Class Notes

Drew Baldinger has been named a partner at Skadden’s Energy and Infrastructure Projects Group at the firm’s Houston office. Baldinger was previously a partner at DLA Piper, where he represented energy companies, private equity sponsors and strategic investors in  joint venture transactions. He did his undergraduate work at UT in addition to attending Texas Law.

Lyrissa Lidsky has been named Raymond & Miriam Ehrlich Chair in U.S. Constitutional Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she previously taught for 22 years. Most recently, Lidksy previously served as the first woman Dean of the University of Missouri School of Law.

Cindy Hill has been named general counsel for Round Rock ISD. Hill’s experience in legal firms has covered areas such as employment litigation, employee relations, education law and government contracting. She has served as outside general counsel for school district administrations and Boards of Trustees.

Kayla Dreyer has been named a shareholder in Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP ’s litigation department. Dreyer’s prior practice experience focused on trade secrets, noncompete, nonsolicit, employee mobility disputes, and traditional labor and employment areas.

Audrey Momanaee has joined the Houston office of Balch and Bingham LLP to lead the Litigation Practice in Texas. Momanaee has more than 15 years of litigation experience.

Terry Schuster has been appointed by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy as the head of the New Jersey Office of Corrections ombudsperson. The ombudsperson investigates complaints and conducts inspections of the Department of Corrections’ adult prison facilities.

Rachel Morgan has been appointed executive vice president and general counsel of Nexstar Media Group. She will be responsible for the long-term legal strategy and day-to-day management of Nexstar’s legal affairs, as well as those of its affiliated companies.

Leann Guzman has been chosen as the next city attorney for Fort Worth; she will be appointed by the City Council on May 10. Guzman has been a prosecuting attorney on the City Attorney’s Office for 18 years.

Michael Collins has joined Tritium DCFC Limited as general counsel and company secretary. He leads the legal department and works closely with Tritium’s Board of Directors to further strategic and business objectives while minimizing risks and ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations and Company policies.

Jared Hoggan has joined the patent litigation team of Munck Wilson Mandala as a partner. Hoggan specializes in complex patent litigation and licensing.

Brad Seidel has joined Hedrick Kring Bailey as of counsel. Seidel previously ran his own law firm and specialized in complex consumer and commercial litigation.

Lynn Abell has joined the Houston office of Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher LLP as counsel. She will serve as a member of the Private Equity Practice Group.

Sidra Zaheer has been promoted to senior counsel and chair of eDiscovery Practice at Klinedinst PC. Zaheer works with clients in all stages of litigation, and regularly advises in document intensive cases.

Linda Leuchter Addison has been named the Lead Independent Director at Globe Life. Addison is the Founding President of the Center for Women in Law. In March of 2022, she received the Shirley Bird Perry Longhorn Citizenship Award presented by the UT Moody College of Communications Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life.

Kimberly Allen has been appointed by Governor Abbott as judge of the 69th Judicial District Court. Allen has served as as the county attorney for Sherman County since 1997.

Kasi Moeskau has been appointed Chief Legal Officer of RPM Living, a real estate management company. Moeskau has served as outside counsel for RPM Living for almost 15 years.

Kerry Potter McCormick has joined Barnes & Thornburg as a partner in the firm’s Investment Funds and Asset Management practice in New York. McCormick’s practice focuses on representing fund sponsors and alternative asset managers in connection with the launch and ongoing operations of various investment products and structures, including private funds, managed accounts, funds-of-one and co-investment products.

Leigh Sebastian has been promoted to the position of general counsel of the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). She oversees the Legal Services department including legal support, LCRA’s ethics program, and regulatory and electric market compliance. Sebastian also has supported the development of the organization’s legal strategy related to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Sebastian currently serves on the Advisory Council of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Energy, Law and Business.

Daniella Landers has joined the Houston office of Womble Bond Dickinson as an environmental, health and safety partner. Landers handles a broad range of environmental issues, from environmental closures to groundwater remediation. She also is a frequent speaker and writer on environmental, energy, and litigation issues.

Mike Golden has been named Director of Advocacy and Lecturer at Texas Law. Golden has been with Texas Law since 2004,  teaching Trial Advocacy Survey, Advocacy Outside the Courtroom, ADR, and Negotiation.

Hong Shi has been promoted to counsel at Haynes and Boone, LLP. Shi is a member of the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the firm’s Austin office. In her role, she advises clients on patent office trials before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), negotiates patent licenses, and prepares patent applications.

Kelli Bills has been promoted to counsel at Haynes and Boone, LLP. Bills is a member of the Appellate Practice Group, based out of the firm’s Denver office. She assists clients at every stage of litigation, from pretrial dispositive motions to complex appeals, in a wide array of industries.

Veteran Dallas corporate partner Don McDermett has moved his practice to Winston & Strawn, LLP.  McDermett has more than 30 years of experience in corporate, securities, and transactional law.

Seth Isgur has joined the Houston office of McGinnis Lochridge as a partner. Previously, Isgur was a partner in the Energy Litigation Group at Norton Rose Fulbright. Prior to his legal career, Seth was a certified public accountant.

Ken Parker has rejoined Haynes and Boone, LLP as a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group. His work spans across industries, including life sciences, software, electronics and semiconductors, and consumer products.

David Calvillo has been promoted to equity shareholder in the Houston-based law firm of Chamberlain Hrdlicka. Calvillo practices in a wide variety of areas, including breach of contract, commercial liability, shareholder rights, professional malpractice, and intellectual property. He currently serves on the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors.

