Brian J. Willey has been promoted to chief financial officer of Matador Resources Company. Willey, who has a background in accounting and law, joined Matador in 2014 and has been primarily building the company’s legal department and midstream business.
On Feb. 15, 2023, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Adrienne C. Nelson, an associate justice on the Oregon Supreme Court, to serve as a federal district court judge. Nelson is the first Black woman jurist in Oregon to become a federal judge.
Sara Harris has been promoted to partner at Jackson Walker LLP. Harris specializes in healthcare and employment law and has been recognized among the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Labor and Employment Law since 2022.
Sam Roberts has joined McAfee & Taft as a transactional attorney. Roberts, who specializes in corporate law, will be joining the firm’s Business Transactions and Finance and Securities practice groups.
Jim Ormiston has been named chair of the Controversies Department at Gray Reed & McGraw LLP. Ormiston has been with Gray Reed for 35 years and has been included in the “Best Lawyers in America” publication since 2013.
Michael B. Overstreet has been promoted to shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka. A member of the firm’s Tax Planning & Business Transactions Group, he has significant experience forming, structuring, negotiating and implementing business acquisitions and dispositions, corporate reorganizations, mergers, conversions, and recapitalizations.
Chris Dodson has joined White & Case LLP as a partner. Dodson has a diversity of experiences in business disputes and environmental matters, and is an experienced first-chair litigator.
Andrew Zeve has joined White & Case’s global commercial practice and energy group as a partner. Zeve was previously at Bracewell LLP for more than 19 years as co-chair of Bracewell’s energy litigation group.
David Woodcock has joined Gibson Dunn as a partner and co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s securities enforcement practice group. Woodcock joins with both government and in-house counsel experience as former Assistant General Counsel at ExxonMobil.
Kevin S. Little has joined FordHarrison LLP as counsel at the firm’s recently opened Houston office. Little was a former staff attorney under Justice Charles A. Spain in the Texas Court of Appeals for the Fourteenth District and previously was an associate at Littler Mendelson.
Lauren Fitte has been promoted to partner at Giordani Baker Grossman & Ripp LLP, a boutique estate planning firm in Austin. Lauren specializes in domestic and international estate, trust, and business planning and the associated federal income, estate, and gift tax implications applicable to multi-jurisdictional clients.
Brittany Dadon has become a partner at Stahl, Davies, Sewell, Chavarria & Friend. She specializes in real estate, regulatory, and permitting aspects of utility scale wind, solar, and battery storage projects in Texas. While at the firm, Dadon has worked on wind, solar, battery storage, and natural gas energy projects at various stages.
Michelle Gomez has been promoted to partner at Baker Hostetler LLP in Denver. A double Longhorn, Gomez specializes in privacy and data security class action defense and complex business disputes.
Anjana Patel has been appointed to the Board of Trustees for Springpoint senior living communities. Patel is an attorney at Epstein Becker Green with two decades of experience advising individuals and businesses on healthcare transactions and health regulatory compliance issues.
George P. Bush has joined Michael Best & Friedrich LLP as a partner and Michael Best Strategies LLC as a principal. The former Texas Land Commissioner, Bush will lead efforts to bolster Michael Best’s corporate, litigation and consulting practices.
Martin Luff has joined Wilson Sonsini as a partner in the London office. Luff was previously of counsel at Vinson & Elkins for the past seven years, where he specialized in dealing with the employment aspects of business transactions.
Toni Brown has joined Greenberg Taurig LLP as of counsel. Brown comes as a former senior director of supply chain at Inspire Brands, owner of several national restaurant chains.
Brooke Lierman has been sworn in as Maryland’s comptroller, becoming the first woman to be independently elected to any state government office in Maryland. Lierman previously was a civil and disability attorney in Baltimore.
Mark Jones has rejoined Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner in the firm’s corporate, mergers, and acquisitions and securities practice. Jones started his legal career at Norton Rose nearly 40 years ago, leaving to serve at BakerHostetler for seven years.
Kamron Massumi has joined the law firm of Baker Donelson as of counsel in the Firm’s Real Estate Group in Atlanta. He focuses his practice on the leasing, development, acquisition, disposition, and management of retail and mixed-use real estate developments across the U.S.
Isaac V. Sulemana has been appointed city attorney for the city of La Joya, Texas. Sulemana previously has served as chief of staff at the Hidalgo County Judge’s office, assistant district attorney at the Hidalgo County Criminal, and managing vice president/general counsel at the La Joya Area Federal Credit Union.
Stephen Fernelius has joined Bradley Arant Bouly Cummings LLP as a partner specializing in energy litigation. Fernelius comes from Fernelius Mace PLLC, a small firm he founded and led for 13 years.
Josh Reyna has been named chief of staff for Texas State Senator César Blanco. Reyna previously served as legislative director for the vice chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and has worked on Sen. Blanco’s staff since 2016.
Edward Burbach has been promoted to managing partner of Foley & Lardner LLP. Burbach currently serves as chair of of the firm’s government solutions practice group, co-chair of the state attorney’s general practice team, and corporate law chair for the Austin location.
