Michael J. Ritter has joined the San Antonio office of Schmoyer Reinhard LLP as senior counsel. Ritter focuses his practice on state and federal appeals, mandamus proceedings, litigation support, and labor and employment law.
Jackie Johnson has joined Constangy, Brooks, Smith and Prophete, LLP as a partner in the firm’s Dallas office, and will serve as co-chair of the Trade Secrets & Unfair Competition Practice Group. An exceptional litigator, Johnson is nationally recognized for her experience in issues including restrictive covenant agreements, trade secret theft, breach of contract, duty of loyalty, and tortious interference with contract disputes.
Partner Katie Maechler has been appointed to serve as co-chair of the Litigation Practice Group at the Minneapolis law firm of Maslon LLP. Maechler specializes in product liability litigation and has successfully represented device manufacturers in federal and state courts throughout the country.
Judge Steve Smith was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the 10th Court of Appeals in Waco to fill the unexpired term of Justice John Neill, who retired in May. Smith, current judge of the 361st State District Court in Bryan, will start his new job Sept. 1. He will join Chief Justice Tom Gray and Justice Matt Johnson on the three-member panel. Smith has served as judge of 361st State District Court since 1999.
Ken Garcia, executive fellow of Q2 Software, Inc., was elected to serve as an independent director on the board of directors of TimkenSteel Corporation. In his current role, he assists Q2 Software’s board of directors and executive leadership team with long-term planning related to M&A, talent and its product roadmap. Previously, Garcia co-founded and served as president of PrecisionLender, and co-founded and served as CEO of Halo Technologies, Inc.
Patrick Bredehoft is joining Bracewell LLP as a partner. Bredehoft is ranked as a leading lawyer in Texas Healthcare in Chambers USA (2021) and brings significant experience to Bracewell.
Wilson Jones has joined Bracewell LLP as a Partner. Jones, who chaired Thompson & Knight’s healthcare practice group, will also chair the healthcare regulatory and litigation practice at Bracewell.
Jeff Nalley, will be a co-president of the NFL representation division at ICM Partners. The move comes after ICM Partners acquired Select Sports Group, an indie agency that represents NFL coaches, players and executives, which was co-owned by Nalley.
The Honorable Dimple Malhotra was elected to the Travis County Judiciary as the first and only judge of Asian-Indian descent as well as first elected Asian-American woman in the history of the county. Malhotra presides over County Court 4, which specializes in domestic violence cases.
Danielle Fink Kruger is the Jewish Herald-Voice’s new food writer. Kruger is a native Houstonian whose birth, Jewish day school years, Bat Mitzvah and wedding all have been documented in the JHV. Kruger previously practiced law and worked in other roles in the legal industry for 13 years until she decided to leave the industry in January 2020.
Jonathan B. Bush has been promoted to Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at ModivCare. Bush has over two decades of in-house and law firm experience. Previously, he was Vice President, Corporate Development and Deputy General Counsel at BioScrip, Inc.
Grant O’Hickey joined Gunster in Jacksonville, FL, where his practice focuses on commercial litigation and e-discovery.
Texas Law Professor Randall H. Erben has been elected Vice-Chair of the Texas Ethics Commission.
Sylvia Kerrigan has been elected vice-chair of Southwestern University’s Board of Trustees and will assume her new duties on July 1, 2022. Kerrigan has served on the board since 2015 and chairs the academic affairs committee. She is the executive director of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Energy, Law and Business at The University of Texas at Austin. Kerrigan also currently serves on the board of directors for Team Industrial Services, where she chairs the corporate governance and nominating committee and sits on the audit committee.
Kara L. Karcher has joined Bourland, Wall & Wenzel as associate attorney in Fort Worth, Texas. Her practice focuses on commercial relate estate and general business transactions, including the acquisition, financing, development, leasing and disposition of commercial real estate.
Poonam Kumar, a partner in DLA Piper’s Minneapolis office, has been elected treasurer of Minnesota Women Lawyers (MWL), an association of more than 1,200 attorneys, judges, law students and legal employers in Minnesota. Poonam will also serve on the organization’s 2021-2022 Board of Directors.
Pamelya Herndon has been appointed by the Bernalillo County Commission to District 28 in the New Mexico House of Representatives. She will serve this position until January of 2023. Before her appointment, Herndon served as the president and CEO of KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change and the CEO of The Women’s Center for Social Justice and Change. She also worked with the Southwest Women’s Law Center, Herndon Legal Services, and the State of New Mexico.
Shane Pennington recently joined top-ranked national cannabis law firm Vicente Sederberg LLP as counsel in the firm’s New York office. He was also just elected to the board of directors for the International Cannabis Bar Association. Pennington, who focuses on federal appeals and regulatory issues, is co-counsel on several high-profile cases against the DEA regarding cannabis research, hemp, and psychedelics.
