KC Waldron has joined Empower as the new chief compliance officer where she will oversee the management and development of the company’s compliance program. Waldron spent 12 years at Charles Schwab, most recently as managing director, chief compliance officer of Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc., and head of Wealth & Advice Solutions compliance.
Paula Desel was selected to a three-year term on the Rice University Alumni Association’s board of directors. Prior to her retirement, Desel practiced law at Baker Botts in Houston and Arnold & Porter in New York, and was an in-house attorney at Altria.
Rudy Metayer had been named a recipient of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. The honorees will be celebrated on June 22, 2024 at the Community Impact Center in Austin, Texas.
Barrett Robin has been named partner at the Dallas plaintiffs’ law firm Hamilton Wingo. In addition to his trial success, Robin has secured multiple seven-figure settlements in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases.
John Varner passed away on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Varner practiced law at three different firms, and co-founded Genprex, Inc., a biotechnology company fighting cancer and diabetes. He served as Genprex’s president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors.
Timothy Tyler has joined Norton Rose Fulbright as counsel in its Houston office. Tyler practices international commercial arbitration, investor-state arbitration under treaties and state contracts, and associated U.S. litigation. He also is an adjunct professor at Texas Law, teaching courses in international arbitration.
On May 2, 2024, Richard Mills Jr. was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as incoming ambassador to the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service.
Samuel G. Encarnacion, first assistant public defender in the Lancaster County Public Defender’s Office, received the annual Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Civil and Equal Rights Champion Award during the PBA annual meeting. The award honors an individual who champions for civil rights for all Pennsylvanians.
Beck Redden LLP is pleased to announce that the Texas Young Lawyers Association awarded the Houston Young Lawyers Association’s Allyship Committee with the first place award of achievement for its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in Texas. As co-chairs of the Allyship Committee, Cassie Maneen and Lena Silva strive to actively promote and advance a culture of equity and inclusion for young lawyers in the legal profession.
Thomas “Tom” Renfro passed away on Sunday, May 5, 2024. A double Longhorn, Renfro practiced law in Ft. Worth as a litigator and medical malpractice defense attorney during his more-than-50-year career.
Mark Burroughs passed away on May 2, 2024. His legal career was based in Denton where he practiced business law, personal injury and property tax collection at his real estate law firm, Sawko & Burroughs. Burroughs also served as a city council member and mayor of Denton from 2008-2014.
Ellie Sowanick has been promoted to counsel at Haynes Boone, working with the Trademark and Advertising Practice Group in Orange County. Her practice focuses on a variety of trademark, patent, copyright, and design patent matters, as well as brand management and resolving complex and multi-jurisdictional trademark and domain disputes.
Paul Trahan has been appointed as the partner-in-charge at global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright’s Austin office. Trahan has been with the firm since 1996.
Victor Obaseki started as the first diversity, equity, and inclusion director of Alameda County. Obaseki will help the county strategically and systematically act to improve the lives of all residents. Previously he worked at the Vera Institute of Justice.
Jaime Vasquez was named managing shareholder of Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s San Antonio office. Vasquez concentrates his practice on federal, state, and international tax controversy matters.
Kari Potts has been named chief legal officer and compliance Officer at Earth Holdings, LLC, a Brigham family company. Potts was previously vice president, general counsel, secretary and compliance officer at Brigham Minerals, Inc., prior to its merger with Sitio Royalties Corp. in December 2022. She is re-joining some of the executive team members with whom she previously served.
James G. Ulmer passed away on April 16, 2024. He practiced law for 40 years with the firm of Baker Botts LLP in the field of general litigation with emphasis on intellectual property, bankruptcy, and oil and gas law. Ulmer, who also was an Air Force veteran, retired as a senior partner in 1990.
Diana Saldana was recognized as a United ISD (Laredo) Community Hero for launching the Kazen Fellowship Program, which aims to offer paid summer internships for eligible high school students at the federal and state courthouses.
Roy Laughton Whitehead Jr. passed away on April 24, 2024. Based in Longview, his legal career grew from a start in the Gregg County District Attorney’s Office to joining his father’s practice. Eventually, Whitehead built a boutique firm that focused on family law until retiring in 2020.
Lena Silva was honored with the 2023-2024 Outstanding Director Award from the Houston Young Lawyers Association (HYLA). Silva is an associate at the Houston office of Beck Redden LLP.
Samuel Sipes passed away on Sunday, April 14, 2024. A U.S. Army veteran, Sipes was a practicing attorney in El Paso, focusing on bankruptcy, business law and commercial law.
Elisabeth Kincaid has been named director of the Institute for Faith and Learning at Baylor University. She also will serve as associate professor of ethics, faith and culture in Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary and as an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Management in the Hankamer School of Business.
Hon. John G. Browning, former justice on Texas’ Fifth Court of Appeals and now Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, will receive the Texas Bar College’s Franklin B. Jones Outstanding CLE Article Award for 2023. Browning’s article, “ Let’s Chat About Chat GPT,” examined the ethics of using generative AI. The award will be presented at the College’s annual Summer School in July 2024.
Rachael M. Rolon is one of the co-founders of Lawgical Workspace, a co-working space for legal professionals, located in The Woodlands, Texas. An experienced attorney at Rolon Law Firm, she specializes in representing corporations, small businesses, and individuals.
Kayvon Rashidi is now a partner at Powers Kerr & Rashidi, PLLC. Rashidi joined the team at Powers and Kerr, PLLC in August 2020, and represents clients in all manner of family law cases, including complex property division, high conflict custody litigation, marital property agreements, and protective orders. While at Texas Law he was an executive editor of the Texas Review of Entertainment & Sports Law.
