Class Notes

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.

Jennifer Gasser has joined Paul, Weiss as Energy and Infrastructure M&A partner in Houston. She previously worked for Kirkland and Ellis, where she engaged in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buy-outs, joint ventures, and corporate governance matters for a diverse range of clients.

Hayden Tiner has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings’ litigation practice group as an associate in the firm’s Dallas office. He previously clerked for the Hon. David S. Morales of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Nicholas Taunton has been selected as the next president of Texas A&M’s Association of Former Students, starting in 2027. He joined the association as director of development and later became the organization’s first executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Brian D. Miller has been reappointed by the United States District Court to continue as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, until the vacancy is filled by the president. Miller was originally appointed to the post Oct. 27, 2025. He previously served as special inspector general for pandemic recovery. Miller’s interim appointment is for 120 days or until a presidential appointment is made, whichever occurs first.

Aimeé Vidaurri has been named administrative partner at Norton Rose Fulbright’s San Antonio office. A trial lawyer, Vidaurri has been with the firm since 2018 and focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation for clients in the financial services, energy, and grocery retail industries.

Jay Dewald has been named head of litigation and disputes at Norton Rose Fulbright’s San Antonio office, focusing on white-collar criminal defense, crisis management, internal investigations, and government investigations involving whistleblower claims. Dewald also leads the firm’s U.S. Healthcare Investigations division.

Cody Martinez has joined Jackson Walker’s Dallas office as partner, bringing his experience in sensitive internal investigation and high-profile litigation. He previously clerked for the Honorable Renee Toliver of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, working on cases related to intellectual property disputes, SEC enforcement actions, OFAC penalties, and class actions.

Rony Kishinevsky has joined Jackson Walker’s Austin office as partner in the Corporate & Securities section. A double Longhorn, he focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private fund formations, joint ventures, and private placements of debt and equity securities.

Sean Gallagher has joined Jackson Walker’s Austin office as partner with a wide range of experience from First Amendment litigation to trade secret infringement. He previously served as a business trial lawyer at Reese Marketos.

Allison Allman has joined Jackson Walker’s Ft. Worth office as partner, focusing on complex commercial matters at the trial and appellate levels. She previously worked as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Tyson Ehlinger has joined Jackson Walker’s Austin office as partner, specializing in wealth preservation strategies and estate planning. He previously served as a tax attorney for Timothy J. Ehlinger.

Steven Stodghill has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office as a new litigation partner, specializing in trial and global disputes as well as intellectual property. An accomplished commercial litigator who has represented high-profile clients, he previously served as a partner at Winston & Strawn.

Rex Mann has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office, where he will focus his practice on patent litigation and other complex commercial litigation matters. He previously served as a partner at Winston & Strawn in Dallas.

Michael Bittner has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office as an intellectual property trial lawyer, with an emphasis on patent litigation. He previously served as a partner at Winston & Strawn in Dallas.

Chad Walker has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office, bringing experience successfully handling patent cases and complex commercial litigation disputes. He previously served as a partner at Winston & Strawn in Dallas.

Tom Melsheimer has joined King & Spalding’s Dallas office to serve as the global head of trial and managing partner. A nationally recognized trial lawyer, he previously served as co-chair of Winston & Strawn’s Global Litigation Department and managing partner in Dallas.

Kim Altsuler has been named to the executive committee of Peckar & Abramson PC. She serves as the Houston partner-in-charge, chairs the firm’s Residential and Multifamily Construction Practice, and co-chairs the Culture, Career Development, and Inclusion Committee.

John Stavinoha has joined Latham & Watkins’ Houston office as a partner in the firm’s M&A and Private Equity Practice. A double Longhorn, Stavinoha, who specializes in the energy and infrastructure industries, most recently was a partner at Bracewell.

Parisa Fatehi-Weeks has been appointed executive director of nonprofit policy institute Every Texan. Fatehi-Weeks’ career has focused on social justice and advocacy across a variety of organizations, including Google, Indeed, the Workers Defense Project, and HousingWorks Austin.

Grace Lentz has made partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in the Energy and Infrastructure group at the firm’s Houston office. A project development and M&A lawyer, Lentz helps developers, sponsors, strategic investors and other energy companies navigate complex renewable and conventional power projects.

Montana Ware has made partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in the Technology Companies group at the firm’s Austin office. Ware—who represents startups and high-scale tech companies, venture capital funds and strategic investors—has significant experience in highly regulated industries such as defense, nuclear energy, space and aerospace.

