Class Notes

Claire Campbell has joined Kirkland and Ellis as a Houston-based corporate partner focused on representing private equity funds, equity investments, and related portfolio management. Previously working as a managing director with Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm focused on the infrastructure and real estate sectors, she has extensive experience negotiating mergers and acquisitions and structured equity investments for private equity clients in multiple jurisdictions.

Andy Cooper has been named a partner with the Dallas-based firm Chamblee Ryan PC. Having joined the firm in 2014, his practice focuses on a variety of subject matters, including the defense of personal injury, insurance coverage, commercial, trucking, premises liability, environmental and toxic tort claims, indemnity, and trade practice cases in federal, Texas, and Louisiana courts.

Pam Giblin has joined the Good Neighbor Environmental Board under the Federal Advisory Committee Management Division of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With over 30 years of experience in environmental law, Giblin is knowledgeable in advising clients on environmental matters such as air quality.  She has also served as president of the American College of Environmental Lawyers and on the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee, a team that advised the EPA on the implementation of the Clean Air Act.

Cori Loomis has joined the healthcare group at McAfee & Taft, where she will represent and counsel hospitals and health systems, physicians and medical practices, and other healthcare providers. Before taking on this role, Loomis served as the compliance officer and HIPAA privacy official for the University of Oklahoma and as the general counsel for the Oklahoma State Medical Association.

David Kavanaugh has taken on a new role as global head of investment operations at Dimensional Fund Advisors. Previously, Kavanaugh served as Dimensional’s head of global client group operations, where he managed the operations of the firm’s global client group in client onboarding, intermediary relationships, client reporting, and business data analytics.

Irwin Steinhorn has joined Steptoe & Johnson PLLC in the firm’s Oklahoma City office. Steinhorn has decades of experience assisting clients with corporate compliance, corporate governance and ethics, mergers and acquisitions, securities regulation and compliance, capital market transactions, securities offerings, shareholder activism, and environmental law.

Kristen Pauling Doyle has been unanimously voted to be hired as CEO by the oversight committee for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). She previously served as CPRIT’s general counsel and DEO since 2009.

J. Holt Foster III has joined  Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as the managing partner of Willkie’s newly launched Dallas office. Holt’s practice focuses on private equity, venture capital and creative financings, mergers and acquisitions, fund formation and international transactions. He was most recently a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, where he served as co-leader of the firm’s global energy practice team.

Ryan Phelps has been named a partner in the Tax, Executive Compensation and Benefits Practice Group at Holland & Knight in Houston. Phelps’ practice focuses on the tax aspects of complex domestic and cross-border transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, tax-free spinoffs, restructurings, public offerings and other financings.

Stacy Sharp has been appointed by Governor Abbott to the new Fourth Business Court Division in San Antonio. Sharp, who is an attorney and owner of Sharp Appellate PLLC, also teaches as an adjunct professor at Texas Law.

Morgan Lawson has joined Hall Estill as an associate at its Oklahoma City office. Lawson’s practice includes civil rights, corporate, business, employment litigation, Native American law, products liability and real estate.

Tory Lauterbach has joined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP as a partner in the Energy, Regulation and Litigation Practice Group. Lauterbach, who has extensive experience in administrative litigation and settlement proceedings, will be joining the firm’s Washington D.C office.

Steve Stodghill has been reappointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Public Safety Commission—which oversees the Texas Department of Public Safety—for a term set to expire on Jan. 1, 2030. Stodghill is a partner at Winston & Strawn, LLP in Dallas.

Brenda Barret has joined the HeartGift Foundation board of directors. The nonprofit organization provides free, life-saving heart surgeries to patients with congenital heart defects who live in countries where specialized pediatric cardiac care is scarce or non-existent. Barrett is  partner at Husch Backwell, representing clients in the energy and credit union industries.

