Class Notes

William Rollin “Billy” Wepfer passed away on Dec. 12, 2022. Wepfer practiced law in the Rio Grande Valley for 40 years between 1980 to 2020.

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.

Jimmy Don Blair passed away on Jan. 3, 2023. In his legal career, Blair served 40 years as an expert in contract negotiation, litigation policies, legislative initiatives, computer capabilities, among other areas.

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.

Robert “Bob” Carlyle Scott passed away on August 18, 2022. Scott was an accomplished attorney who actively supported many nonprofit organizations including the Alamo Heights United Methodist Church.

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.

William “Bill” McCann passed away on Dec. 28, 2022. McCann served in the U.S. Navy until he shifted to the legal field as a partner at Snakard & Gambill for more than 45 years.

Robert Crain has been named one of the Best Personal Injury Attorneys in Dallas by Forbes Advisor. Crain runs his own firm, Crain Brogdon LLP, working on behalf of injured clients.

Jennifer Haltom Doan has been named one of the Best Personal Injury Attorneys in Dallas by Forbes Advisor. Doan founded the firm Haltom & Doan, representing Fortune 100 companies and individuals in personal injury, product liability, intellectual property and business and commercial law.

Anne Johnson has been named one of the Best Personal Injury Attorneys in Dallas by Forbes Advisor. Johnson is an appellate specialist at Tillotson Johnson & Patton whose litigation practice has handled cases ranging from commercial disputes to personal injury and products liability law to family law. She is a member of the Leader’s Circle for Texas Law’s Center for Women in Law.

William “Bill” Lemen passed away on Dec. 20, 2022. Lemen was a second-generation Marine who went on to earn his bachelor’s and law degrees at UT following his military service. He settled in San Juan, Texas, where he not only practiced law for 50 years, but also served as the county commissioner, then mayor.

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.

Kevin R.C. Gutzman has published a new book, “The Jeffersonians,” about the presidential administrations of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe. The book has received notable recognition by The New Yorker and was included on USA Today‘s list of Five Books to Remember in 2022.

Marie Harlan has joined the Houston office of McFarland PLLC  as a partner. Harlan specializes in private property rights, eminent domain and condemnation law.

Bill Harris passed away on Dec. 23, 2022 in Sherman, Texas. Harris served in several positions throughout his law career, including Cooke County judge and city attorney of both Lindsay and Gainesville.

U.S. District Judge John H. McBryde passed away on Dec. 25, 2022. McBryde worked at two law firms before being appointed to the U.S. District Bench by former President George H.W. Bush in 1990. He went on to serve in that role for three decades.

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.

Michael James Bloch passed away on Dec. 17, 2022. Bloch worked as the appellate attorney for the Ector County DA’s office for more than 10 years.

Bradley Bingham passed away on Oct. 20, 2022. Bingham was a double Longhorn, having also earned his bachelor’s degree  from UT. Bingham worked as a civil defense attorney in Houston before, e and his wife founded their own law firm, Bingham, Mann & House, in 2006.

Rudy Metayer was awarded the Outstanding Community Service Award at the 57th Annual Dewitty/Overton Freedom Fund Banquet by the Austin branch of the NAACP. Metayer is a City Council member of the City of Pflugerville, president of the Texas Black Caucus Foundation, and an attorney at Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody.

Talmage Boston has been selected to receive the 2023 Luther “Luke” H. Soules III Award for Excellence in Litigation, presented by the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas. The honor is given to an attorney who embodies excellence in the practice of the law and exemplary service to the State Bar. Boston is a partner at Shackelford Bowen McKinley & Norton LLP.

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.

Kermit W. Fox, Jr. passed away on Dec. 5, 2022. An Austin native, Fox had a private practice in the San Antonio area and served in the legal field for 30 years.

Steven Douglass Arnold passed away on Dec. 8, 2022. Arnold worked with the Hinkle Law Firm for more than 30 years, where he became the head attorney practicing utility law. He then served as a senior judge in the State Office of Administrative Appeals before retiring in 2019.

Darryll Grubbs passed away on Dec.4, 2022. A double Longhorn who also earned his master’s degree at UT, Grubbs spent most of his career working for Texas Attorney General’s Office in the Child Support Enforcement Division.

Robert “Bob” Malinak passed away on Nov. 29, 2022.  Malinak spent 37 years as a trial lawyer with the Baker Botts law firm, where he was a partner, then a senior partner. After retiring from active practice  in 1999, he worked as an arbitrator and consultant.

Judge Solomon “Sol” Casseb, III passed away on Dec. 7, 2022. Casseb served as a state district judge from 2008-18 after practicing law for 30 years at Casseb & Pearl.

Lt. Col. Cecil Roy Morrow, Jr. passed away on Nov. 23, 2022. Morrow had a distinguished military career of 21 years before opening his own law firm specializing in international law.

Hon. Herb Ritchie passed away on Dec. 1, 2022. Ritchie was managing partner of his private practice, Ritchie and Glass, before being elected as judge of the 337th District Criminal Court in 2008, then becoming Harris County’s criminal administrative judge in 2018.

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.

Jeavon (Ehler) Lang was honored as the 2022 Attorney of the Year, Appellate Division, in the Montana Office of the State Public Defender. While at Texas Law, she was president of the Environmental Law Society.

Vernon I. “Skipper” Lay, Jr. passed away on Nov. 22, 2022. His legal career included working for the Railroad Commission and in private practice, focusing on Oil & Gas and Environmental Law.

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.

Kurt Schwarz passed away on Sept. 22, 2022. Before starting his own practice, Schwarz served as a law clerk to the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, and was a partner at Jackson, Walker LLP.

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.

Leland Smith passed away on Nov. 22, 2022. After graduating from Texas Law, he began his career at the Texas Comptroller’s Office.  Smith eventually moved on to Clark, Thomas and Winters, working there until his retirement.

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.

Guy Edward Matthews passed away Nov. 23, 2022. Matthews was a double Longhorn who came to the Forty Acres on a football scholarship. After starting his career at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Matthews worked at Pravel, Wilson and Matthews before starting his own firm that focused on the litigation of intellectual property matters in 1972.

William N. Hamilton passed away on Nov. 18, 2022 at the age of 100. A double Longhorn and a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Forces, Hamilton went on to found Vial, Hamilton, Koch & Knox, one of Dallas’ largest law firms.