Orlando “Jay” Juarez has been promoted to partner with McCall Parkhurst & Horton. Juarez serves exclusively as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriters’ counsel, and trustee’s counsel on debt financing by public entities.
Nikki Hill has been promoted to partner with McCall Parkhurst & Horton. Hill has experience serving as disclosure counsel to special districts and governmental entities throughout Texas, and also working with public finance transactions.
John Elliott has been reappointed to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas Board of Trustees by Governor Abbott. Elliott is a double Longhorn, having also earned his bachelor’s degree from UT. His firm, Elliott Stratmann, specializes in commercial real estate.
James Leech has been selected as managing attorney at Cesar Ornelas, a San Antonio-based injury law firm. Leech has experience as a trial lawyer in state and federal courts and has represented clients ranging from small businesses to large companies.
Ryan Holcomb has been elected to serve a three-year term on Bracewell’s Management Committee. Holcomb is a partner that represents clients in a wide variety of transactions in the electric power, and midstream and downstream oil and gas industries.
Stephen Crain has been elected to serve a three-year term on Bracewell’s Management Committee. Crain, who has chaired Bracewell’s litigation section since 2014, will be serving a fourth term on the committee. Based in Houston, he has led the growth of Bracewell’s national and international trial practice.
Oliver Luck has been named executive director of the ASUN-WAC Football Conference, a new NCAA Division I conference starting play in 2023. Luck’s career has included many leadership roles in professional and intercollegiate athletics, including serving as the athletic director at West Virginia University and CEO/commissioner of the former XFL. Luck, who was a successful collegiate quarterback at WVU, went on to play for the Houston Oilers.
Anthony Baca has appointed to serve as a La Plata County Court judge in Durango, Colo., area. Baca has served as a judge of Dolores County and a district court magistrate.
Brent Rubin has been promoted to partner at Carrington Coleman. Rubin is a trial and appellate lawyer representing individuals, businesses and government entities in complex business disputes, including non-compete/non-solicitation disputes, insurance coverage, professional liability, real estate and construction matters.
Monica Gaudioso has been promoted to partner at Carrington Coleman. Gaudioso is a commercial litigator representing financial services, technology, blockchain and cryptocurrency clients in state and federal courts.
Colin Watterson has been promoted to partner at Hicks Thomas. An accomplished trial lawyer with broad ranges of commercial experience, Watterson previously was recognized by “The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.”
Jingli Jiang has been promoted to partner at Akin Gump. Jiang’s practice focuses on international trade and transactional areas, where her fluency in Mandarin has allowed her to spearhead the growth of the firm’s China and Asia trade practice.
Mark Flores, an attorney in the Dallas office of Littler, has been elevated to shareholder. Flores has served as lead counsel at the hearing, trial and appellate levels on a wide range of complex matters, representing clients in both federal and state courts.
Michael Fishel has been added as a partner in King & Spalding’s Corporate, Finance and Investments practice group in Houston. A restructuring lawyer with particular experience in the energy industry, Fishel advises both debtor and creditor clients through complex Chapter 11 restructurings, out-of-court reorganizations and refinancings, and contested business litigation proceedings.
Peter Sakai, formerly a state district judge, has been sworn in as Bexar County judge, managing a county of two million people. Sakai has spent his career in Bexar County, working in District Attorney’s Office, serving as the county’s juvenile section chief, then becoming an associate judge. In 2006, he was elected to the 225th District Court, a post to which he was re-elected three times without opposition.
Marie Harlan has joined the Houston office of McFarland PLLC as a partner. Harlan specializes in private property rights, eminent domain and condemnation law.
Cindi Graham has been named chair of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Board. In 1994, Graham opened her own law firm and in 2002 became board certified in family law.
Bradley Cole has been added as a partner to Thompson Coe’s Insurance Coverage section. Cole has more than 30 years of experience assisting clients in a wide range of disputes.
Matt Stewart has been promoted to partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP. Stewart is a member of the firm’s Investment Management and Private Equity practice groups. He focuses on structuring, forming, and advising private equity, energy, real estate, and other private investment funds and their management companies.
Chase Proctor has been promoted to partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP. A member of the firm’s Mergers &Acquisitions practice group, Proctor has experience in acquisitions, divestitures, securities transactions, and other complex business transactions.
Garrett Martin has been promoted to partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP. Martin specializes in the firm’s Energy, Power and Natural Resources practice, representing clients in all facets of the oil and gas industry.
William Logan McCallie has joined the Nashville office of Bass, Berry & Sims. McCallie specializes in corporate and securities issues including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, and securities regulations matters and filings.
Jeff Matthews has been elected as the new chairman and CEO of Winstead PC. Matthews, who was previously the chair of the Business & Transactions Department, specializes in real estate litigation.
David Peavler is joining Jones Day as a partner in its Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement practice. Peavler was the former Director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s Fort Worth office.
Stefani Shanberg has been added to Perkins Coie’s national patent litigation practice as a partner. Shanberg specializes in representing technology companies in IP cases.
Alia Moses made history when she became the first woman to assume the role of chief judge in the Western District of Texas. As chief, Moses oversees budgetary and administrative matters for the 68-county district, which covers 93,000 square miles from the Texas-Mexico border.