Jerry Bullard has been appointed by Governor Abbott to the new Eighth Business Court Division in Fort Worth. Bullard, who is a shareholder and attorney with Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C., has over 30 years of experience in state and federal court litigation.

Melissa Andrews has been appointed by Governor Abbott to the new Third Business Court Division in Austin. Andrews, who is an equity partner at Holland & Knight, will work to resolve complex commercial disputes in Texas.

Scott K. Field has been appointed by Governor Abbott to serve as one of the first three members of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals. Field, who previously served as a justice of the Third Court of Appeals, will be working to ensure the Texas Constitution and state statutes are applied uniformly throughout Texas.

Lisa Salinas Schneider has been appointed as the first general counsel at SpyCloud, a leader in Cybercrime Analytics. Schneider, who joined SpyCloud in 2020 after establishing the legal department at TrendKite and holding in-house roles at Apple and Xerox Services, will now oversee all legal and regulatory affairs for the company.

Lynda Tealer was announced as the new senior vice president of championships for the NCAA. Tealer will be overseeing 84 NCAA championships after having spent the past 21 years at the University of Florida, where she oversaw the Gator women’s programs and men’s basketball.

Lance Currie, a partner at Carrington Coleman, has been elected to the Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees. Currie’s practice centers on construction and real estate law.

Brooke Colaizzi has started a new position as co-leader of Litigation, Trials & Appeals at Sherman & Howard L.L.C in Denver. Colaizzi has extensive experience in employment litigation, labor employment and employee benefits, and workplace counseling.

Jennifer de Haro has been promoted to Managing Attorney of the Removal and Community Integration Services department (RCIS) at RAICES, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, in San Antonio, Texas. She also serves as a board member of the Multi Cultural Alliance (MCA),

Brad Estes joined the partnership at Lewis & Llewellyn, LLP, a litigation boutique based in San Francisco. Estes represents plaintiffs and defendants across a wide variety of industries at every stage of complex commercial litigation, including business tort, contract, fraud, regulatory, trade secret, trademark, employee mobility, and competition disputes. He has been recognized as a Northern California Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Maidie Ryan is the president and general counsel of Camp Aspen, an elevated loungewear brand founded by her brother and UT alumnus Patrick Ryan.

KC Waldron has joined Empower as the new chief compliance officer where she will oversee the management and development of the company’s compliance program. Waldron spent 12 years at Charles Schwab, most recently as managing director, chief compliance officer of Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc., and head of Wealth & Advice Solutions compliance.

Barrett Robin has been named partner at the Dallas plaintiffs’ law firm Hamilton Wingo. In addition to his trial success, Robin has secured multiple seven-figure settlements in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases.

Timothy Tyler has joined Norton Rose Fulbright as counsel in its Houston office. Tyler practices international commercial arbitration, investor-state arbitration under treaties and state contracts, and associated U.S. litigation. He also is an adjunct professor at Texas Law, teaching courses in international arbitration.

On May 2, 2024, Richard Mills Jr. was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as incoming ambassador to the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service.

Ellie Sowanick has been promoted to counsel at Haynes Boone, working with the Trademark and Advertising Practice Group in Orange County. Her practice focuses on a variety of trademark, patent, copyright, and design patent matters, as well as brand management and resolving complex and multi-jurisdictional trademark and domain disputes.

Paul Trahan has been appointed as the partner-in-charge at global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright’s Austin office. Trahan has been with the firm since 1996.

Victor Obaseki started as the first diversity, equity, and inclusion director of Alameda County. Obaseki will help the county strategically and systematically act to improve the lives of all residents. Previously he worked at the Vera Institute of Justice.

Jaime Vasquez was named managing shareholder of Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s San Antonio office. Vasquez concentrates his practice on federal, state, and international tax controversy matters.

Kari Potts has been named chief legal officer and compliance Officer at Earth Holdings, LLC, a Brigham family company. Potts was previously vice president, general counsel, secretary and compliance officer at Brigham Minerals, Inc., prior to its merger with Sitio Royalties Corp. in December 2022. She is re-joining some of the executive team members with whom she previously served.

