Class Notes

Brian B. Kilpatrick, a real estate attorney with Wilson Cribbs + Goren in Houston, has been selected to the 2017 Texas Rising Stars list.

The Daily Record has selected Brown, Goldstein & Levy founding partner Daniel F. Goldstein to receive its 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes attorneys and judges whose body of work over their careers makes them stand out. They are well respected in their profession, active in their community, and dedicated to growing the next generation of legal leaders. Goldstein is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, has been listed among Maryland’s Top 50 Super Lawyers, and was previously honored in 2010 with The Daily Record‘s Leadership in Law Award.

Jack H. Emmott, a board certified family law attorney and member at Gray Reed & McGraw, was one of two Houston-area lawyers included in Collaborative Divorce Texas’ inaugural class of Master Credentialed Collaborative Professionals. Achievement of this designation demonstrates Emmott’s commitment to the highest standards of collaborative practice, a client-centered approach that gives couples the opportunity to confidentially create their own customized divorce, focusing on protecting their families and preserving their resources and assets through solutions-oriented, interest-based negotiation.

David Leonard, a commercial litigation associate at Gray Reed & McGraw’s Houston office, has been named a Rising Star for 2017 by Texas Super Lawyers. Texas Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars recognizes up-and-coming attorneys who are either 40-years old and younger or have been practicing for 10 years or less. Attorneys are selected through a multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of attorneys, an independent research evaluation of the candidates and peer reviews. Each year, no more than 2 percent of lawyers in the state are named rising stars.

Jared Hoggan, an intellectual property associate at Gray Reed & McGraw’s Dallas office, has been named a Rising Star for 2017 by Texas Super Lawyers. Texas Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars recognizes up-and-coming attorneys who are either 40-years old and younger or have been practicing for 10 years or less. This distinction is given to only two percent of young attorneys in Texas.

Chris S. Stewart of the Dallas-based intellectual property and business litigation law firm Caldwell Cassady & Curry had been named one of the top young lawyers in Texas on the 2017 Texas Rising Stars list. In February 2016, Mr. Stewart and other attorneys from Caldwell Cassady & Curry won a $625.6 million patent infringement verdict for VirnetX Inc. against technology giant Apple Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The jury’s award was the largest in Texas and the fourth-largest in the nation during the past year.

Ryan Gorsche has been named a Texas Rising Star for 2017 by Super Lawyers. Texas Rising Stars is an annual list of exceptional lawyers in the state who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement, and who are either 40 years old or younger or have been practicing for 10 years or less. This distinction is given to only two percent of young attorneys in Texas.

Mark Dundon has been named a Texas Rising Star for 2017 by Super Lawyers. Texas Rising Stars is an annual list of exceptional lawyers in the state who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement, and who are either 40 years old or younger or have been practicing for 10 years or less. This distinction is given to only two percent of young attorneys in Texas.

Pirkey Barber PLLC Founding Member Bill Barber was recently named one of the top trademark attorneys in the nation in the 2017 edition of World Trademark Review’s WTR 1000. He was awarded Gold status nationally in “Enforcement and Litigation,” as well as Silver status in the national “Prosecution and Strategy” category.

Daniel Sternthal, a shareholder in Baker Donelson’s Houston office, will be ranked in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA, a highly regarded directory of America’s leading lawyers for business, as a leading practitioner in the area of healthcare.

Jim Branton was honored in January by the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas with the Luther (Luke) Soules III Award for Outstanding Service to the Practice of Law at the Litigation Section Institute in San Antonio.

Scott W. Dibbs, Shareholder at Hill Ward Henderson, was recently named Best Attorney by NAIOP Tampa Bay Commercial Real Estate Development Association. Mr. Dibbs leads Hill Ward Henderson’s Commercial Leasing Group and is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Group and Corporate and Tax Group. Mr. Dibbs currently serves as Chair of the Leasing Group of the ABA’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, and he previously served as Chair of the Office Leasing Committee within the Leasing Group.

Hilda Galvan has been named the Chair of the Board of the Dallas Regional Chamber for 2017. As part of the Chamber, Hilda will help lead the Dallas area to become the most economically prosperous region—and the most desirable place to live and work—in the United States.

Reid Phillips was among 39 Brooks Pierce attorneys recognized as industry leaders in the 2017 edition of North Carolina Super Lawyers. He was recognized as a “Super Lawyer” for Business Litigation.

Austin Carlson, an associate at Gray Reed & McGraw in Houston, graduated from the 2016-2017 State Bar of Texas Tax Section Leadership Academy. As a licensed attorney and a Certified Public Accountant, Carlson’s practice focuses on corporate transactions, tax planning and controversy, and trust and estate planning.

