Class Notes

Jackie Furlow has been recognized in the inaugural guide of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America in the area of Commercial Litigation. She is a partner at Beck Redden.

Brittany Castillo, CEO of emergency management and logistics contractor AshBritt, is featured in Forbes Magazine.

Rudy Metayer has been named as a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters. Metayer currently serves as an attorney for Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody, and is also a council member for the City of Pflugerville.

Andrew Kerr, a Member of Clark Hill law firm in the San Antonio office, was the recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from Texas Lawyer for his commitment to public service to the Texas legal community and the community beyond over the course of his career.

Jadd Masso, a member of Clark Hill law firm in the Dallas office, received the Best Mentors Award from Texas Lawyer, presented at the Texas Legal Excellence Awards Dinner on Sept. 14, 2022.

Joe Redden, Jr. was recognized as a 2022 Texas Super Lawyer and in the inaugural guide of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America. Redden is a trial lawyer and serves as of counsel in the Houston office of Beck Redden.

Allison Miller has been recognized as a 2022 Texas Super Lawyer. Miller is a trial attorney and serves as counsel for the Houston office of Beck Redden.

Geoff Gannaway was recognized as a 2022 Texas Super Lawyer. Gannaway is a partner at the Houston office of Beck Redden.

Alistair Dawson has been recognized as a 2022 Texas Super Lawyer, a Local Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation for 2023, and in the inaugural guide of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America. Dawson is a partner at the Houston office of Beck Redden.

David Beck has received numerous awards by Benchmark Litigation for 2023, including Top 100 Trial Lawyer, National Practice Area Star, and Local Litigation Star. He also was recognized as a 2022 Texas Super Lawyer for business litigation and in the inaugural guide of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America. Beck is a founding partner of Beck Redden in Houston.

Fields Alexander has been recognized as a 2022 Super Lawyer for his work in business litigation, as well as a Local Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation for 2023 and in the inaugural guide of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America. Alexander is a partner at Beck Redden.

Randy Johnston is included on the 2022 list of Texas Super Lawyers and the DFW Top 100, recognized among the state’s top plaintiffs’ attorneys for professional liability cases. He has been named to the Super Lawyers list each year since the inaugural 2003 edition. Johnston is a partner and shareholder at Johnston Tobey Baruch.

Robert Tobey has earned recognition on the 2022 list of Texas Super Lawyers for his professional liability work on behalf of plaintiffs. He is a partner and shareholder at Johnston Tobey Baruch.

Miguel Hernandez Romo Valencia presented a guest lecture at Texas Law on litigation and dispute resolution in Mexico. Romo is a trilingual litigation attorney with a specialization in civil, commercial, professional responsibility, family litigation, medical malpractice and insurance sectors.

Jim Reeder has been selected to receive the  Laura Lee Blanton Community Spirit Award from Houston Hospice in recognition of decades-long dedication and commitment to the organization, with co-recipient Eric Nevil. Reeder is a partner at Jones Day, where he focuses on complex commercial litigation and antitrust.

Attorney Mitch Little has been recognized on the 2022 Texas Super Lawyers list by Thomson Reuters for his expertise in securities litigation. He is a partner at Scheef & Stone.

Jessica Dean has been selected to the Texas Super Lawyers guide for the second consecutive year. Dean is a partner at Dallas law firm Dean Omar Branham Shirley LLP and is recognized for her work in personal injury products liability.

Reid Phillips was recognized with North Carolina’s highest honor, induction into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, presented by Governor Roy Cooper. Phillips, one of the state’s top litigators, has served as Managing Partner at Brooks Pierce since 2015, and has been with the firm for 45 years.

Shavonne Henderson has been has been selected as a 2022 recipient of the Texas Diversity Council Top Women Lawyer Award. Henderson currently serves as Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion and is a lecturer at Texas Law.

Chante Brantley has been recognized as a “Superb Woman” by Texas Metro News. Brantley is currently a professor at SMU Dedman School of Law and previously was a managing attorney and mediator at Barnes Prox Law, PLLC.

Jim Hill, a shareholder at Sullivan Hill Rez & Engel, has been selected for inclusion in the 29th Edition of Best Lawyers in America®. He has been named to the Best Lawyers list in the fields of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law as well as Commercial Litigation.

Christopher Hawkins, a shareholder at Sullivan Hill Rez & Engel, has been selected for inclusion in the 29th Edition of Best Lawyers in America®. He received special recognition as Best Lawyers® 2023 Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law “Lawyer of the Year” in San Diego.

David Henderson has been appointed to the ACLU Texas Board of Directors. Henderson is a civil rights attorney at Ellwanger Henderson LLLP and managing partner of the firm’s Dallas office.

Michael McBride has been named in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America based on his expertise in the areas of intellectual property lawsuits and patent disputes. McBride is currently a partner at Alavi & Anaipakos PLLC in Houston.

Scott Clark has been included in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for his expertise in intellectual property law. Clark is currently a partner at Alavi Anaipakos PLLC in Houston.

Attorney Brad Caldwell of the Dallas firm of Caldwell Cassady & Curry has been named the 2023 Dallas/Fort Worth Lawyer of the Year for Intellectual Property Litigation in the latest edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Christopher V. Popov of Vinson & Elkins took office as the 2022-2023 president of the Houston Bar Association in May. Popov serves as co-head of the Complex Commercial Litigation practice and as the Litigation talent lead at Vinson & Elkins, where he has spent his entire legal career.

James Hill has been selected to receive the Business Law Section’s 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award.  The award is given each year to an attorney who over an extended period has made significant contributions to the Business Law Section or to business law generally in the State of California and who has achieved high status in the legal community. Hill is a founding member of Sullivan Hill, a member of its Executive Committee, and chair of the Insolvency and Commercial Bankruptcy practice group.