Jaime Garcia was promoted to Partner of J. Cruz & Associates, LLC in Laredo, Texas. Garcia will continue to serve public and private clients in the areas of general civil litigation, education law, employment law, and public finance.
Carlos Eduardo Cárdenas, of the Law Office of Carlos Eduardo Cárdenas, P.C. in El Paso, has been elected 2021-2022 Fellows Chair of the Texas Bar Foundation. Cárdenas’ law practice focuses on personal injury and commercial litigation, and in administrative law proceedings
Cynthia Dooley has joined Dallas’ Brousseau Naftis & Massingill. Her practice focuses on wills, trusts, estates and probate issues. Dooley earned her undergraduate degree from Rice in 1986 and her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law in 1992.
Jason Marlin has joined the Dallas trial firm of Bailey Brauer PLLC as a partner. Marlin is a corporate litigator and experienced trial lawyer who represents companies on complex commercial disputes involving shareholder derivative actions, real estate disputes, financial services litigation, catastrophic personal injury cases, and energy-related lawsuits.
David G. Webster was promoted to Partner at Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP in Dallas. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation, Creditors’ Rights, Health Care and White Collar Criminal and Regulatory Defense practice areas. Prior to joining Bell Nunnally, he served as an active-duty Judge Advocate General (JAG) for the U.S. Army, where he represented military forces. Most recently, Webster served as a U.S. Army Officer with the Texas Army National Guard JAG Corps, assigned as trial counsel for the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
Andrea Meza has joined the Board of Directors at Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice. Meza is the Director of Family Detention Services at RAICES, which offers free universal representation to families held in ICE custody at the Karnes family prison in Karnes City, Texas.
Steve Eargle has been elected as Chairman of the Board for The National Bank of Texas, based in Fort Worth. Elected to the Board of Directors in 2017, he currently serves on the Executive, Strategic Planning, Property and Director’s Loan Committees. Eargle is a Co-founder and Partner of Fort Worth Royalty Company.
Stephanie Collett Sparks has joined the firm Vedder Price as a Shareholder in its Litigation practice area in the Dallas office. Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, health care, and energy transactional and regulatory matters. Prior to this position, Sparks spent a 15-year career with Jackson Walker.
Jennifer Librach Nall has joined DLA Piper as a partner in the firm’s Patent Litigation practice, based in Austin, Texas.
Spencer Bartlett, of Jefferson City, Mo., was appointed to the Administrative Hearing Commission. Bartlett joined the Missouri Department of Revenue as Deputy General Counsel in 2017 and was promoted to General Counsel in 2019. Prior to joining the Department of Revenue, he served as an assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Boone County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Kristan K. Wheeler has been appointed to Colorado’s Jefferson County Court in the 1st Judicial District, effective July 1, 2021. Wheeler is currently a district and county court magistrate in the 17th Judicial District, a position she has held since 2019. Her docket consists of both criminal and civil matters.
Julie Gremillion has been appointed as General Counsel for GoExpedi. She will be responsible for leading all aspects of GoExpedi’s legal strategy, managing compliance and risk throughout the organization; working closely with senior leadership and the Board of Directors as a strategic advisor on legal and business matters affecting the company; and providing legal support for transactional matters, strategic opportunities and day-to-day operations.
John Kaercher has joined Kirkland & Ellis LLP as a partner in the Corporate Practice Group to help launch its Austin office. Kaercher counsels clients on complex transactions, including domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, SPACs, private equity and public and private securities offerings, with a particular focus on the technology, media, telecommunications and energy sectors.
Caitlin Rice has been promoted to the leadership position of Global Vice President, Customer Service. She was previously the Senior Director, Commercial Support for the evo® Cold Chain Management Platform.
Carlos Martinez has been appointed to the newly established position of Senior Vice President for Institutional Strategic Planning, Compliance Risk Management, and Office Operations & Chief of Staff at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Martinez has nearly 20 years of experience in senior leadership positions in Texas higher education and most recently served as chief of staff at The University of Texas at Austin before joining UTSA in September 2020.
Karen C. Burgess, of Burgess Law in Austin, was elected dean of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers at the academy’s annual meeting. Burgess was inducted into IATL in 2015 and has served on various ITAL committees, the board of directors, and held the office of secretary-treasurer. She served as co-chair of the 2019 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting. Texas Law honored Burgess as Mentor of the Year at its 2018 Alumni Awards Dinner.
Kimberly Burley has been appointed by Bexar County’s 14 civil district judges as associate judge in Children’s Court. When she takes the oath of office, she will be the first woman and African American to hold that bench. She has worked for the Texas’s Bexar County District Attorney’s Office for 23 years, with a specific emphasis on child welfare advocacy for 21 of those years.
