Class Notes

Scott Clark of the Houston trial law firm Alavi Anaipakos has earned selection in the 2024 Chambers USA guide based on his work in high-stakes intellectual property lawsuits.

Brad Caldwell of the Dallas law firm Caldwell Cassady & Curry has earned selection in the 2024 IAM Patent 1000 based on his work in high-stakes intellectual property trials.

Robert L. Tobey has been appointed to the Board of Legal Aid of Northwest Texas and elected to the Texas Bar College Board of Directors. Tobey is a shareholder at Johnston Tobey Baruch.

Judge Jan Soifer recently was honored with the Austin Bar Association’s Larry F. York Mentoring Award. Judge Soifer is the judge of the 345th District Court in Travis County, a civil and family trial court. This award is given to a local lawyer or judge who has demonstrated exceptional skill and generosity in mentoring younger members of the bar.

Richard Mills, Jr. was confirmed to be U.S. ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 2, 2024. Mills previously was a member of the Senior Foreign Service, serving at the U.S. deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

Elizabeth Brandon, a partner at Reed Smith, LLP,  has earned a place on the 2024 INvolve Empower Executive Role Model List for her advocacy work in diversifying the legal and business communities.

Manuel Escobar has been recognized as the 2024 recipient of the Joseph C. Parker Jr. Diversity Award from the Austin Bar Association. Escobar is a partner at McGinnis Lochridge.

Paula Desel was selected to a three-year term on the Rice University Alumni Association’s board of directors. Prior to her retirement, Desel practiced law at Baker Botts in Houston and Arnold & Porter in New York, and was an in-house attorney at Altria.

Rudy Metayer had been named a recipient of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. The honorees will be celebrated on June 22, 2024 at the Community Impact Center in Austin, Texas.

Samuel G. Encarnacion, first assistant public defender in the Lancaster County Public Defender’s Office, received the annual Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Civil and Equal Rights Champion Award during the PBA annual meeting. The award honors an individual who champions for civil rights for all Pennsylvanians.

Diana Saldana was recognized as a United ISD (Laredo) Community Hero for launching the Kazen Fellowship Program, which aims to offer paid summer internships for eligible high school students at the federal and state courthouses.

Hon. John G. Browning, former justice on Texas’ Fifth Court of Appeals and now Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, will receive the Texas Bar College’s Franklin B. Jones Outstanding CLE Article Award for 2023. Browning’s article, “ Let’s Chat About Chat GPT,” examined the ethics of using generative AI. The award will be presented at the College’s annual Summer School in July 2024.

Parth Gejji has been elected as Fourth Year Representative to the Houston Bar Association (HBA) Appellate Practice Section. Gejji is an associate at Beck Redden LLP and focuses his practice on civil appeals and complex commercial litigation. He also was recognized as a 2024 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers.

Nicholas Bruno was elected as Chair-Elect to the Houston Bar Association (HBA) Appellate Practice Section. Bruno is an associate at the Houston office of Beck Redden LLP and is board-certified in Civil Appellate Law. He also was recognized as a 2024 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers.

Chris Hamilton has earned selection on the 2024 D Magazine “Best Lawyers in Dallas” list based on his work in high-stakes personal injury litigation and plaintiffs’ civil litigation. Hamilton is owner and partner at Hamilton Wingo, LLP.

Jack Woodville London will speak on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Omaha and Utah beaches in Normandy, France. Jack will speak at the Brittany American Military Cemetery at Montjoie-Saint-Martin, France, on June 6, 2024, and at the Normandy American Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer the following day.

Lisa Blatt is the first woman to argue 50 cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, and she has a 41-5 win-loss record with four pending cases this term. Bloomberg Law points out her casual candor, direct argument style, and high energy as characteristics contributing to her success.

Anya Bidwell argued a case before the Supreme Court regarding retaliatory arrests, probable cause, and First Amendment rights. She also hosted the Short Circuit podcast with three other Supreme Court lawyers at the National Press Club in April. Bidwell is an attorney at the Institute for Justice and leads the firm’s Project on Immunity and Accountability.

Adrienne N. Wall has been named to the 2024 Texas Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” List for her excellence in banking law. As a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Dallas, Wall focuses on commercial finance transactions secured by real estate, business assets or other personal property, notes receivable and other property or assets.

Andres Contreras, associate at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Houston, has been named on the 2024 Texas Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” List for his excellence in complex commercial litigation in both state and federal courts.

Barrett Robin has been selected to the 2024 Texas Rising Stars list of the state’s top young attorneys based on his work in personal injury lawsuits. Robin is an associate at the Dallas plaintiffs’ law firm Hamilton Wingo.

The Hon. Brooke Lierman has been inducted into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame. Lierman is comptroller of the State of Maryland and is the first woman independently elected to any one of Maryland’s constitutional offices.

Garrett Brawley has been recognized as a 2024 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers. Brawley is an associate and trial lawyer at Beck Redden LLP, where he specializes in complex commercial litigation.

Mariah Berry has been named to the 2024 Texas Rising Stars List—recognizing the top 2.5 percent of young lawyers in Texas—for her work in labor and employment law. Berry, a senior associate at Muskat Devine who litigates all types of employment-related matters, is board-certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Colin Watterson has been named to Super Lawyers’ 2024 list of Texas Rising Stars, an honor that represents the 2.5 percent of top young lawyers in the state. Watterson, is partner at Hicks Thomas LLP, handling energy, real estate and technology cases. He was named a Rising Star for a second year for business litigation representing both plaintiffs and defendants.