Rob Crain, a partner at Crain Lewis Brogdon LLP, was recently inaugurated as the 108th President of the Dallas Bar Association. Mr. Crain was elected Chair of the Board of Directors in 2013. He has served as Chair of numerous DBA Committees including the Public Forum Committee and Bench Bar Conference Committee. In addition, he was Co-Chair of the 2011-2012 Campaign for Equal Access to Justice, which funds the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program to provide free legal assistance to over 4,000 low-income families with civil legal needs each year.

Dilworth Paxson partner Lorena L. Trujillo was one of seven law professionals named as a “Champion of Justice” by Philadelphia-based news organization AL DÍA. She and her colleagues were recognized as the region’s top Latino Lawyers for their outstanding professional accomplishments that have contributed to diversity in Philadelphia. Lorena focuses her practice on real estate, securitization, and finance, representing servicers of commercial mortgage loans in structured-finance transactions. Lorena also provides pro bono services for the Supervision to Aid Reentry (STAR) Program, a federal reentry court initiative that assists ex-offenders with education, training, employment, and other needs.

In 2016, Judge Peter Sakai, presiding judge of the 225th District Court, Bexar County, Texas was honored by the Center for Health Care Services Foundation, as the fifty most influential leaders in mental health care in Bexar County. The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word recognized his contributions to the San Antonio community by naming him for the Sister Walter Maher Humanitarian of the Year Award. The Supreme Court of Texas has reappointed Judge Sakai for a second term to the Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families.

The National Trial Lawyers has listed Demetrio Duarte, Jr., as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers for his work in criminal law.

Houstonia Magazine and H-Texas Magazine each named Daniel Knight to their “Top Lawyers” in Houston List for 2016. Mr. Knight practices in the areas of admiralty and maritime law, as well as general civil litigation and appellate issues, and was elected to membership in the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation in 2016.

Andrew Baumgardner has been selected to join Leadership San Antonio, a program jointly sponsored by the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Baumgardner is a partner in the Real Estate and Family Office practices at Jackson Walker LLP.

Laura Mayer Robertson is the Deputy General Counsel for Litigation and Arbitration at ConocoPhillips, where she oversees litigation for the company on a world-wide basis. This fall, she has been honored in several ways: named a Woman on the Move by the Texas Executive Women (link below); selected by the Houston Business Journal as one of its “Women to Watch” in its annual Women in Energy Leadership awards; and, selected by Texas Lawyer as an honoree for its 2016 Women in Energy awards.

Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (Consumer Bankruptcy Law); named to the Texas Monthly “Super Lawyer” list for 12 years; Chairman of the State Bar’s Bankruptcy Section 2010-2011; inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy (15th Class); past Chairman of the West Texas Bankruptcy Bar Association and the Lubbock County Bar Association; for years a member of the “Recent Developments” panel at The Annual Jay L. Westbrook Bankruptcy Conference and a member of the Texas Bar Foundation.

Jay Jackson, an Associate at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Friend, has been selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list for 2016, which marks his fifth consecutive year to be recognized on the list.

John Flynn has been selected to Best Lawyers in America for Litigation-Construction and Construction Law.

Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP is pleased to announce that Benchmark Litigation 2017 has recognized Virginia Hamilton Snell, Partner in the Firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Service Team, as a “litigation star” for the publication’s 10th Anniversary Edition. The publication’s “litigation stars” reflect lawyers who are recommended by peers and clients as having established consistent reputations as trial attorneys. The guide honors the firms and attorneys who have demonstrated the ability to consistently handle complex, high-stakes cases in multiple jurisdictions.

Michael Best & Friedrich LLP is proud to announce that Edward R. Lawson, Jr., has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2017 in 56 different areas of legal practice nationwide. Mr. Lawson is an intellectual property and patent lawyer in the firm’s Milwaukee, WI, office.

The Texas Access to Justice Foundation, the largest state grant funding source of civil legal aid in Texas, has announced that Carlos M. Zaffirini, Jr., of Austin has been appointed to serve on its board of directors. The Supreme Court of Texas appointed Zaffirini to a two-year term expiring in August 2018.

Walt Herring, a partner in Munck Wilson Mandala’s Commercial Litigation practice group, has been recognized in Best Lawyers for his work in complex commercial litigation. For more than 30 years, he has concentrated his practice on complex commercial litigation matters for a wide variety of clients in both state and federal courts throughout the nation. Mr. Herring regularly serves as first-chair counsel in trials and arbitrations, and has considerable experience with other dispute resolution techniques. In 2016, Mr. Herring favorably resolved a significant class action and a securities fraud matter for one of the firm’s clients.

Stuart F. Miller, a shareholder in Baker Donelson’s Houston office, has been named to the 2017 edition of Best Lawyers in America for Health Care Law.