Jason Boatright has been appointed to the Texas Racing Commission, which oversees pari-mutuel wagering on horse and greyhound racing. Boatright is special counsel at Duane Morris LLP and is a former justice of the Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals.
Henry Lee Caldwell passed away on April 18, 2024. Caldwell was an attorney, rancher and a founding director of Hospice of Abilene.
Parth Gejji has been elected as Fourth Year Representative to the Houston Bar Association (HBA) Appellate Practice Section. Gejji is an associate at Beck Redden LLP and focuses his practice on civil appeals and complex commercial litigation. He also was recognized as a 2024 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers.
Nicholas Bruno was elected as Chair-Elect to the Houston Bar Association (HBA) Appellate Practice Section. Bruno is an associate at the Houston office of Beck Redden LLP and is board-certified in Civil Appellate Law. He also was recognized as a 2024 Texas Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers.
Chris Hamilton has earned selection on the 2024 D Magazine “Best Lawyers in Dallas” list based on his work in high-stakes personal injury litigation and plaintiffs’ civil litigation. Hamilton is owner and partner at Hamilton Wingo, LLP.
Julia A. Simon has joined trial litigation firm Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann as partner. Previously, Simon served as the chief legal officer for Mary Kay Inc. for almost 25 years.
James R. Mundy has been hired at Curtis Thaxter, a Portland (Maine) law firm. Prior to joining the firm, Mundy had a practice in York County focused on real estate, probate and estate planning.
Jaime Vasquez has been named the managing shareholder of Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s San Antonio office. Vasquez, who is board certified in tax law, has counseled clients in tax litigation matters, handling cases before the United States Tax Court, United States District Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Jack Woodville London will speak on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Omaha and Utah beaches in Normandy, France. Jack will speak at the Brittany American Military Cemetery at Montjoie-Saint-Martin, France, on June 6, 2024, and at the Normandy American Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer the following day.
Lisa Blatt is the first woman to argue 50 cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, and she has a 41-5 win-loss record with four pending cases this term. Bloomberg Law points out her casual candor, direct argument style, and high energy as characteristics contributing to her success.
Harry Lee Hudspeth passed away April 7, 2024. After working for the U.S. Department of Justice under Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Hudspeth was appointed to the federal judiciary by President Jimmy Carter and served as a federal judge in Texas until 2016.
Anya Bidwell argued a case before the Supreme Court regarding retaliatory arrests, probable cause, and First Amendment rights. Bidwell is an attorney at the Institute for Justice and leads the firm’s Project on Immunity and Accountability.
Rep. Tommy Gregory, a lawyer and Air Force veteran who is chairperson of the state House Judiciary Committee, has been named as the next president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. Gregory was first elected to the House in 2018, representing Manatee County’s District 72.
Kelly E. Wise has been promoted to shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Dallas, working as a member of the firm’s Litigation and Transportation practices. Wise, who was included in the 2024 Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory, has background in a range of litigation matters, including construction liability and defects, premises liability and transportation and trucking liability.
Adrienne N. Wall has been named to the 2024 Texas Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” List for her excellence in banking law. As a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Dallas, Wall focuses on commercial finance transactions secured by real estate, business assets or other personal property, notes receivable and other property or assets.
Andres Contreras, associate at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. in Houston, has been named on the 2024 Texas Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” List for his excellence in complex commercial litigation in both state and federal courts.
Meghan A. McCaffrey has a new position as co-managing partner at the Washington, D.C. office of Quinn Emanuel Trial Lawyers. McCaffrey is an accomplished trial lawyer, representing major U.S. and multinational corporations in complex business disputes and multi-billion dollar commercial litigation in federal and state courts.
William McClellan “Mac” Thornberry has been appointed to the board of directors of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation. Thornberry represented the 13th district of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995-2021.
Barrett Robin has been selected to the 2024 Texas Rising Stars list of the state’s top young attorneys based on his work in personal injury lawsuits. Robin is an associate at the Dallas plaintiffs’ law firm Hamilton Wingo.
Peter Petkas has an essay featured in a new book of essays, “Choosing the Public Interest, Essays from the First Public Interest Research Group” (Watchdog Press, 2023). The book was edited and compiled by Texas Law fellow alumnus Sam Simon. Each essay is a personal story of finding Ralph Nader in 1970 and urges current students to choose public interest careers.
Sam Simon is the editor and compiler of a new book of essays, “Choosing the Public Interest, Essays from the First Public Interest Research Group” (Watchdog Press, 2023). Two other Texas Law alumni from 1970 also have essays featured in the book: the late James Welch and Peter Petkas. Each essay is a personal story of finding Ralph Nader in 1970 and urges current students to choose public interest careers.
Jennifer Brown has been named chief legal officer and senior vice president of Mercy, where she will contribute to the company’s growth and collaboration efforts as one of the largest U.S. health systems. Brown has served in various roles including chief administrative officer, general counsel, and chief legal officer at several healthcare companies.
Carl Parker passed away on March 22, 2024. After serving as a Judge Advocate General in in the U.S. Navy, Parker joined the law firm Long and Parker (now the Parker Law Firm) in Port Arthur. He went on to serve 34 years as a member of the Texas Legislature, starting in the House of Representatives in 1962 and later in the Texas Senate, where he served until 1995.
Irwin H. Steinhorn has joined the Oklahoma City office at the firm of Steptoe & Johnson as of counsel. Steinhorn’s background includes serving as vice president and general counsel for two New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listed companies. He also served as an adjunct professor of law for 28 years at Oklahoma City University School of Law.
Thomas John “T.J.” Collins passed away March 23, 2024. Collins, a transactional attorney who specialized in mergers & acquisitions, was an associate editor of the Texas Law Review while in law school. His legal career was based in Dallas, first at Kirkland & Ellis, then at Frederic Dorwart, Lawyers PLLC (FDLaw).