From study partners to Society cohorts to fellow journal staff members, Texas Law students have many opportunities to develop friendships, create future professional connections, and, yes, even find love!
As part of recognizing this year’s Valentine’s Day, we’re shining a spotlight on just a few couples who made their love connection at Texas Law and have since built lives together. And this year, we’re focusing on alumni pairs who are celebrating their class anniversaries at this year’s Reunion, which will honor those with graduation years ending in “4” and “9.”
Happy Valentine’s Day from Texas Law and from these lawyers in love:
- Marilyn Aboussie ’74 and John A. Hay Jr. ’72
- Hayley Cook ’19 and Will Fullenweider ’19
- Therese (Painter) Hogan ’86 and James “Jim” Hogan ’84
- Julie (Landen) Hyland ’04 and Jon Hyland ’04
- Shifali (Dhingra) Kohli ’09 and Vinay Kohli ’09
- Elizabeth (Mata) Kroger ’90 and Bill Kroger ’89
- Dymond (Hayes) Mensah ’19 and Kwame Mensah ’18
- Marsha (McDade) Nichols ’89 and Eric Nichols ’89
- Jane Webre ’89 and David Plaut ’89
- Kari (Arneil) Potts ’99 and Lee Potts ’99
- Mindy (Baur) Satterwhite ’99 and Brandon Satterwhite ’99
- Danielle (Wolfson) Young ’15 and Brian Young ’14
Marilyn Aboussie ’74 and John A. Hay Jr. ’72
Marilyn and John were introduced by roommates in the fall of 1971. A year later, in December of 1972, John graduated from law school. They continued their relationship, and when Marilyn finished in December of 1973, they married … and just celebrated their 50th anniversary!
Marilyn, the longtime chief justice of Texas’ Third Court of Appeals, has been a pioneer for women in the legal profession. Since her retirement from the Texas Court of Appeals, she has served as senior judge for the State of Texas. John is a partner at Hay, Wittenburg, Davis, Caldwell & Bale, a civil practice law firm in San Angelo. Aboussie received the 2023 Texas Law Alumni Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Marilyn and John have a son, John Hay III, a double Longhorn who graduated from Texas Law in 2008 and who is now the founder and managing partner at the Hays Legal Group in Austin.
Hayley Cook ’19 and Will Fullenweider ’19
Hayley and Will met during their second year of law school after a Longhorns football game. They were both in Professor Strong’s evidence class at the time, and Will had been sitting directly behind Hayley, trying to figure out a way to introduce himself. He eventually got his chance while out on Rainey Street after the game, striking up a conversation … they started dating and never looked back! The Fullenweiders married on March 5, 2022, and welcomed their first child, Charlotte, on Sept. 13, 2023. Both are associates—Hayley at Vinson & Elkins and Will at McGuire Woods.
“UT Law will always hold a special place in my heart because of the people I met while I was there,” Will recalls. “Our first day of orientation, we sat in an auditorium, and the speaker told us that when she was in our shoes 20 years earlier, her future spouse, best friend, and boss were all in that room at that time. Turns out, this was also true for me, but with a twist; I found them all in the same person!”
“We could never imagine going anywhere else for law school … Hook ’em!” says Will.
Therese (Painter) Hogan ’86 and James “Jim” Hogan ’84
Therese and Jim met through the International Law Society (ILS), specifically the French conversation group. Both had studied French as undergraduates and shared a strong interest in languages, foreign cultures, and all things international.
After graduation, Jim moved to Washington while Therese finished her remaining two years of law school, but they stayed in touch. After her own graduation, Therese moved to Washington, pursuing her passion to be a legal editor and writer, soon becoming the managing editor of Trial Magazine. In 1989, Jim moved to Paris to join the international firm Salans Hertzfeld & Heilbronn (now known as Dentons) but visited Washington periodically, and eventually, a long-distance romance ensued. In 1992, Therese and Jim got married, making their home in the City of Light.
Therese’s career as an editor and writer has included work at UNESCO, the International Herald Tribune, Standard & Poor’s, and the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). Jim has remained at the same firm for more than 35 years. Jim and Therese have traveled together to more than 50 countries and, when the time comes, plan to retire in France.
Julie (Landen) Hyland ’04 and Jon Hyland ’04
Julie and Jon met on the first day of law school at the first meeting of the Sunday small group. As it turns out, the “getting to know you” questions led to a beautiful friendship, and they soon started dating. Jon recalls the time they spent together in their third year getting ready to take the bar: “Studying for your bar exam with your spouse was actually fun … well, as fun as the bar exam can be!”
Fast forward a few decades, and their family has grown to include four children—including a U.S. Marine and a law enforcement officer. The entire family cheers on the Longhorns and the two younger girls have hopes of playing for UT one day! Julie works as an attorney as well as a real estate broker, while Jon is a partner at Hilgers Graben.
“You never know how important those law school days can be!” they say.
Shifali (Dhingra) Kohli ’09 and Vinay Kohli ’09
Shifali and Vinay met over Mexican Martinis at Trudy’s the night before 1L orientation. From that point, Vinay kept coming up with excuses to see Shifali, including repeatedly borrowing and then returning her Black’s Law Dictionary (even though it would have been easier to just use the copies at the library).
It worked.