James P. Hill, a shareholder of the San Diego, CA, law firm Sullivan Hill Lewin Rez & Engel, was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in the 23rd Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law. Additionally, Hill was also recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2017 Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law “Lawyer of the Year” in San Diego.

As part of Global Inclusion Week 2016, Norton Rose Fulbright’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council announced five recipients of the Global Inclusion Awards from the US for their commitment to diversity, including Call of ’11 alumnus Stephen Myers. Mr. Myers is the vice chair of the Pride Network for Norton Rose Fulbright US and also serves on the Dallas Lambda Legal leadership team and the Turtle Creek Chorale’s board of directors.

William H. Caudill, a partner in the Houston office of Norton Rose Fulbright, has been selected to the chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Taxation, the nation’s largest organization of tax lawyers.. Mr. Caudill, who previously served as the ABA’s Section of Taxation’s chair-elect, has a general tax practice, with a focus on partnerships, oil and gas, real estate, and tax-exempt organizations. He also assists clients in the tax aspects of bankruptcy and financially troubled commercial transactions.

Donna Gooden Payne, East Carolina University counsel and vice chancellor for legal affairs, was elected in June to a three-year term as a member-at-large on the Board of Directors of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) during its annual conference in San Francisco. Payne, a member of NACUA since 2002, has served for eight years on NACUA’s Editorial Board for The Journal of College and University Law. In addition, she has also served on the NACUNOTES Editorial Board, the Committee on Legal Education and the Committee on Program for the Annual Conference.

Michael F. King, from the Raleigh and Research Triangle Park offices of global law firm K&L Gates LLP, has been named a 2017 Best Lawyer in America by the publication Best Lawyers.

Beck Redden Partner, Russell S. Post, was elected to be a member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers (AAAL). Membership in AAAL is by invitation only and is reserved for experienced appellate advocates who have demonstrated the highest skill level and integrity – membership is limited to 500 members in the United States.

Kelly Frels’70, former President of the State Bar of Texas, has been awarded the 2016 Civic Leadership Award by the Center for Houston’s Future.

Reid Wilson, chairman of Wilson Cribbs + Goren, PC, received the Best Speaker Award for the 2015 Advanced Real Estate Law Course presented by the Texas Bar CLE. Reid was recognized for his presentation on “Terminating Condominium Projects.” The award was presented at a luncheon during the State Bar’s 2016 Advanced Real Estate Law Course.

Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed First Assistant District Attorney Phil Grant to the 9th state District Court, his office announced Oct. 17. Grant is the first assistant district attorney for the District Attorney’s Office and is the supervisor for the public integrity unit and major crimes and police integrity response teams.

The 2016 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business recognized 18 Brooks Pierce attorneys, including a University of Texas School of Law alumnus, as leaders in their respective practice areas.

Brooks Pierce partner Reid Phillips, who earned his juris doctor from the University of Texas School of Law in 1977, was recognized for Litigation: General Commercial. Phillips as previously nominated by his peers for inclusion in “The Best Lawyers in America” in Commercial Litigation, Banking & Finance Litigation, and Intellectual Property Litigation, and was named “Lawyer of the Year” in 2015 for Banking and Finance Litigation.

Thompson & Knight LLP is pleased to congratulate John H. Martin, who was named to the 2016 Who’s Who Legal 100. Wright was recognized for his work in transport law.

Thompson & Knight LLP is pleased to congratulate Arthur Wright, who was named to the 2016 Who’s Who Legal 100. Wright was recognized for his work in energy law.

Thompson & Knight LLP is pleased to congratulate Jennifer P. Henry, who was named to the 2016 Who’s Who Legal 100. Henry was recognized for her work in transport law.

Thompson & Knight LLP is pleased to congratulate Timothy R. Brown, who was named to the 2016 Who’s Who Legal 100. Brown was recognized for his work in energy law.

Thompson & Knight LLP is pleased to congratulate Jim Morriss, who was named to the 2016 Who’s Who Legal 100. Morriss was recognized for his work in environmental law.

Thompson & Knight LLP is pleased to congratulate Larry Hicks, who was named to the 2016 Who’s Who Legal 100. Hick was recognized for his work in real estate law.

Joe W. Redden was recognized in the annual Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2016 directory. Redden was specifically recognized for his work in General Commercial litigation.

Alistair B. Dawson was recognized in the annual Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2016 directory. Dawson was specifically recognized for his work in General Commercial litigation.

David J. Beck was recognized in the annual Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2016 directory. In addition to being recognized at the state-level for Litigation: Energy and Natural Resources and Litigation: General Commercial, Beck was recognized at the national level for Litigation: Trial Lawyers.

Chambers USA is carefully researched and widely considered to be the most reputable law firm directory in the world.

Ivan Wood, senior counsel in Baker Donelson’s Houston office, has been ranked in Band 3 in the area of health care in Texas in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA.