Class Notes

Melvin Priester Sr. passed away Oct. 2, 2024. Priester’s public service career spanned nearly 40 years, including more than nine years on the Hinds County Court.

Samuel Bryan Moore Jr. passed away Sept. 19, 2024. A double Longhorn, Moore served as a county judge in Dallas County before moving to Colorado, where he practiced law and advocated for workers’ rights until his passing.

Frank Aguilar passed away Sept. 29, 2024. Aguilar was elected as judge for the 228th Criminal District Court of Harris County in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022.

Margaret Ingram passed away Sept. 9, 2024. In her position with the Texas Legislative Council, Ingram drafted legislation for nearly two decades specializing in water law.

Alexander Hughes passed away Sept. 14, 2024. Hughes clerked for the Honorable Gregg Costa following law school and most recently served as Chief Legal Officer at Sandclock.

David Tate passed away Sept. 21, 2024. Tate, whose legal career spanned 50 years with the same firm, served numerous clients in Wichita Falls, Texas, then later Fort Worth.

Cynthia Fuller Leigh passed away Sept. 14, 2024. Leigh, who was a board-certified attorney in immigration and nationality law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, practiced immigration law and represented thousands of immigrants in her career.

Daniel Wade Sharp passed away Sept. 15, 2024. Sharp, who most recently served as senior corporate intellectual property counsel at Rimini Street, founded Sharp Family Vineyards  with his wife.

Lawrence Allen Mann passed away Sept. 10, 2024. Mann was the third generation of his family to practice law in Laredo and enjoyed a 29-year legal career with the Mann firm.

Urban “Obie” O’Brien passed away July 26, 2024. O’Brien joined the campaigns to elect U.S. Rep. Mike Andrews and U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, worked for George Mitchell in the oil and gas industry, and later joined Apache Corporation and Raymond Plank.

Robert Sherman passed away on Sept. 15, 2024 after a courageous battle with cancer. Sherman was a partner at Morris & Campbell in Houston before moving to Carthage, Texas, where he founded a law practice, a title company, and an energy company.

Sharon Sass Feather passed away on August 28, 2024. Before becoming a full-time mother, Feather worked at the Federal Trade Commission and then the firm Sonnenschein, Carlin, Nath & Rosenthal in Chicago.

Jack Rattikin Jr. passed away on Sept. 5, 2024. Following his service in the U.S. Army, Rattikin joined his parents at Rattikin Title Company and was president of both the Texas and American Land Title Associations.

Clint Alfred Harbour passed away on August 30, 2024. A trial attorney for the Texas Department of Transportation, Harbour has taught courses on trial advocacy as an adjunct faculty member at Texas Law.

Sarah Burrell Foster passed away August 1, 2024. Foster, who earned three degrees from UT Austin – a B.A., M.A., and J.D – was a law partner at Haynes & Boone, LLP.

James J. Neel passed away on August 8, 2024. Neel focused his legal career on helping people of lesser means navigate their legal issues,  partnered with friend and fellow attorney David Horton.

Ronald R. Scott passed away on August 18, 2024. Scott was a partner at Bracewell, leading significant litigation matters such as the firm’s representation of school districts as plaintiffs in asbestos remediation cases and helping open the firm’s New York office.

Dennis McClendon passed away on August 8, 2024. McClendon, whose interests and talents were varied and broad, had a lifelong love for the city of Chicago, history, and travel. A well-respected cartographer and designer, he established his own company, Chicago CartoGraphics. McClendon also lectured on a variety of topics and ran the website “Chicago In Maps,” a trusted resource for historic map collections.

Ben F. Vaughan III passed away on August 11, 2024. Vaughn was a partner at Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody for 56 years. At Texas Law he served as an associate editor of the Texas Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif.

John William Stayton Jr. passed away on August 10, 2024. He was a partner with McGinnis Lochridge in Austin and devoted Texas Longhorn fan.

Ralph Huston passed away on August 1, 2024. Although the ability to help people with his law degree was important to him, his true passion was music.

Allison Dickson Baker, a lawyer, lobbyist, and longtime philanthropist, passed away on August 8, 2024. A double Longhorn, she worked as an environmental lawyer at Vinson and Elkins in Houston, before dedicating herself to raising her family, as well as philanthropic and civic pursuits. She founded the nonprofit Cattlemen Care in 2007.

Robert “Bob” Scheske, a lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Air Force, passed away on August 11, 2024.  He was the longest-serving county attorney for Gonzales County (1981-2008). Scheske was recognized with the David B. Walshak Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 for his lifelong service and contributions by the Gonzales Chamber of Commerce.

Jack Brandon passed away on July 20, 2024. Brandon served two years with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Army in Okinawa, Japan.  He then became an oil and gas attorney with the law departments of Getty Oil Company and then Kerr-McGee Corporation, serving both in executive leadership positions.

Michael Markley passed away on July 27, 2024.  After graduating from Texas Law, he practiced entertainment law in Austin and Los Angeles for many years. Markley created an antique import business dedicated to Gothic Revival furniture and ceramics from France.

Russell Barron passed away on August 7, 2024.  After graduating from Texas Law, Barron moved to Quantico, Virginia, to serve in the FBI for three years. He then relocated to McAllen, where he practiced law as a senior member of the Barron, Orendain, Malany, Flanagan, and Dominguez Law Firm.

