Emily Jolly has joined Troutman Pepper Locke’s Energy Regulatory practice as a partner in its Austin office. Jolly brings nearly two decades of Texas-based legal experience focusing on contested case proceedings, rulemakings, transmission, and wholesale power policy within ERCOT, as well as advocacy before the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
Kristi Tyler has joined My Dallas Criminal Lawyer to handle juvenile defense, CPS cases, and criminal matters. Tyler previously led the Felony Crimes Against Children Division at the Collin County District Attorney’s Office.
Michael Davis has been promoted to partner at Houston litigation firm Gibbs & Bruns. Prior to joining the firm, Davis clerked for former Fifth Circuit Judge Gregg Costa from 2018 to 2019.
Sam Waldon has joined WilmerHale’s Washington, D.C., office as partner in its Securities Litigation and Enforcement Group. As a former Securities and Exchange Commission senior enforcement official, Waldon will advise clients on regulatory and enforcement matters, internal investigations, litigation, and long-term risk mitigation.
Brad Thompson has been appointed as managing partner for the Austin office of Duane Morris LLP. Before serving as a partner focusing on energy-related matters at the firm, he worked as a partner at King & Spalding. He also serves as a team lead for the Duane Morris Energy Industry Group and is a member of the firm’s governing Partners Board.
Adrián Gay Lasa has joined the Mexico office of Greenberg Traurig’s capital markets and finance practices as a shareholder. Lasa, who received his LLM from Texas Law, has extensive experience in FIBRAs, a Mexican real estate investment trust.
Christina Hightower has joined Kelley Drye & Warren LLP as a partner and will be based in Austin. Her practice focuses on major energy, data center, power generation, and infrastructure projects as she counsels owners and developers on project development, EPC and procurement strategy, risk allocation, and project execution.
Allison Kendrick has joined McGuireWoods’ aviation litigation and product liability practice in Seattle as partner after serving as product liability counsel at Boeing.
Mindy Montford has co-founded the National Cold Case Center, a non-profit dedicated to providing funding for investigative resources, family-victim peer support, the creation of a national cold case database, and serving as a national hub for cold cases. She previously worked for the Attorney General’s Office Cold Case & Missing Persons Unit.
Kristen Silverberg has been named the new president and CEO of Business Roundtable, based in Washington, D.C., after serving as its president and COO. Silverberg began her career in public service as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, held several senior policy roles in the White House under President George W. Bush, served as U.S. ambassador to the European Union from 2008-09, and spent six years at the Institute of International Finance.
Buena Vista Lyons has joined Jackson Lewis in Dallas as an employment litigation principal. She previously worked for FordHarrison as managing partner.
Elizabeth Bellows Brockman has joined the UTHealth Houston Development Board. She currently works as an attorney, and spent several years at Vinson & Elkins in Houston.
Della Sentilles has joined Steptoe’s New York office as a partner in its Investigations, White-Collar Defense and Compliance group. Sentilles previously served as senior attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Fraud Section.
Judge Alan Albright is joining the Austin office of A&O Shearman as a partner in its Intellectual Property Litigation practice. Albright previously served eight years as a United States district judge for the Western District of Texas.
Jon Hyland has joined Kane Russell Coleman Logan’s Dallas office as a director. Hyland focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation and has extensive experience serving as lead counsel in federal courts.
Katherine Himaya Lewis has joined the Tulsa office of GableGotwals as a litigation associate. She will focus on commercial litigation, researching complex legal issues and conducting analysis, drafting motions and briefs, and providing trial support.
John Zachary has been appointed as an immigration judge at the Oakdale Immigration Court in Louisiana. He previously served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Leslie Kay Ritchie Robnett has been reappointed to the Specialty Courts Advisory Council of Texas. As a sixth generation Texas lawyer and rancher, Robnett currently works at LKR Law in Austin as a litigation and regulatory counselor. She is the former Fort Worth chair of Texas Law Alumni Association Executive Committee.
Travis Wussow recently founded Bell Rock Strategies to build AI-powered workflows. He also is joining Texas Law as a lecturer, where he leads the school’s AI skills program.
Jim Ammerman II has been appointed municipal court judge of Marshall, Texas. He previously served as the County Court at Law judge for Harrison County starting in 1997, won reelection four times before his last term ended in 2014, and returned to private practice.
The Honorable Michael Landrum has been appointed Judge of the 514th Judicial District Court in Harris County. He is a practicing attorney and arbitrator, and former judge of the 113th District Court and 164th District Court in Harris County.
Shane Kimzey has joined BNSF Railway as vice president and general counsel. He previously served as deputy general counsel and chief ethics and compliance officer at CenterPoint Energy.
Ian Roberts has joined the Dallas office of Hunton Andrews Kurth as a restructuring and bankruptcy partner. Previously, he served as partner at A&O Shearman’s restructuring practice, representing major U.S. financial institutions and manufacturing companies.
Martin Noven has been appointed by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds to oversee the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System. Previously Noven served as the executive director of the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System.
Lynda Tealer will join the University of Texas Athletic Department as deputy athletics director for strategic initiatives and administration. Tealer is a former NCAA senior vice president of championships and a longtime collegiate athletics administrator.
David Vollmer has joined Snell & Wilmer’s Reno-Tahoe office as an associate in the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. His practice focuses on real estate transactions, including development, construction, leasing and financing matters.