Gibbs Henderson has joined the Dallas-based firm Fears Nachawati Law Firm, adding significant expertise to the firm’s litigation, mass torts, mesothelioma and public client practice groups. Henderson joins a Fears Nachawati trial team actively involved in mass torts and multi-district litigation.
Michael Holmes has been elected as Vice Chair at Vinson & Elkins LLP. He will work alongside three partners, which will constitute a new Executive Committee of the firm. Holmes is currently co-head of the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice. His practice focuses on trial and litigation, and he has particular expertise in matters relating to mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, securities, alternative entities, joint ventures and director and officer liability.
Keith Fullenweider was elected as the next Chair at Vinson & Elkins LLP. He will work alongside three partners, which will constitute a new Executive Committee of the firm. Fullenweider started with Vinson & Elkins in 1988 and is currently the co-head of the Corporate department. Previously, he led the firm’s Private Equity and Mergers and Acquisitions practice from 2008 to 2016.
Hilary Preston was elected as Vice Chair at Vinson & Elkins LLP. She will work alongside three partners, which will constitute a new Executive Committee of the firm. Preston serves as Chair of the Intellectual Property & Technology Litigation practice. Her practice focuses on IP and commercial disputes, with particular emphasis on the intersection between sports, media, and technology, representing major sports leagues, including the NFL, the NBA, MLS, and the NHL.
Jay Dewald, a Texas-based litigator and former federal prosecutor, has joined the global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner in the Regulations, Investigations, Securities and Compliance practice. Dewald joins the firm’s Dallas and San Antonio offices from Jackson Walker, where he led its Investigations and White Collar Defense practice. Dewald is a former Assistant US Attorney, serving in this role in the Northern District of Texas from 2007–2015.
Elizabeth Fitch has been promoted to shareholder at Hallett & Perrin, P.C. in Dallas. She joined Hallett & Perrin in 2016. A member of the firm’s litigation section, Fitch has experience at every level of dispute resolution, from the initiation of a lawsuit through appeal. While she represents both individuals and companies in a broad range of matters, her emphasis is on commercial and construction litigation, as well as employment law.
Wesley Watts is the founding partner of the new Austin office for midsize venture capital law firm Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP, with with a focus on private equity work. Watts has a history of working with technology companies in Austin through transactions and private equity matters. Previously he worked at Vinson & Elkins.
Luke Thomas helped open new Austin office for the venture capital law firm Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP, with with a focus on private equity work. Thomas, a senior associate, has experience working on transactions and public offerings as an attorney and has previously worked as a financial adviser. Previously he worked at Vinson & Elkins for about five years.
Charles Stam is now a trial attorney at Zehl & Associates PC. He represents plaintiffs, mainly individuals who have been seriously injured or killed in oilfield, 18-wheeler, maritime, plant and refinery, and other catastrophic accidents.
Michella Gibbs joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon as a new associate. Gibbs participates in all aspects of litigation, with key areas of focus in product liability. She also has experience handling labor and employment disputes. She issues reports to clients assessing factual, legal and procedural aspects of cases, including liability analysis, litigation strategy and settlement evaluation for purposes of early dispute resolutions.
Douglas McNiel joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon as a new associate in the Product Liability Group. He has experience in drafting motions, document review, preparing witnesses for trial and managing discovery for product liability and mass tort matters. Douglas also wrote a report on Texas cannabis laws and public policy.
Jason E. Boatright has joined Duane Morris LLP as special counsel in the firm’s Trial Practice Group in its Dallas office. Boatright has held senior legal positions in state government in both Dallas and Austin. He is a former justice of the Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals, the appellate court that reviews trial court decisions in Collin, Dallas, Grayson, Hunt, Kaufman and Rockwall counties.
Bill Swart joined Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. as Shareholder in the firm’s Dallas office on March 1. Swart regularly represents clients in sale transactions, expansion strategies and recapitalizations. He has also gained experience with private equity structures and practices, managing expectations among buyers, sellers, lenders, management and other parties associated with complex transactions.
Julie Offerman was recently elevated to income shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka. Named among the Up-and-Coming 50: 2020 Texas Women Rising Stars, Offerman is an experienced litigation attorney in Chamberlain’s Houston Labor & Employment practice. She has been named to Texas Super Lawyers in 2020 after being named Texas Rising Star in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019. She has also been named among Houstonia Magazine Top Lawyers in 2019 and 2020.
Christopher D. Kratovil was promoted to National Recruiting Partner at Dykema, a leading national law firm. This follows a five-year stint as Managing Member of Dykema’s Dallas office where Kratovil helped to develop the office through laterals of top legal talent. In his practice, Kratovil remains in Dallas as a member of the firm’s Litigation Department, focusing on appellate matters. Kratovil has made a name for himself as one of the “Top 100 Lawyers in Texas”.