Class Notes

Molly (Bentley) Fenton was recognized by Variety as one of Hollywood’s New Leaders of 2021.

Martha Hofmeister was awarded Altrusa International, Inc.’s highest honor: the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award. This award is worldwide community service organization’s only award given to an individual member. Designed to recognize an Altrusan who makes a lasting contribution to community service as a result of involvement with Altrusa, recipients must have a distinguished service record at the local, district, and international levels. Hofmeister is a founding partner of Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP.

Jonathan K. Frels, a partner with Bracewell LLP, was named “Lawyer of the Year” for Public Finance Law in Houston in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Individual lawyers with the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region are named “Lawyer of the Year.” Only one lawyer is recognized for each specialty and region.

Nathalie Stewart has been named as one of Houston Business Journal’s 2021 Transportation and Logistics honorees in its 2021 Women Who Mean Business awards. Stewart is a senior attorney and lead negotiator at Murphy Oil Corporation.

The late Ruben W. Hope, Jr. has been honored by Conroe ISD which dedicated its newest elementary school in his name, Ruben W. Hope, Jr. Elementary School. In 1996, Hope was elected to the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees. During his time on the Board, he held the position of trustee and vice president. In 1999, Hope also served his community as State Representative between 1999 and 2006. During his career, Hope tried over 200 cases to jury verdicts and handled appeals before the Texas Supreme Court. He passed away in 2015.

Marilyn Aboussie was named an Iconic Woman in Legal History by the Texas Young Lawyers Association. She was also the first female district judge in Tom Green County and was elected as the Chief Justice of the Third Court of Appeals of Texas in 1998, holding that office until her retirement in January 2003. Since then, she has continued serving as a Senior Judge for the State of Texas and also as a trained mediator. She has served as president of the Texas Law Alumni Association and honored as a Leader and Champion by the Center for Women in Law.

Jim Ormiston has been recognized in 2021 Texas Super Lawyers for his work in Commercial Litigation. He is a partner and Chair of the Litigation Department at Gray Reed & McGraw LLP. The majority of his practice involves handling energy litigation and complex commercial disputes.

Brian Newby, Managing Partner of Cantey Hanger LLP, has been selected to receive the 2021 Law “Good Scout” Award from The Longhorn Council, Boy Scouts of America. Newby served a 31-year military career that included assisting both the Director for Operational Law and the Deputy Judge Advocate General, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force. He was also appointed by former Gov. George W. Bush to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents and served as vice chair. Former Gov. Rick Perry appointed Newby as his General Counsel and as his Chief of Staff, and asked him to head the state’s recovery effort after Hurricane Ike.

Joe W. Redden, Jr.  has been recognized in 2021 Texas Super Lawyers for his work with Civil Litigation, Defense. This annual award listing is based on peer recognition and professional achievements and published by Thomson Reuters. Redden is of counsel with Beck Redden LLP.

Allison S. Miller has been recognized in 2021 Texas Super Lawyers for her work with Professional Liability, Defense. This annual award listing is based on peer recognition and professional achievements and published by Thomson Reuters. Miller is of counsel with Beck Redden LLP.

Geoff Gannaway has been recognized in 2021 Texas Super Lawyers for his work with Business Litigation. This annual award listing is based on peer recognition and professional achievements and published by Thomson Reuters. Gannaway is a partner with Beck Redden LLP.

Fields Alexander has been recognized in 2021 Texas Super Lawyers for his work with General Litigation. This annual award listing is based on peer recognition and professional achievements and published by Thomson Reuters. Alexander is a partner with Beck Redden LLP.

Alistair Dawson has been recognized in 2021 Texas Super Lawyers among the Top 100 Houston ranking . This annual award listing is based on peer recognition and professional achievements and published by Thomson Reuters. Of those nominated, only five percent of the total lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion. Dawson is a partner with Beck Redden LLP.

David Beck has been recognized in 2021 Texas Super Lawyers among the Top 100 Texas and Top 100 Houston rankings. This annual award listing is based on peer recognition and professional achievements and published by Thomson Reuters. Of those nominated, only five percent of the total lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion. Beck is a partner with Beck Redden LLP.

The Honorable Peter Kelly was elected to The American Law Institute in June of 2021. He has served the Texas First Court of Appeals since 2018.