Elisabeth Kincaid has been named director of the Institute for Faith and Learning at Baylor University. She also will serve as associate professor of ethics, faith and culture in Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary and as an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Management in the Hankamer School of Business.

Rachael M. Rolon is one of the co-founders of Lawgical Workspace, a co-working space for legal professionals, located in The Woodlands, Texas. An experienced attorney at Rolon Law Firm, she specializes in representing corporations, small businesses, and individuals.

Kayvon Rashidi is now a partner at Powers Kerr & Rashidi, PLLC. Rashidi joined the team at Powers and Kerr, PLLC in August 2020, and represents clients in all manner of family law cases, including complex property division, high conflict custody litigation, marital property agreements, and protective orders. While at Texas Law he was an executive editor of the Texas Review of Entertainment & Sports Law.

Jason Boatright has been appointed to the Texas Racing Commission, which oversees pari-mutuel wagering on horse and greyhound racing. Boatright is special counsel at Duane Morris LLP and is a former justice of the Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals.

Julia A. Simon has joined trial litigation firm Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann as partner. Previously, Simon served as the chief legal officer for Mary Kay Inc. for almost 25 years.

James R. Mundy has been hired at Curtis Thaxter, a Portland (Maine) law firm. Prior to joining the firm, Mundy had a practice in York County focused on real estate, probate and estate planning.

Jaime Vasquez has been named the managing shareholder of Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s San Antonio office. Vasquez, who is board certified in tax law, has counseled clients in tax litigation matters, handling cases before the United States Tax Court, United States District Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Rep. Tommy Gregory, a lawyer and Air Force veteran who is chairperson of the state House Judiciary Committee, has been named as the next president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. Gregory was first elected to the House in 2018, representing Manatee County’s District 72.

Kelly E. Wise has been promoted to shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Dallas, working as a member of the firm’s Litigation and Transportation practices. Wise, who was included in the 2024 Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory, has background in a range of litigation matters, including construction liability and defects, premises liability and transportation and trucking liability.

Meghan A. McCaffrey has a new position as co-managing partner at the Washington, D.C. office of Quinn Emanuel Trial Lawyers. McCaffrey is an accomplished trial lawyer, representing major U.S. and multinational corporations in complex business disputes and multi-billion dollar commercial litigation in federal and state courts.

William McClellan “Mac” Thornberry has been appointed to the board of directors of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation. Thornberry represented the 13th district of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995-2021.

Jennifer Brown has been named chief legal officer and senior vice president of Mercy, where she will contribute to the company’s growth and collaboration efforts as one of the largest U.S. health systems. Brown has served in various roles including chief administrative officer, general counsel, and chief legal officer at several healthcare companies.

Irwin H. Steinhorn has joined the Oklahoma City office at the firm of Steptoe & Johnson as Of Counsel. Steinhorn’s background includes serving as vice president and general counsel for two New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listed companies. He also served as an adjunct professor of law for 28 years at Oklahoma City University School of Law.

Judge Leon Schydlower has been sworn in as a federal district court judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Schydlower has been a magistrate judge in the district since 2015 and previously worked as special assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Hawaii following two years as a trial attorney on active duty for the U.S Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

James Kitces has been appointed managing partner of Robins Kaplan’s Boston office. He will be instrumental in driving the firm’s strategic goals, bringing proven leadership qualities, strong vision, and the respect of his colleagues to his new position.

Marty Meekins co-founded the recently launched Emory Oak Partners, a firm specializing in real estate and service industry business equity and enhanced credit strategies. Meekins, who will serve as the company’s co-chief executive officer and general counsel, has more than 25 years of financial strategy, business management, technology, and legal affairs experience.

Jennifer Johnson has joined Enstor Gas as general counsel. Johnson has more than a decade of energy-related legal experience and previously served as general counsel for Salt Creek Midstream.