Tarek F.M. Saad has joined Reid Collins & Tsai LLP as partner. Saad has three decades of experience trying cases in U.S. and international civil and criminal courts as he specializes in resolving cross-border commercial disputes.
Darcell Walker has published an eBook titled “Divine Directions for Deliverance from Debt.” Walker has more than 30 years of experience in intellectual property law and worked as an in-house patent attorney for two Fortune 500 companies prior to starting his own law practice.
Andrea Marshall has been elected chairperson of SC Launch, Inc., and will serve on the board of trustees of the South Carolina Research Authority. Marshall previously served as the SC Launch board’s vice-chair and is the vice president, general counsel and administrative officer for MedTrust Holdings Inc.
Dina Koch has joined the Dean Law Firm as of counsel and will focus on growing the firm’s community-based Wills, Trusts, and Estate Practice. Koch’s career has spanned the legal, government, nonprofit fundraising, and political accounting and compliance fields.
Paul Schuster has joined Bracewell LLP’s Dallas office as a partner in the litigation department. Schuster specializes in healthcare law and has been recognized on D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas” list since 2019.
Danielle “DJ” Healey has joined Spencer Fane LLP’s Intellectual Property Practice Group as a partner in the firm’s Houston office. Healey is ranked as one of the best Intellectual Property litigators in the United States by Chambers Global and has represented clients before the FTC, the European Union, and Texas state authorities over three decades.
John Summers returns to the Dallas-based intellectual property and business litigation firm Caldwell Cassady & Curry following his recent stint as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas. Summers, who rejoins the firm as a principal, is an experienced trial lawyer who focuses on qui tam, commercial, and intellectual property litigation for businesses and individuals in a wide range of industries.
Randy Sawyer has been named general counsel for the clean-energy company Urban Grid. Sawyer began his career at law firms Holland & Knight and Latham & Watkins before joining EDP Renewables, where he served as associate general counsel.
Alistair B. Dawson has been honored with the Judge Sam Williams Award by the State Bar of Texas Local Bar Services Committee. An attorney at Beck Redden, Dawson serves as 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.
Daniela de Souza has joined Kemp Smith as an associate in the firm’s Public and Environmental Law department in Austin. Souza served as president of the Human Rights Law Society during her time at Texas Law and is a member of the Administrative and Public Law and the Environmental and Natural Resources sections of the State Bar of Texas.
Joseph M. Cox has joined Duane Morris LLP as a partner in the firm’s Trial Practice Group in its Dallas office. Prior to joining Duane Morris, Cox was a partner at Bracewell LLP. Previously he served as a judge in the 160th Judicial District Court of Texas.
For the second consecutive year, Jonathan E. Lass was named the recipient of the 2022-2023 Adjunct Professor of the Year Award by the Student Bar Association of the University of Texas School of Law.
James Rhodes has been appointed by the president of the New York City Bar Association to a panel of senior attorneys that hears disputes. Rhodes is a full-time independent arbitrator and mediator and has been arbitrating commercial and investment disputes since 1980.
Vanessa Griffith has been named general counsel of Vinson & Elkins after serving as deputy general counsel at the firm. Griffith, who has been a partner there for almost 20 years, specializes in high-level employment law and workplace issues.
John Wander has joined Talen Energy as general counsel where he leads the company’s legal, regulatory and external affairs functions, oversees corporate governance, and serves as the primary point of contact for its Board of Directors. Wander previously was a partner and general counsel at Vinson & Elkins.
The Hon. Hyattye Simmons has been reappointed by the State Bar of Texas to serve as the 2023-24 chair of the Pattern Jury Charges Committee on General Negligence, Intentional Personal Torts, & Workers’ Compensation. Simmons is the presiding judge of Municipal Court for the City of Combine, Texas, and has more than 25 years of experience as a Texas civil trial and appellate attorney.
Aaron Gelb was recognized as one of 11 “Band 2” attorneys in Chambers USA‘s national rankings of OSHA defense practitioners. Gelb is a co-managing partner in Conn Maciel Carey’s Chicago office, where he advises and represents clients involved with OSHA federal and state programs.
Amy Farish has been promoted to partnership at the litigation boutique Yetter Coleman, LLP. Farish was recognized in the 2022 Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list in Commercial Litigation and serves on the Houston Young Lawyers Association Board of Directors.
Patrick Yarborough has been appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee of the In re Meta Pixel Tax Filing Cases pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Yarborough is co-founder of Foster Yarborough PLLC, a business and consumer-class action law firm based in Houston.
Shane Pennington has joined Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP as partner in its Washington, D.C., office. A former law clerk to federal judges, Pennington counsels clients on federal regulatory issues and was named to Best Lawyers’ Ones to Watch in America listing.
Rodrigo Martinez has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as an associate in its Corporate and Securities Practice Group. Martinez focuses his practice on corporate matters in the U.S. and Latin America and specializes in representing clients in cross-border transactions.