Dana Davis Paul has been selected for inclusion in the 2024 edition of the Best Lawyers in America directory for her work in real estate law. Paul is the owner of Paul Law Firm, PLLC in Northwest Arkansas  and has been practicing commercial real estate and finance law for more than two decades.

Stephen Calhoun has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide as Texas:  San Antonio & Surrounds – Up and Coming lawyers. Calhoun is a partner at Jackson Walker and litigation attorney who represents companies from a variety of industries.

Leonard Dougal has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide for his environmental law practice. Dougal is a partner at Jackson Walker with particular experience handling Clean Water Act and other water-related issues for mining and energy industry clients.

Bill Dahlstrom has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide for his real estate practice. Dahlstrom is a partner at Jackson Walker,  handling the zoning aspects of hotel, mixed-use, and office projects for his developer clients.

Jeff Drummond has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide for his healthcare law practice. Drummond is a partner at Jackson Walker where his areas of focus include representing hospitals, physicians, laboratories, surgery centers, and other healthcare providers in transactional and regulatory matters.

Alfie Meyerson has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide for his real estate practice. Meyerson is a partner at Jackson Walker, where his practice covers the acquisition, development, and financing of a range of commercial real estate transactions.

Taylor Halcomb has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide as an Up and Coming lawyer in environmental law. Halcomb is a partner at Jackson Walker where he regularly assists clients in compliance, development and permitting work relating to energy projects.

Virginia Alverson Mimmack has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide for her healthcare practice. Mimmack is a partner at Jackson Walker, advising telemedicine providers, physicians, and hospitals on topics ranging from regulatory compliance to M&A and private offerings.

David Moran has been named in Lawdragon’s 2024 list of top 500 leading litigators in America. Moran, who was awarded for his antitrust practice, his focus during his career that has spanned more than 30 years.

Leisa Talbert Peschel has been named in Lawdragon’s 2024 list of top 500 leading litigators in America. Peschel was awarded for her IP litigation practice, where she leverages her scientific background to gain an understanding of a client’s technology to better position her client throughout a case.

Shannon Zmud Teicher has been named in Lawdragon’s 2024 list of top 500 leading litigators in America. Teicher was awarded for her IP litigation practice, as an advocate and counselor with deep experience in intellectual property, media and technology.

Robert Soza has been named in Lawdragon’s 2024 list of top 500 leading litigators in America for his product liability practice and has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide for his general commercial litigation practice. Soza is a partner at Jackson Walker with a wide range of experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants at trial and on appeal in many types of disputes.

Paul Watler has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide as one of the top lawyers in the U.S. for First Amendment Litigation and was recognized by The Texas Lawbook for the defense of one of the nine most significant lawsuits handled by Texas attorneys in 2023. A partner at Jackson Walker who specializes in First Amendment, media law, and commercial litigation, Watler also was named in Lawdragon’s 2024 list of top 500 leading litigators in America.

Jonathan P. Harmon has been featured in “The Power 50,” Virginia Business’s ranking of the top 50 most powerful executives in the state. Harmon is the current Chairman of McGuireWoods, the oldest law firm in Virginia.

Richard Pena has received the National Conference of Bar Presidents’ 2024 Fellows Award. Pena, who is only the second bar president from Texas to receive the award, is a past president of the State Bar of Texas and the Austin Bar Association. He is president and CEO at the Richard Pena law firm in Austin.

Christy Lea has been appointed co-chair of the Medical Device Litigation Group at Intellectual Property law firm Knobbe Martens. Lea has represented clients in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries for nearly two decades and is an accomplished PTAB trial litigator.

John Beckworth received the 2024 Ernest Smith Lifetime Achievement Award at the Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law (TJOGEL) Symposium. Beckworth has more than four decades of experience, demonstrating expertise in energy, litigation, and arbitration.

Rose E. Jenkins has been nominated by President Biden to be a judge on the United States Tax Court. Jenkins has more than 15 years of experience as a tax lawyer and currently is an attorney in the Office of Associate Chief Counsel at the Internal Revenue Service.

Byron L. LeFlore Jr. has been selected as a Foundation Fellow by the San Antonio Bar Foundation. LeFlore is a partner at Pulman, Cappuccio & Pullen LLP and has more than 30 years of practice in corporate law and business litigation.

Elizabeth H. Fry has been selected as a Foundation Fellow by the San Antonio Bar Foundation. Fry practices trust and estate planning at Hornberger Fuller & Garza Incorporated and is board certified in estate planning and probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Demetrio Duarte Jr. has been selected as a Foundation Fellow by the San Antonio Bar Foundation. Duarte has more than 35 years of experience as a trial attorney at Duarte & Molina, PC and is board certified in criminal law.

Jesse Pierce has been listed among the nation’s top attorneys by the 2024 edition of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Lawyers in America for excellence in commercial litigation.

Jack O’Neill has been listed among the nation’s top attorneys by the 2024 edition of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Lawyers in America for commercial litigation excellence.

Kayvon Rashidi is now Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) after passing the 2023 board exam. Rashidi is with Powers and Kerr, PLLC.

Mary Kate Raffetto is joining the partnership at Beck Redden LLP. Raffetto is a trial and appellate specialist with significant experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants.