Class Notes

Boyd Herndon, formerly Director of Research Compliance at the University of North Texas, has retired.

Vicky Johnson of the 1st Judicial District of Nebraska announced that she is retiring at the end of January 2022. Johnson has served on the bench for 17 years and as the presiding judge for the Southeast Nebraska Adult Drug Court since 2007.

Terence J. Hart is retired and was an FBI Agent, an ADA for Dallas County, an AUSA for the Northern District of Texas, and later went into private practice. He was a Partner in the Dallas offices of Akin Gump; Munsch Hardt; and Bracewell. During his career, he received the John Marshall Award for being the lead prosecutor on the I-30 Savings and Loan fraud case.

Attached is the link to an article published in UTSW Stamats about his battle with Stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma:

Robert L. Tobey has been elected President of the Dallas Bar Association, a professional, voluntary organization of more than 11,000 Dallas-area attorneys.

David Vineyard, JD, MD, had the pleasure of leading a charity climb up Mount Kilimanjaro last July to benefit Neema Village, an orphanage in Arusha,Tanzania

J. Robert “Rob” Beatty has retired from Locke Lord LLP after forty years of practice. He and his wife Leslie reside in Manchester-By-The-Sea, Massachusetts.

Justice Patricia O’Connell Alvarez was recently re-elected to the Fourth Court of Appeals. She is grateful to her friends and family for their support.

Carolyn Owen, Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Farm Credit Bank of Texas, will retire form the cooperatively owned wholesale funding bank on Dec. 31, after 35 years of Farm Credit Service. Owen joined the legal department of the Federal Intermediate Credit Bank of Texas in 1983. Over the years and through several bank name changes, she has held the positions of attorney, senior attorney, associate general counsel, assistant general counsel and deputy general counsel.

Raymond A. Villareal’s first novel entitled “A People’s History of the Vampire Uprising” will be published on June 5, 2018 by Little, Brown and Company. Film rights were sold to 20th Century Fox in a pre-empt deal in 2017. There is plenty of case law in the novel so Raymond made good use of his law degree!

James P. Hill was elected as the Chair of California Lawyers Association (CLA) by his fellow members of the CLA Board of Representatives. The CLA officially launched on January 1, 2018, shifting oversight of the 16 Sections together with the California Young Lawyers Association from the State Bar of California to a new voluntary bar association. CLA’s mission is focused on providing educational and networking opportunities.
Hill practices primarily in bankruptcy, insolvency and commercial law.

In October, Cameron Byrd and Kelsi Stayart White won a secured lending federal jury verdict in the Southern District of Texas. Cameron Byrd was first chair, and Kelsi White was second chair. They both practice at AZA in Houston, Texas.

Sullivan Hill shareholder Christopher V. Hawkins has been appointed Vice President of the California Bankruptcy Forum for the 2017-2018 term. As Vice President, Hawkins will manage the Pro Bono Project and oversee all pro bono efforts of CBF. CBF is committed to supporting pro bono efforts of the various local Bankruptcy Forums and County Bar Associations throughout the state. Hawkins practices insolvency and commercial bankruptcy, business transactions, and commercial and business litigation.

Andrea Fair welcomed a new baby boy, Everett Thomas Fair, on January 14. Baby Everett weighed in at 9 lbs 4 oz and 21.5 inches long.

In October of 2009, Mary Fuentes Valdez and a colleague, Brenda Lee Knowles (University of Houston School of Law) formed YTIA (Youth Transitioning Into Adulthood), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, to assist youths leaving State foster care. The organization is doing great work in the community.

J. Scott Sheehan, a shareholder with the international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, was recently elected as president-elect of the Texas Association of Bank Counsel (TABC) at its 39th annual convention in New Orleans.

Megan Sheffield, ’13, welcomed daughter Mila Love Sheffield Motaghedi on Aug. 16, 2015.

Elise Harriger, ’08 and Matt Harriger, ’10, welcomed their twins, Evaline and Wiley, in February 2015.

Beginning this month, Stephanie Potter, a Partner at Naman Howell Smith & Lee PLLC, will lead the Mother Attorney Mentoring Association as its President, taking the reins from Lauren Schoenbaum of the Schoenbaum Firm, PLLC. Potter has been actively involved with MAMAs for over four years.

Superior Energy Services, Inc. announced that Janiece M. Longoria has been elected to its board of directors, effective immediately.

David Kitner was reappointed by the Texas Supreme Court to a second 3 year term on the Board of Disciplinary Appeals and has been elected Board Chair. He is a partner with Strasburger & Price in Dallas.