Jill Applegate wrote an essay for the New York Times about marijuana convictions and deportation. Applegate is an immigration attorney and fellow at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, where she represents clients with deportation orders.
Reagan Reaud will serve on the Board of Directors for the Beaumont Foundation, a nonprofit Texas corporation that provides grants for charitable causes. Reaud is the founder and CEO of Privateer Capital Management, L.P. and is the founder and Chairman of the Lucena Group.
Patrick Lingwall has joined Kane Russell Coleman Logan PC as a senior attorney in the Business & Corporate practice in Houston. A double Longhorn, Lingwall specializes in the energy and infrastructure sectors and represents companies in complex business transactions and commercial matters.
David Powell has been recognized as a 50-Year Member of the Florida Bar. Powell is a professor emeritus at Florida State University and has taught multiple courses related to estate planning.
Michael Appleton has been recognized as a 50-Year Member of The Florida Bar. He founded Appleton Law Offices in Winter Park, Fla., and specializes in business law, commercial law, and real estate litigation cases.
Stuart F. Miller has been included in the 2023 edition of the Chambers USA directory for his work in healthcare law. Miller is a a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Houston and represents healthcare clients in a variety of corporate and regulatory matters.
Daniel Sternthal has been included in the 2023 edition of the Chambers USA directory for his work in healthcare law. Sternthal is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Houston and serves as strategic counsel to a diverse range of health care entities.
Irina B. Plumlee has been included in the 2023 edition of the Chambers USA directory for her work in immigration law. Plumlee is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. and focuses her immigration practice on business and family immigration.
emJesse Pierce has received his 15th consecutive selection to the Chambers USA legal directory for his work in commercial litigation and oil and gas expertise. Pierce has more than 45 years of litigation experience and specializes in civil trials of cases dealing with complex energy and commercial issues. He also was recently recognized by Texas Super Lawyers.
Julie Hardin has joined Reed Smith LLP’s senior management team as managing partner, Americas. Hardin, who focuses on the energy and life science sectors, is one of the founding members of Reed Smith’s Houston office and has served on the Executive Committee since 2016.
Zachary Wyatte has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as an associate in the Litigation Practice Group. Wyatte’s practice focuses primarily on commercial and construction litigation and he has experience representing large corporations in complex litigation involving corporate, maritime, and international trade matters.
David Park has joined Credit Union National Association as the senior director of advocacy and counsel. Park previously served as the senior policy and compliance officer at Navy Federal Credit Union and has more than a decade of experience in legal analysis and regulatory compliance.
Jason Villalba is rejoining Frost Brown Todd to lead its new Texas public affairs subsidiary, CivicPoint. A former member of the Texas House of Representatives, Villalba is a financially trained business advisor and corporate strategist.
Gregory Clark has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as a senior attorney in the firm’s Construction Practice Group. Clark, a member of Construction Law Section of the Texas Bar Association, focuses on business and residential commercial construction matters.
Betty Balli Torres was awarded the Emily C. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award by the Texas Access to Justice Commission. Torres is executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation and was recognized for her longtime contributions to improving access to justice for low-income Texans.
Katie Carmona has joined Jackson Walker as a senior counsel in the firm’s Trial & Appellate Litigation practice in Austin. Carmona previously served as a career law clerk to U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel and has more than 25 years of experience handling complex trial and appellate cases.
JR Lanis has joined BakerHostetler as a partner at the firm’s Los Angeles office. With his specialization in mergers and acquisitions and securities, Lanis’ clients include publicly traded and privately held companies and investors in a variety of industries.
Fred Hagans has been selected as a recipient of the 2023 Texas Bar Foundation’s Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award. A double Longhorn, Hagans is the founder of Hagans Montgomery Hagans and is double board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law.
Martin “Marty” Schexnayder has joined Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP as the new chair of its Houston office. A double Longhorn, Schexnayder has more than 25 years of litigation experience and specializes in professional liability matters.
Adrienne N. Wall (Dallas) has been promoted to equity shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. (Munsch Hardt). Adrienne is a member of the firm’s Real Estate and Finance practices. She specializes in commercial finance transactions secured by real estate, business assets or other personal property, notes receivable and other property or assets.
Aaron Reitz has been named Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. In addition to his experience in private practice, Reitz has been the as Deputy Attorney General for Legal Strategy for the State of Texas since fall 2020.
Lee Yeakel has joined King & Spalding’s trials and global disputes practice group as senior counsel. Yeakel recently retired from the federal judiciary after serving for 20 years as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas.
Courtlyn Ward has been selected to The National Black Lawyers’ “Top 40 Under 40 in Texas” list. Ward is an associate at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, where she focuses on government enforcement and investigations and commercial litigation matters.
Michael Slack has been appointed to the external advisory board of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University. A former NASA aerospace engineer, Slack focuses his practice on aviation accidents and recently was named the 2023 Distinguished Aggie Lawyer.
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.