Hilda Galvan has been selected as a 2023 Dallas Business Hall of Fame inductee by Junior Achievement (JA) of Dallas. Galvan currently serves as the partner-in-charge at Jones Day, specializing in intellectual property litigation. She is a trustee of The University of Texas Law School Foundation.

Nelson R. Block has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Fellows  are historians elected to the Society in recognition of a “contribution to historical scholarship.” A retired shareholder from Winstead PC, Block is active in community service and also serves as chairman of the “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt Foundation.

Reid Phillips was included in the 2022 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, as one of North Carolina’s top attorneys in the category Litigation: General Commercial. He is a  managing partner at Reid Phillips.

Darren Walker has been named Commander of France’s Order of Arts and Letters – France’s highest cultural honor – in recognition of his support of the arts and artists. Darren Walker currently is the president of the Ford Foundation, a position in which he has served since 2013.

Harry Reasoner was awarded the Clarence Darrow Award, which recognizes outstanding advocates who give their time and talent to benefit others, by the Harris County Democratic Lawyers Association. Reasoner is a senior partner at Vinson & Elkins, where he practices primarily in complex civil litigation.

Jonathan Graham is the recipient of the 2022 Corporate Leadership Award presented by the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution. Graham currently serves as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary at Amgen, where he is an advisor on strategic business, legal, governance and related matters.

Alistair Dawson has been elected 2022–2023 Chair of the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees. Dawson has been a partner at Beck Redden LLP for nearly 30 years, where he specializes in commercial litigation.

Mary Evelyn McNamara received the 2022 Professionalism Award from the Texas Center for Legal Ethics and the Austin Bar Association. She is a founding partner of the law firm Rivers McNamara.

John G. Browning received the Luther (Luke) H. Soules III Award for Outstanding Service to the Practice Award, presented by the State Bar of Texas Litigation Section to recognize an attorney “who embodies excellence in the practice of law and exemplary service to the State Bar.” Browning is a partner at Spencer Fane in Plano; he also served as an appellate justice on the 5th District Court of Appeals in Dallas.

Kayla Dreyer has been elected chair of the Colorado Bar Association Litigation Section’s Executive Council. Dreyer has been actively involved with the Litigation Section for six years, previously serving in chair-elect, treasurer and secretary roles. Dreyer is a shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s Denver office.

Jackie Furlow was awarded with the Texas’ Outstanding Young Litigator Award at the State Bar of Texas annual meeting. Furlow is a partner at Beck Redden LLP, where she represents clients in matters including business disputes, professional malpractice, products liability and more.

Reid Phillips was presented with the John B. McMillan Distinguished Service Award, North Carolina State Bar’s highest honor, at a meeting of the State Bar Council. The award honors current and retired members of the North Carolina State Bar who have demonstrated exemplary service to the legal profession. Reid Phillips is currently the managing partner of Brooks Pierce LLP.

An article authored by Michael J. Ritter – “Resolving the Anders Dilemmas: How & Why Texas Should Abandon the Anders Procedure” that was published in the St. Mary’s Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics – has received two honors. It was selected as the 2022 Outstanding Law Review Article Award by the Texas Bar Foundation and also won the Michael K. Moore Award from the State Bar of Texas Legal Services to the Poor in Criminal Matters Committee for excellence in research or writing in the area of indigent criminal defense. Ritter is senior counsel at Schmoyer Reinhard LLP.

Jhett Nelson has been named a Rising Star by Law360, an honor awarded to top legal talents under 40. Nelson is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he co-led a team advising on one of the largest private acquisitions of oil and gas assets in recent years.

Wayne Kreis was inducted into the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame. Kreis played basketball at TCU and was named to the All-Southwest Conference First Team as a junior and the Frogs’ MVP. In his career, Kreis served as a lawyer and entrepreneur in oilfield technology before his death in 2019.

Chante (Prox) Brantley has been promoted to Clinical Professor of Law at the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.  Brantley also has received the Lois Bacon Special Services Award presented by the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP), for exceptional leadership, mentoring student associates in the practice of law, the clinic’s pro bono work, and partnership with DVAP.

Shannon Sims, an economy and government editor at Bloomberg, has been named Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Current World Affairs.

Andrew Hettinger has been named a 2022 Flinn-Brown Fellow by The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation. This award goes to emerging civic leaders and recognized experts with diverse perspectives, unique experiences, and dedication to their respective communities. Hettinger currently serves as a magistrate for the City of Page, Arizona Magistrate Court.

John Aloysius Cogan has been promoted to professor of law and received tenure at the University of Connecticut School of Law. Cogan teaches courses surrounding health law and health insurance.

Colleen Marie Sullivan is the recipient of the Austin Bar Association’s  2022 Larry F. York Mentoring Award. This award honors Central Texas lawyers or judges who have exhibited extreme skill and generosity in their mentorship of younger members of the bar. Sullivan is the mandamus attorney at the Supreme Court of Texas. She joined the Court in April 2021 after 11 years as a staff attorney at the Third Court of Appeals.

Linda Rockwood has been invited to join the University of Denver Alumni Council, where she earned her undergraduate degree before graduating from Texas Law.  Rockwood is an environmental lawyer whose practice specializes in environmental remediation and air quality.

Jim Hill has been selected as a 2022 Super Lawyer in the area of Bankruptcy: Business, an honor he has received for the last 16 years. A founding member of Sullivan Hill Rez & Engel in San Diego, Hill is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and chair of the Insolvency and Commercial Bankruptcy practice group.  He practices primarily in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency and commercial law.