S. Anthony Safi has been recognized with the Kelly Frels Lifetime Achievement Award from the School Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. Safi is the only El Pasoan ever to have received this recognition. He is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and a Fellow of the El Paso Bar Foundation.

Conde Cox has been recognized in the 2022 Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Debtor-Creditor Rights and Insolvency/Reorganization.

Jackie Furlow has been recognized in the 2022 The Best Lawyers in America ranking of the nation’s top legal talent. She is an attorney with Beck Redden who specializes in in Commercial Litigation.

Joe W. Redden, Jr. has been recognized in the 2022 The Best Lawyers in America ranking of the nation’s top legal talent. He is Of Counsel with Beck Redden who specializes in Personal Injury Litigation.

Geoff Gannaway has been recognized in the 2022 The Best Lawyers in America ranking of the nation’s top legal talent. He is a partner with Beck Redden who specializes in Commercial Litigation.

Mary Kate Raffetto has been recognized in the 2022 The Best Lawyers in America ranking of the nation’s top legal talent. She is an associate with Beck Redden who specializes in Commercial Litigation.

Alistair Dawson has been recognized in the 2022 The Best Lawyers in America ranking of the nation’s top legal talent. He is a partner with Beck Redden who specializes in Commercial Litigation and Antitrust Litigation.

David J. Beck has been recognized in the 2022 The Best Lawyers in America ranking of the nation’s top legal talent. He is a partner with Beck Redden who specializes in Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law, Antitrust Litigation, Environmental Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Litigation, and Natural Resources Law.

Fields Alexander has been recognized in the 2022 The Best Lawyers in America ranking of the nation’s top legal talent. He is a partner with Beck Redden who specializes in Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation, and Product Liability Litigation.

Brad Caldwell from Dallas’ Caldwell Cassady & Curry once again has been named among The Best Lawyers in America based on his work in intellectual property trials and patent lawsuits.

Christopher Hawkins has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 28th Edition of Best Lawyers in America®in the fields of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law. He is a shareholder at Sullivan Hill Rez & Engel.

James “Jim” Hill  has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 28th Edition of Best Lawyers in America.® He is a shareholder at Sullivan Hill Rez & Engel.

Kristine Huskey was honored with Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society’s Top Civilian Award. Huskey was awarded the 2020 Copper Sword Award, presented to individuals who did not serve in the military but who have distinguished themselves by their dedication, humanitarianism and support of veteran initiatives. She is a Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic at the University of Arizona College of Law. (2020 Award was awarded in 2021 due to pandemic.)

Robert Tobey was elected to the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas and was also elected to the Council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents.

William G. Hagans with Hagans Montgomery Hagans has been selected to serve as a 2021-2022 Texas Bar Foundation Nominating Chair for District 4. Nominating Chairs of the Foundation are selected for their outstanding professional achievements and their demonstrated commitment to the Texas Bar Foundation. Selection is a mark of distinction and recognition of Hagans’ contributions to the legal profession.

Neal Manne received American Bar Association’s national Pro Bono Publico Award – the highest public service recognition by the country’s largest legal organization. Earlier this year, Manne received the John Minor Wisdom Public Service and Professionalism Award, which the ABA’s Litigation Section gives each year to one lawyer who has made outstanding contributions to help the disadvantaged and disenfranchised. He is the only person ever to receive both awards in the same year.

Hon. Patrick Keel of Austin has been elected Fellows Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the Texas Bar Foundation. Keel took office June 18, 2021. Keel, a former state district judge, is a full-time mediator and arbitrator. He is also an adjunct professor in the trial advocacy program at Texas Law and a member of the Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas. After law school, Keel practiced commercial litigation for 13 years with Baker Botts LLP, where he was a partner in the firm’s trial department and hiring partner for the firm’s Austin office.

Barry Abrams, who serves as chair of Blank Rome’s Pro Bono Committee, was named Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by Houston Volunteer Lawyers, a nonprofit service of the Houston Bar Association. Abrams has received this honor on behalf of his tremendous pro bono work.

Dr. Susan Bohn, superintendent of Aledo ISD, has been named the Region 11 Superintendent of the Year for 2021. The Superintendent of the Year Award honors outstanding Texas administrators for achievement and excellence in public school administration.

Tom Landry, Jr. was named a co-grand marshal  of the 37th annual NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway held during on June 13. The 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race will be held for the first time at the speedway, which is celebrating its 25th Season of Speed. Landry, Jr. currently serves as President and a Director of Dallas-based Landry Investment Group, Inc.

Reid Phillips, managing partner at Brooks Pierce in North Carolina, was recognized for Litigation: General Commercial in the 2021 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. The listing of the leading lawyers and law firms in the country is published annually by Chambers and Partners.

Darren Walker has been elected as a member of The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743. He is among 33 leaders in the sciences, humanities, and business fields to be elected to the APS this year. Walker is president of the Ford Foundation, an international grant-making philanthropy with the mission of advancing human welfare.

John Helms has been selected to Super Lawyers, as part of its top tier of attorneys in the White Collar and General Litigation practice areas. Helms is a Dallas criminal defense attorney who specializes in both trials and appeals. He is a former federal prosecutor for the Northern District of Texas.

Reid Phillips, managing partner with Brooks Pierce, has been named to Business North Carolina’s inaugural “Power List” of the most influential business leaders in the state. He was included in a section specifically focused on leaders in the legal profession, with 43 attorneys selected out of the more than 28,000 licensed lawyers in North Carolina.

Brittany Scheier was named by the American Heart Association as a Real Woman, a group that will serve as year-long national volunteers for the Association. Scheier was was chosen as one of 22 survivors who are boldly sharing their stories as part of the Association’s Go Red for Women® movement. Scheier suffered a hemorrhagic stroke during her last semester of law school in 2018. Despite this, she managed to graduate law school, take the bar exam, and start a job six months after her stroke. Scheier works as a mergers and acquisitions attorney at the international law firm Kirkland & Ellis in Houston.

Stephen Best has been named the “Best of the Best” in White Collar Crime in both the 2021 USA and Global Expert Guides. Best is a Brown Rudnick Partner, Chair of the Firm’s White Collar Defense & Government Investigations Practice Group, and a former state and federal prosecutor.

Sullivan Hill Rez & Engel is pleased to announce that Shareholder Chris Hawkins has been selected as a 2021 Super Lawyer. Hawkins has been selected to the Super Lawyers list in the area of Bankruptcy. He is a current member of the firm’s Executive Committee and practices in the Insolvency and Commercial Bankruptcy, Business Transactions, and Commercial and Business Litigation practice groups.

Sullivan Hill Rez & Engel is pleased to announce that Shareholder Jim Hill has been selected as a 2021 Super Lawyer. Hill has been selected to the Super Lawyers list for the last fifteen years in the areas of Bankruptcy, Business Litigation, and Creditor Debtor Rights. A founding member of the firm, a member of the Executive Committee and chair of the Insolvency and Commercial Bankruptcy practice group, Hill practices primarily in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency and commercial law.

Brad Caldwell has been named one of the country’s top trial lawyers in the Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar series from the national legal publication Law360. Caldwell is the only attorney in Texas to earn two selections in the exclusive listing after previously being recognized in 2019. He is one of only 11 lawyers nationwide to be named in the 2021 Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar series.

Parth S. Gejji, an associate with Beck Redden, has been recognized as a 2021 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers.

Jacqueline M. Furlow, an associate with Beck Redden, has been recognized as a 2021 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers.

Theodora Lee, a Shareholder at Littler’s San Francisco office, has been named to the National Black Lawyers (NBL) top list. Lee is a skilled litigator with extensive courtroom experience in all state and federal courts in California and employment-related regulatory agencies. As a recognized subject matter authority, Lee has been published in numerous publications and is a sought-after speaker presenting on a wide variety of employment topics.

Jim Hill, of Sullivan Hill, has been recognized by San Diego Magazine as a 2021 Top Lawyer in San Diego in the field of Bankruptcy. A founding member of the firm, chair of its Insolvency and Commercial Bankruptcy practice group, and member of its Executive Committee, Hill practices primarily in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency and commercial law. The list reflects those local attorneys who have been recognized by Martindale-Hubbell as 2021 AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated attorneys.

Dana Davis Paul, of Paul Law Firm in Rogers, AR, has been selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers by Super Lawyers as a top attorney in the Mid-South, specializing in real estate law.

Camille Milner was recently named the 2020 Gay G. Cox Recipient for Excellence in Collaborative Law. The award was announced at the Collaborative Law Conference in Austin and is normally presented at the State Bar’s Annual Advanced Family Law Seminar in August each year. Milner was given the award for her leadership role in Collaborative Divorce Texas and for her commitment to growing the collaborative movement.