement actions, OFAC penalties, and class actions.
Rony Kishinevsky has joined Jackson Walker’s Austin office as partner in the Corporate & Securities section. A double Longhorn, he focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private fund formations, joint ventures, and private placements of debt and equity securities.
Sean Gallagher has joined Jackson Walker’s Austin office as partner with a wide range of experience from First Amendment litigation to trade secret infringement. He previously served as a business trial lawyer at Reese Marketos.
Allison Allman has joined Jackson Walker’s Ft. Worth office as partner, focusing on complex commercial matters at the trial and appellate levels. She previously worked as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Tyson Ehlinger has joined Jackson Walker’s Austin office as partner, specializing in wealth preservation strategies and estate planning. He previously served as a tax attorney for Timothy J. Ehlinger.
Samuel A. Simon, an author, actor and former public interest lawyer who worked with Ralph Nader, and his wife Susan are featured in a Washington Post story about his performance of “The Dementia Man.” The one-act play is based on Simon’s new book about living a meaningful life with Alzheimer’s disease.
T.L. Cubbage, who won the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions as a first-year law student in 1989, returned to the popular quiz show in January 2026 as a competitor in the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament. With this appearance, he became only the second person to compete in tournaments on the show in five different decades. Cubbage is the president of The Center for American and International Law, is a nonprofit institution based in Plano, Texas, dedicated to advancing justice and promoting the rule of law through the professional development of legal and law enforcement practitioners worldwide.
A new documentary, “Calming the Waters,” follows Jim Blackburn through decades of legal and conservation fights that brought Texas’ environmental stakes into public view. Blackburn is a professor of environmental law and co-director of the Severe Storm Prevention, Education and Evacuation from Disaster Center at Rice University.
Steven Stodghill has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office as a new litigation partner, specializing in trial and global disputes as well as intellectual property. An accomplished commercial litigator who has represented high-profile clients, he previously served as a partner at Winston & Strawn.
Rex Mann has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office, where he will focus his practice on patent litigation and other complex commercial litigation matters. He previously served as a partner at Winston & Strawn in Dallas.
Michael Bittner has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office as an intellectual property trial lawyer, with an emphasis on patent litigation. He previously served as a partner at Winston & Strawn in Dallas.
Chad Walker has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office, bringing experience successfully handling patent cases and complex commercial litigation disputes. He previously served as a partner at Winston & Strawn in Dallas.
Tom Melsheimer has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office to serve as the global head of trial and managing partner. A nationally recognized trial lawyer, he previously served as co-chair of Winston & Strawn’s Global Litigation Department and managing partner in Dallas.
Kathy Richardson will be honored at the Austin Black Lawyers Association Foundation’s 2026 Andrea Pair Bryant Legacy Luncheon. The CEO and founder of HR Legal Search with 30 years of experience in career services, Richardson spent several years as the assistant dean of career services at Texas Law.
The Honorable Velva Price will be honored at the Austin Black Lawyers Association Foundation’s 2026 Andrea Pair Bryant Legacy Luncheon. She has served as the Travis County district clerk since 2015—the first African American to hold this position—after practicing law for 25 years. Price also was the first African American woman to serve as president of the Austin Bar Association.
Jonathan Harmon has been named to the 2026 Virginia Black Business Leaders Hall of Fame. A West Point graduate and U.S. Army veteran, he was elected the first Black chairman of McGuireWoods after leading the firm’s Business Securities Litigation Department.
Kim Altsuler has been named to the executive committee of Peckar & Abramson PC. She serves as the Houston partner-in-charge, chairs the firm’s Residential and Multifamily Construction Practice, and co-chairs the Culture, Career Development, and Inclusion Committee.
John Stavinoha has joined Latham & Watkins’ Houston office as a partner in the firm’s M&A and Private Equity Practice. A double Longhorn, Stavinoha, who specializes in the energy and infrastructure industries, most recently was a partner at Bracewell.