Sam Waldon will be leaving his position as principal deputy director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement on July 31, closing out more than 14 years of service at the agency. Waldon’s departure caps a career that saw him twice step into the top enforcement job on an acting basis, in both 2025 and 2026.
Jared Vitemb has joined Ruiz Foods as senior vice president and general counsel. He will lead the company’s legal function and advise its CEO, board of directors, and executive leadership team. Vitemb previously was VP, general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary at Farmer Brothers Co.
Mark Eisenbraun has joined Jones Walker as a partner in the firm’s Corporate Practice Group in Houston, where he focuses on corporate, securities and transactional matters. Before joining Jones Walker, Eisenbraun co-founded Walker Eisenbraun.
Aaron Reitz has been sworn in as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, where he serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the district. Previously he was in private practice with Hance Scarborough after serving as head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy.
Lorena Trujillo has been promoted to senior vice president and general counsel at Everstory Partners, where she leads the company’s legal, compliance, risk management, and corporate governance functions. Everstory Partners is one of the nation’s largest providers of cemetery, funeral, and cremation services. Trujillo has been with the company since 2019.
Ajay Thomas has been selected to serve as the next chair-elect of Southwestern University Board of Trustees. He currently is the senior managing director and national head of public finance at FHN Financial.
Amy Davis has been promoted to senior vice president and general counsel at Randolph Brooks Federal Credit Union. Davis has 16 years of legal experience including a decade at RBFCU, where she has helped the credit union navigate increasingly complex issues and transactions including risk mitigation, regulatory compliance, mergers, among others.
William E. Routt III has joined national law firm, Bass, Berry & Sims, as a senior litigation attorney in the firm’s newly launched Chicago office. Routt has 20 years of litigation experience focusing on contract disputes and business torts across a wide variety of industries including finance, healthcare, manufacturing, real estate, insurance, and entertainment.
Marlen Whitley has been named director of operations and partner-in-charge of Townsend & Lockett’s newly opened Houston office. Whitley brings more than 20 years of experience practicing law in the Houston market, advising clients across the energy, private equity, infrastructure and business sectors.
Cynthia Dunn Raibourn has joined Carrington, Coleman, Sloman and Blumenthal in Dallas as a partner in the firm’s Family Law section. She is board certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and has over three decades of experience as a family law specialist.
Robert Griffin has been promoted to partner in the Investment Management Group at Skadden’s office in Abu Dahbi. Griffin has a depth of experience in international fund structuring, fund management, regulatory compliance, and private placements.
Bill Nelson was promoted to partner in Latham & Watkins’ capital markets and public company representation practices in Houston. He represents corporate and institutional clients in complex capital markets transactions and corporate governance matters.
Robert Levy has announced his retirement after 17 years with Exxon Mobil Corporation, most recently as executive counsel responsible for issues and advocacy. In July he will join the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division as senior counsel at Main Justice in Washington, D.C.
Walter “Casey” Berger has joined Latham & Watkins in the firm’s Houston office as a partner in its securities and M&A litigation practice.
Olive Smith joined Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice as an associate in the firm’s Portland office. Before this, she was an assistant to the Texas attorney general.
Scott A. Keller, former Texas solicitor general, will join Chevron as general counsel before ascending to chief legal officer when the current position holder steps down in mid-2027. Keller, a leading appellate and constitutional lawyer, is cofounder of Lehotsky Keller Cohn LLP.
Allison K. Perry has joined Bracewell LLP’s tax department as a partner in their Houston office. A double Longhorn, she returns to Bracewell after serving as the U.S. lead employment tax counsel for Shell, where she advised on a wide range of employment tax, employee benefits and executive compensation matters.
Brian D. Miller has been confirmed by the United States Senate as the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He was originally appointed to the position by the United States attorney general, then by the District Court pending the confirmation. Miller has held multiple government posts, including his most recent as special inspector general for pandemic recovery.
Carson Young has joined the Houston office of Latham & Watkins LLP as a partner in the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice. He previously served as a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
James Perry “J.P.” Bryan Jr. has been selected by Governor Greg Abbott to serve on the Texas Bicentennial Commission. The founder and CEO of Torch Energy Advisors, Inc., he currently serves as executive director of the Texas State Historical Association and chairman of Lone Star Coastal Alliance.
Peter Idziak has been promoted to principal at Polunsky Beitel Green in the Dallas office as the transactional residential mortgage lending law firm marks its 50th anniversary. Idziak has been with PBG for nearly seven years, building a practice focused on regulatory compliance and consumer financial law, providing guidance on complex matters to lenders across the country.
Katherine Spry has been selected as a fellow for the Immigrant Justice Corps’ 2026 class. She will serve for two years as a staff attorney at The Bronx Defenders, representing low-income immigrants in complex immigration cases, including removal defense.
R. Doak Bishop has joined the panel at FedArp. He previously founded the International Arbitration Practice Group at King & Spalding in 2000, spending 25 years helping build it before retiring from the firm at the end of 2025. Bishop is a published author who previously served as chairman of the Institute of Transnational Arbitration.
John Bonnet III has joined Norton Rose Fulbright’s Dallas office as a partner, with a team that expands the firm’s capabilities in private equity, healthcare, and energy transactions. He previously served as a partner in