Daniella Martinez has been elected to firm partnership at BakerHostetler LLP in Houston. She previously worked as an associate, and her practice focuses on complex commercial disputes in both state and federal court.

Sarah T. Glaser has been elected managing director for Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C. She will continue to chair the firm’s Employment Law Practice Group and advise employers on employment compliance and litigation matters.

Chen Zang, Ph.D., was elevated to the partnership at global intellectual property law firm Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP in Washington, D.C. Zang maintains a diverse patent practice, including inter partes review (IPR) proceedings, district court litigation, International Trade Commission investigations, and patent prosecution and counseling.

Erin Fonken has joined Kemp Smith in Austin as partner. She specializes in air quality, water quality, endangered species, enforcement, permitting, administrative matters and litigation for their Public and Environmental Law Department.

Leanne Flatter has been elevated to principal at Fish & Richardson in Austin, where her practice focuses on U.S. and international patent prosecution and patent portfolio management in the fields of automotive technologies, medical devices, carbon capture technologies, and robotics.

Jonathan Eisenman has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Eisenman previously was assistant general counsel for the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and worked as a deputy city attorney. He served as a law clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Cory Fish has been appointed policy director for the Office of the Texas Governor. Fish previously served as a budget and policy advisor to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and was later promoted to deputy policy director. He was previously a fellow at the Cicero Institute in Austin.

Garrett S. Brawley has been elected partner at Beck Redden in Houston. An experienced trial lawyer, he has secured high-stakes commercial victories for both plaintiffs and defendants and has been recognized as a “Rising Star” in Business Litigation by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers and named to The Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list.

Jasmine Harding Adams has joined the global internet and technology company Match Group as the employee relations and ethics lead in the Legal Department. Adams previously worked at Mattel and Ogletree, where she was recognized for her work, leadership and integrity.

Reeya Thakrar has been promoted to partner at Faegre Drinker in the firm’s Chicago office. Thakrar is an attorney in Faegre Drinker’s intellectual property practice group, and she counsels clients on technology transactions, artificial intelligence (AI) and intellectual property matters.

Alex Robertson has joined Kirkland & Ellis in Dallas as a partner in the Corporate Practice Group, where he advises private equity firms and public and private companies on corporate matters. Previously a partner at Vinson & Elkins in Dallas, he brings experience across a range of industries, with a particular focus on energy and infrastructure.

Sam Waldon has been promoted to deputy director for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Enforcement. He previously served as chief counsel in this division.

Chuck Pinney has been promoted to legal director at Texas’s Office of the Secretary of State. He previously served as the office’s senior staff attorney.

Kayla D. Dreyer has joined Jones & Keller, P.C. as a shareholder and leader of the firm’s Employment Law Practice. With more than 15 years of experience counseling employers nationwide, Dreyer provides strategic guidance, litigation defense, and transactional support. She has extensive expertise in employment compliance and workplace investigations.

Andrea Hyatt has been appointed as an assistant United States attorney for the District of Rhode Island. She previously served as an assistant United States attorney in the Northern District of Texas, with more than 23 years of experience as a litigator in both the private and public sectors.

Nathan Simmons has been promoted to senior associate at Tully Rinckey in Austin. A double Longhorn, Simmons focuses his practice on state and federal employment.

Anjana Patel has a new position as managing shareholder of Baker Donelson’s New Jersey offices. Patel specializes in health care law and focuses her practice on transactional, regulatory, and compliance matters.

Bill Hopkins has joined Stinson as a partner in the firm’s Health Care & Insurance Practice Division. He was previously an office managing partner at Spencer Fane.

Jason Blackmer has joined Latitude Legal, a global flexible legal staffing company, as leader and founding partner of the company’s new regional corporate office in Houston. Blackmer previously served as associate general counsel of Sunnova, where he advised the company on debt and equity transactions, public reporting matters, and restructuring.

Amy Hinzmann has joined the Seattle-based e-discovery company Lighthouse Document Technologies Inc. as head of information governance. She previously worked as an executive vice president of corporate and commercial services at legal services company UnitedLex.

Mason Grist has joined Wilkinson Stekloff as an associate in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Grist, who served as editor-in-chief of the Texas Law Review during his time at Texas Law, most recently clerked for Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

David Bolduc has been appointed to the Texas Public Sector Artificial Intelligence Systems Advisory Board. Bolduc currently serves as the agency head and public counsel at the Office of the Public Insurance Counsel and has over 49 years of legal experience in government and private practice.

Bridget O’Hickey has a new position as senior counsel to the assistant attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division. She previously served as deputy solicitor general at the Florida Office of the Attorney General.