Peter Winstead passed away on August 7, 2024. He was a founding shareholder of Winstead PC and a  prominent civic leader.  He was appointed by Gov. George Bush to be the first chair of the Texas Turnpike Authority and chaired the boards of several organizations including the Austin Chamber and the United Way.

James “Jim” Darby Walker passed away on August 2, 2024. After graduating from Texas Law, he founded his company, Counselors Mortgage, where he worked for over three decades.

Caroline Brown Benediktson passed away on July 20, 2024. After graduating from Texas Law, she practiced law in Los Angeles and Houston before settling in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Over her career, she was a partner at a law firm, led the legal teams at private and public corporations, and worked for the City Attorney’s Office in Tulsa.

Chris Riley passed away on July 28, 2024. Riley served on the Austin City Council and was regarded as a champion of the City of Austin’s urbanist movement.

Marion Stanton “Bob” Roberts passed away on July 20, 2024. Roberts led a long legal career in Texas before retiring to devote his time to friends, family, and his church.

Brandon Butera passed away on July 22, 2024. Butera worked as an attorney for Bracewell LLP while pursuing his love for writing, authoring several books and screenplays.

Travis Phillips passed away on July 21, 2024. Phillips worked in civil litigation and was involved in the Austin legal community for many years. He also served on both the Rollingwood Planning Commission and as mayor of Rollingwood.

Wade Smith passed away on July 14, 2024. A double Longhorn, Smith spent his legal career with Touchstone Bernays, including time as managing partner. He also served on the Highland Park Town Council and as the mayor of Highland Park from 1992 to 1996.

Ken Burch passed away on July 11, 2024. Burch served the Houston community as a personal injury attorney for more than 50 years.

James Joseph “Jim” McConn Jr. passed away on July 14, 2024. McConn founded the law firm of Hays, McConn, Rice, and Pickering in Houston, where he practiced for 33 years.

Lipscomp “Lip” Norvell passed away on July 15, 2024. Norvell began his law career in Beaumont, Texas, and grew into the practice of civil defense trial law, practicing for more than 50 years.  He was honored by the Texas Center for Legal, Ethics, and Professionalism and the Jefferson County Bar Association with the Texas Center for Professionalism Award for his exemplary character.

Tommy W. Lueders passed away on July 14, 2024. Lueders earned his undergraduate and law degrees from UT before joining the U.S. Air Force where he served from 1961 to 1989. He served on several interagency groups under the Reagan administration including as a legal advisor for the first Anti-Terror Group. He was a life member of the American Legion and the VFW and served as Chairman of the Military Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.

Thomas L. Tippetts passed away on June 4, 2024. Tippetts joined Haynes Boone in 2006 after graduating from Texas Law, eventually becoming partner, where he worked in the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group for more than over 18 years.

Charles Hlavinka passed away on June 23, 2024. Hlavinka practiced tax law for more than 50 years, serving Texarkana and the surrounding area. He also served his community with roles in many organizations.

A double Longhorn and Marine veteran, Mike Gregory was a 50-year lawyer, a board-certified Family Law Specialist for 44 years, and a certified mediator for 25 years. Gregory was active in the local and state bar associations, including serving as a director of the State Bar of Texas. In 2018, he was appointed by the Texas Supreme Court as a member of the Board of Disciplinary Appeals.

Raymond Harold Marshall passed away on June 13, 2024. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Marshall practiced law for firm in El Paso specializing in real estate and banking law, and served as bank counsel for the State National Bank.

Jerel Johnston Hill passed away on June 8, 2024. Hill opened his independent real estate law practice in 1992 and worked there with his son until his passing.

Judge Joe Leonard III passed away on June 12, 2024. Leonard served Hunt County first as the county attorney in 1983, followed by a 10-year stint as county court-at-law judge (1984-1994 and finally as the 196th district court judge (1995-2010).

Thomas E. Cirkal passed away on May 28, 2024. Cirkal, who enjoyed travel and rugby, practiced law in Denver for 45 years.

John Henry Broocks III passed away on June 11, 2024. A double Longhorn, Broocks enjoyed a long and successful legal career working for Humble Oil & Refining Company, now known as ExxonMobil. He retired as the chief landman for Exxon USA.

Vincent Perini passed away on June 3, 2024. Perini served as president of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association in 1979-80, president of the Dallas Bar Association in 1986, and was inducted into the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Hall of Fame in 2019.

Peggy Walsleben Huffman Thompson passed away on May 29, 2024. Thompson served as the executive director of the Fort Worth Legal Foundation’s Legal Aid Clinic for almost 10 years; she then became an attorney advisor in the Real Estate Division of the Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where she served for 20 years before her retirement.

Kenneth Perez passed away on May 29, 2024. A native of New Orleans, Perez dedicated his legal career to people’s welfare. He and his wife were avid travelers.

Thomas Terrell passed away on Jan. 19, 2024. At Texas Law, Terrell was a member of the Order of the Coif and Texas Law Review, in addition to serving as a quizmaster. A U.S. Army veteran, he started his legal career in Austin before establishing a practice in Kerrville, Texas.