Parisa Fatehi-Weeks has been appointed executive director of nonprofit policy institute Every Texan. Fatehi-Weeks’ career has focused on social justice and advocacy across a variety of organizations, including Google, Indeed, the Workers Defense Project, and HousingWorks Austin.
Justice Patricia O’Connell Alvarez (Ret.) was inducted into the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, an invitation-only organization of the nation’s most respected and accomplished alternative dispute resolution professionals. Alvarez served 12 years as a judge in the Fourth Court of Appeals and spent 26 years as a trial attorney before launching Alvarez Dispute Resolutions, PLLC.
Grace Lentz has made partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in the Energy and Infrastructure group at the firm’s Houston office. A project development and M&A lawyer, Lentz helps developers, sponsors, strategic investors and other energy companies navigate complex renewable and conventional power projects.
Montana Ware has made partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in the Technology Companies group at the firm’s Austin office. Ware—who represents startups and high-scale tech companies, venture capital funds and strategic investors—has significant experience in highly regulated industries such as defense, nuclear energy, space and aerospace.
Scott Young will be recognized by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook with a 2025 Corporate Counsel Award for Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service. He currently serves as managing counsel for Toyota North America.
Taylor Nichols, the principal of IDEA Parmer Park College Prep School in Austin, recently brought a group of his senior students competing in mock trial to visit Texas Law. Nichols has worked in education for 20 years and is in his 11th year as principal.
Daniella Martinez has been elected to firm partnership at BakerHostetler LLP in Houston. She previously worked as an associate, and her practice focuses on complex commercial disputes in both state and federal court.
The Honorable Wallace B. Jefferson has been elected as the next president of the American Law Institute, effective at the conclusion of the Institute’s 2026 Annual Meeting in May. Jefferson served on the Supreme Court of Texas from 2001 to 2013, including as Chief Justice from 2004 through the end of his tenure. He also previously served as president of the Conference of Chief Justices, representing chief justices from all 50 states and U.S. territories.
Sarah T. Glaser has been elected managing director for Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C. She will continue to chair the firm’s Employment Law Practice Group and advise employers on employment compliance and litigation matters.
Chen Zang, Ph.D., was elevated to the partnership at global intellectual property law firm Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP in Washington, D.C. Zang maintains a diverse patent practice, including inter partes review (IPR) proceedings, district court litigation, International Trade Commission investigations, and patent prosecution and counseling.
Kim McMath has served as president of the Eanes ISD Board of Trustees since May, 2025. McMath, who was first elected to the school board in 2020 and spent two years as vice president, is general counsel for Madison Industries entities, a private company with international holdings.
Erin Fonken has joined Kemp Smith in Austin as partner. She specializes in air quality, water quality, endangered species, enforcement, permitting, administrative matters and litigation for their Public and Environmental Law Department.
The fifth edition of “Egan on Entities: Corporations, Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies in Texas,” written by Byron Egan, is being published in January 2026. Egan, a double Longhorn, is partner at Jackson Walker in Dallas.
Leanne Flatter has been elevated to principal at Fish & Richardson in Austin, where her practice focuses on U.S. and international patent prosecution and patent portfolio management in the fields of automotive technologies, medical devices, carbon capture technologies, and robotics.
Jonathan Eisenman has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Eisenman previously was assistant general counsel for the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and worked as a deputy city attorney. He served as a law clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Cory Fish has been appointed policy director for the Office of the Texas Governor. Fish previously served as a budget and policy advisor to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and was later promoted to deputy policy director. He was previously a fellow at the Cicero Institute in Austin.
Garrett S. Brawley has been elected partner at Beck Redden in Houston. An experienced trial lawyer, he has secured high-stakes commercial victories for both plaintiffs and defendants and has been recognized as a “Rising Star” in Business Litigation by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers and named to The Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list.
Jasmine Harding Adams has joined the global internet and technology company Match Group as the employee relations and ethics lead in the Legal Department. Adams previously worked at Mattel and Ogletree, where she was recognized for her work, leadership and integrity.