Lydia Zakhari has been promoted to General Counsel at The Trust (powered by the NFLPA), which supports NFL players following their playing careers. As a member of its Senior Leadership Team, Lydia is involved in the administration and management of The Trust and leads the diversified legal needs of the organization. While at Texas Law,  she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Journal on Civil Liberties & Civil Rights.

Leticia D. McGowan has been named Richardson Independent School District’s new General Counsel. The cabinet position provides in-house legal services to the board of trustees, the superintendent, and the district. She joined the staff at RISD after more than 20 years as in-house counsel at Dallas ISD.

Basil Umari has joined national law firm Dykema’s new Houston office as Senior Counsel. Basil has more than 20 years of experience representing debtors, liquidating trustees, official creditors’ committees, creditors, equity holders, officers and directors, patent holders, landlords, tenants, and asset purchasers in corporate bankruptcy matters. He also has extensive experience in bankruptcy litigation.

Justin Mapes has joined the Real Estate and Real Estate Finance practice group of Locke Lord’s Dallas office as a Partner. Mapes has extensive experience in real estate law and corporate finance.

Scott D. Page has joined Carlton Fields in Los Angeles as a member of the firm’s national Real Estate and Commercial Finance Practice. Page’s practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions, including development, purchase and sales, joint ventures, financing, leasing, and other matters involving office, hotel, retail, industrial, and multitenant residential projects.

Adam Ambrogi has joined the national League of Women Voters as Senior Director for Voting and Elections. In that role, he is using his experience with strategy, vision, and relationships to help expand the organization’s impact on voting rights and election administration. While at Texas Law, he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Journal on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights.

Finity Jernigan has been elected to partner at Holland & Hart, based in the firm’s Boulder office. Jernigan specializes in venture capital and private equity funds in consumer products (including the food, beverage, skincare and cosmetics industries). She works closely with funds, brands and entrepreneurs at all stages of the corporate life cycle.

Jeffrey Benz is serving as an ad hoc division arbitrator under the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. As a member of this group, he participates in hearings and contributes to decisions on issues during the Olympic Games.

John Bakht has joined the corporate, M&A and securities team in the Houston office of Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner. Bakht has 25 years of experience working in commercial, transactional, compliance, operational, and governmental matters.

Robert “Bobby” Voigt has joined the Austin office of Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley, and Norton, LLP as a patent and trademark partner. Voigt primarily focuses on acquisition, licensing, and transfer of intellectual property rights.

Awais Sufi has been elected to the Board of Directors of Christel House International, a nonprofit working towards helping impoverished children. Sufi currently serves as the CEO of SchoolSmartKC.

Sylvia Borunda-Firth has been selected as the interim city attorney of Laredo, Texas. She is currently the president of the State Bar of Texas and  a solo practitioner in El Paso. Prior to establishing her own firm, she was an associate with two El Paso firms, general counsel to American Garment Finishers, and served the city of El Paso for nearly 20 years.

Alexis Ander Kashar has been appointed to the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board by President Biden. Kashar is a civil rights attorney, business leader, technologist, and is the President of the Board for the New York School of the Deaf.

Amy Hereford now serves as LiftFund’s general counsel and director of government and community affairs.

Taylor Steele is heading the newly opened Dallas office of civil litigation firm Knox Ricksen LLP, a civil litigation firm. Steele has worked as a lateral partner for the firm since January 2021.

Jose Vela has been elected to the Austin City Council representing District 4, after running a campaign based on tackling housing affordability in Austin. Vela works as an immigration attorney for Walker Gates Vela, PLLC.

Whitney Beckworth has been elected as Partner at Kelly, Hart, and Hallman, LLP. Beckworth focuses on civil litigation and was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star for business litigation in 2022 and Best Lawyer/One to Watch in DFW for 2022 by US News & World Report for appellate practice.

Hannah Watkins has been elected as Partner at Kelly, Hart, and Hallman, LLP. Watkins specializes in real estate law and was named a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2022.

Marlene Williams was appointed to a shareholder position at the Houston office of Ogeltree Deakins, a labor and employment law firm. Williams previously worked as a Partner in Charge for Eversheds Sutherland and has been recognized as Houston Top Lawyer in the Labor and Employment area in the Houston Business Journal.

Brad Wright has been appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Permanent School Fund Corporation Board of Directors which oversees the investment of funds for Texas public schools. Wright is a co-founder and managing partner of Bandera Group, LLC, an energy investment firm. He serves on the Advisory Council for Kay Bailey Hutchinson Center for Energy, Law, and Business and the Advisory Committee for the McCombs School of Business Energy Initiative at UT Austin.

Danny McDonald has joined Endeavors, a service organization based in San Antonio, Texas, as the chief risk officer and general counsel. Before joining Endeavors, McDonald worked as an in house attorney, public accountant, and legal and business advisor.

Jim Weiss has been promoted to partner at litigation firm Reynolds Frizzell, LLP. A third generation lawyer, Weiss clerked for two years for The Hon. Sam Sparks on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Vianei Lopez Braun has been elected chair of the Fort Worth Regional Board of Directors for First Financial Bank after having served as the bank’s employment attorney for 24 years. Braun also sits on the Board of Directors for First Financial Bankshares, Inc. and serves as chief development officer for Decker Jones, P.C.