Class Notes

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 Mergers & Acquisitions, Finance, and Corporate Governance for Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP.

Jerry Negrete has been promoted to named partner at Chapman Negrete PLLC in Austin. Negrete is board-certified in construction law and serves on the American Arbitration Association Panel of Construction Arbitrators. She provides comprehensive legal support to construction clients through transactional work, outside general counsel representation, and litigating and arbitrating construction disputes.

Hiawatha Northington II has been named co-chair of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP’s Diversity Committee, effective May 1, 2026. Northington, managing partner of the firm’s Jackson, Mississippi, office, also is co-chair of the African American Affinity Group and will act as co-chair alongside Houston Partner Laura De Santos.

Richard Hood has joined Ryman Clark, a new trial firm in Round Rock founded by two fellow Texas Law alumni. Hood, who is of counsel at the firm, specializes in construction defect, tenant health and safety, and mold-related issues. The U.S. Army veteran previously ran his personal practice, Richard R. Hood.

Josh Davis has joined Ryman Clark, a new trial firm in Round Rock founded by two fellow Texas Law alumni. Davis, who is of counsel at the firm, served as a JAG Officer in the U.S. Army before starting his own private practice.

Martin Gatens has joined Ryman Clark, a new trial firm in Round Rock founded by two fellow Texas Law alumni. Martin previously worked at Beck Redden, handling complex real estate and property harm litigation cases.

Alex McClintic has joined Ryman Clark, a new trial firm in Round Rock founded by two fellow Texas Law alumni. McClintic, who is of counsel at the firm, works with a large range of legal disputes spanning consumer protection and real estate.

Kyle Ryman, along with fellow Texas Law alumnus Alexander Clark, has formed the trial firm Ryman Clark in Round Rock, where both will be co-managing partners. Before running his own firm, Ryman Litigation, the U.S. Army veteran practiced at McKool Smith and clerked for Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht of the Supreme Court of Texas.

Alexander Clark, along with fellow Texas Law alumnus Kyle Ryman, has formed the trial firm Ryman Clark in Round Rock, where both will serve as co-managing partners. The U.S. Air Force veteran brings experience in insurance recovery, trials, and crisis management, having spent five years at Haynes Boone, during which he also served as a teaching assistant for insurance law courses at two law schools. Clark previously clerked for the Honorable Lee Yeakel of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Jay Ellwanger has joined the Austin panel of JAMS, which provides mediation and arbitration services. A longtime adjunct professor at Texas Law and founder of Ellwanger Henderson LLLP, he has more than 25 years of legal experience.

Ryan Gorsche has joined O’Melveny as a partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice and Private Equity Group at the firm’s Dallas office. He makes the move from BakerHostetler, where he worked on complex domestic and cross-border transactions.

Katie Brien has joined O’Melveny as a partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice and Private Equity Group at the firm’s Dallas office. She most recently worked at BakerHostetler, focusing on M&A transactions, dispositions, and other corporate matters.

David Woodcock has been named the director of the Division of Enforcement by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Woodcock previously served as a partner in SEC Enforcement, Investigations, and Corporate Securities at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher while teaching a Securities Law Enforcement course at Texas A&M University School of Law.

Adrienne Wall has been appointed managing shareholder of the Munsch Hardt’s Fort Worth office. Wall’s experience includes representing commercial banks and lenders in finance transactions secured by real estate and business assets.

Amy Sutton has been appointed as regional president of Southside Bank’s Wealth Management & Trust division in Tyler, Texas. Sutton has over 30 years of expertise in wealth management and estate and tax planning to the branch.

Michael Cotton has been promoted to chair of the Opinion Committee for the Texas Attorney General’s Office after previously serving as the committee’s deputy chief. He will head the committee’s efforts to conduct legal research, draft formal opinions, and provide counsel to state and local officials on complex legal matters.

Corinne Sullins Davis has been promoted to partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth’s Houston office. Davis’s expertise lies in mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and corporate governance matters throughout a variety of industries.

Stephani Michel has joined the Houston office of Norton Rose Fulbright as a senior associate. She previously served as a senior appellate associate at the boutique litigation firm Tillotson Johnson & Patton.

Kelli Bills has joined the Dallas office of Norton Rose Fulbright as senior counsel. She previously was counsel at the boutique litigation firm Tillotson Johnson & Patton.

Andres Contreras has been promoted to shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr P.C. in Houston effective April 1, 2026. Contreras focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation in both state and federal courts.

Luis A. Galindo has been appointed to the Fort Worth ISD board of managers. Galindo, an attorney specializing in construction, business, and real estate law, teaches at Texas Wesleyan University and is an adjunct supervising attorney with the Texas A&M School of Law.

Pete Geren has been appointed president of the Fort Worth ISD board of managers. Geren, a double Longhorn who formerly served as a U.S. House representative and in the Department of Defense, currently is president and chief executive officer of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation.

Phyllis Y. Young has joined Eversheds Sutherland as a partner and head of Texas Finance in the firm’s Houston office. Young advises on finance and restructuring matters for public and private companies, financial institutions, investors and other market participants. She has successfully guided financings across multiple industries and has played a significant role in assisting companies and lenders through in-court and out-of-court restructurings.

Jeffrey Neill has taken on a new role as executive director of the Office of Acquisition and Logistics (OAL) and senior procurement executive at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to his roles at VA, Neill worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Texas A&M University System, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, and the Department of the Treasury.

Kerrie Ann Nanni has a new position as management officer at the Office of the U.S. Ambassador to Croatia at the United States Department of State Embassy in Croatia. She previously served as financial management officer at the Office of the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo.

Ryan Newman has started a new position as chief deputy attorney general with the Florida Office of the Attorney General. He previously served as general counsel with the Florida Executive Office of the Governor.

Sam Waldon has a new position as acting director at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Enforcement. He previously served as deputy director and chief counsel in this division.

Brendan Henry has joined the Beckage Firm as senior counsel, focusing on cybersecurity, privacy, and incident response services. Henry has more than 17 years of federal national security service, including roles at the National Security Agency (NSA), the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Intelligence and Analysis, and the Department of the Interior in Alaska.

Mark Laughlin has been elected to the National Tax Lien Association Board of Directors for a three-year term. He is the founder and CEO of NAR Solutions, Inc., a firm that partners with local governments to manage and monetize delinquent property tax liens.

Stephanie Franco is the judge-elect of the 187th District Court in Bexar County and will be sworn in Jan. 1, 2027. She has worked as a prosecutor at the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office and previously served as a juvenile public defender in Travis County.

Jonathan Harmon has been named on the 2026 Virginia Power 50 List. He is the chairman of McGuireWoods, the state’s largest law firm, a position he has held since 2017.

Daniel Klein joined Blank Rome’s business litigation team in the Dallas office as of counsel. Klein previously served as partner at Johnston Clem Gifford, focusing on business and financial services clients in high-stakes commercial disputes.