Since graduating, they’ve made Los Angeles their home, celebrated over ten wedding anniversaries, and welcomed into the world two children that they adore (and who make the practice of law seem like the easy part of life). The old Black’s Law Dictionary still sits on the shelf in the living room.
Elizabeth (Mata) Kroger ’90 and Bill Kroger ’89
Elizabeth and Bill met as TQs when she was interviewing for a position as a 2L; they ended up serving as TQs for a combined three years. They have now been married for 33 years and raised three successful children: Ben, Rebecca, and Caroline. (They also are new grandparents to Townes Elizabeth Kroger.) With a combined total of six UT degrees, the Krogers are proud Texas Law alumni and lifelong Longhorns.
Elizabeth is a board-certified labor and employment lawyer at Martin Disiere Jefferson and Wisdom, and Bill is a senior partner at Baker Botts, a director of the State Bar of Texas, and a past president of the Houston Bar Association. Together, the pair has been practicing law for a combined 69 years!
“Elizabeth and I realize that many of the most impactful blessings of our lives come from the years we both spent at the University of Texas Law School,” reflects Bill. “Our law degrees were critical and essential steps toward becoming lawyers, but it all became magical and timeless when combined with our marriage to each other … and we got both from the University of Texas Law School.”
Dymond (Hayes) Mensah ’19 and Kwame Mensah ’18
Dymond and Kwame first met at an intramural volleyball game and then set to work, as she describes it, “cultivating a match made in heaven.” They very much succeeded and tied the knot in 2021. As of today, the two Austinites are the parents of a pair of amazing pups and are “looking forward to spending the rest of their lives together while making a difference!”
Dymond is an Assistant District Attorney in Travis County, while Kwame is an associate with Tarle Law, practicing insurance defense with a focus in construction litigation. Dymond also participates in pageants and, last year became the first Black woman to be crowned International Ms.
“We thank Texas Law for allowing our lives to cross,” says Dymond. “Our lives were forever changed when we sought a legal career.”
Marsha (McDade) Nichols ’89 and Eric Nichols ’89
Marsha and Eric met during their first semester at Texas Law. In their first-year section of alphabetical seating, Marsha was an “M” and Eric was an “N” and it did not take long to make the start of a long-lasting connection. During that first semester, Eric got up the nerve to ask Marsha out, and they had an evening that featured Camelot at Bass Concert Hall, followed by a late-night dinner at Katz’s.
The relationship progressed from there, leading to a law school courtship and eventual marriage during their last semester at Texas Law, with both the wedding and pre-wedding activities attended by many of their classmates and compadres.
After graduation, Marsha and Eric moved to Houston to start their legal careers. They were blessed with the birth of quadruplets in 1994, and the family moved to Austin in 2006. Marsha and Eric continue their life together in Austin, the Texas Hill Country, and beyond, as their kids are now spread across the United States.
Jane Webre ’89 and David Plaut ’89
When Jane and David were first-year law students, they were in the same section, the same TQ, and the same study group. David recalls that on the first day of orientation, Jane was in an orange jumpsuit and answered several questions about the measure of damages in a contracts case. David told a fellow student that he thought Jane was cute even though she was a front-row gunner. (Jane denies that story, but that’s how he remembers it!)
They were good friends all three years—sharing lots of tacos and drinks … and studying on the third floor of the Tarlton Law Library—but didn’t date until their third year. After graduation, they both went off to federal clerkships, Jane in Brownsville and David in San Antonio. That’s when they began a long-distance romance, fell madly in love, and eventually married in 1992.
David is a partner with Hanna & Plaut, L.L.P. and Jane is partner at Scott Douglass McConnico.
“We’ve been best friends, UT diehards, and lawyers in love for basically our entire adult lives,” says David.
Kari (Arneil) Potts ’99 and Lee Potts ’99
Kari and Lee both earned their undergraduate degrees at UT; however, they didn’t meet until they were at Texas Law. They were in the same section and began dating shortly after meeting at a section mixer at Scholz Garten.
After graduation, they were fortunate to be able to stay in Austin to begin their careers and still reside there. Kari and Lee got married in January 2001 and have two boys. Their son Tate is a freshman at Texas A&M, and their son Connor is a freshman at St. Stephen’s Episcopal.
Lee is currently a partner at Potts Blacklock Senterfitt, a boutique firm he co-founded in 2011 with other UT graduates. Kari is on a sabbatical as general counsel at Brigham Minerals.
Mindy (Baur) Satterwhite ’99 and Brandon Satterwhite ’99
Mindy and Brandon Satterwhite met during their first year of law school after being introduced by a mutual friend and fellow law student. They dated the remainder of law school and were married three years later in 2002, leading Mindy to theme their wedding as “At Last.”
Brandon is the assistant vice president and senior legal counsel over Mergers, Acquisitions and Strategy at AT&T. Mindy is a research consultant. They currently live in the Lakewood neighborhood in Dallas with their two teenage daughters, Grace and Piper.
Danielle (Wolson) Young ’15 and Brian Young ’14
Brian and Danielle met in January 2012 at a house party through a mutual friend and classmate, John Morris, whom she knew from being in the same section and study group. Danielle recalls that she didn’t go to many parties, but because this one was before spring classes started, she decided to attend. The Youngs dated throughout law school, got engaged in 2014, and married in August 2015 after she graduated.
Brian is in-house counsel at Capital One, and Danielle recently started her position as an attorney advisor at USAID. The couple lives in the D.C. area with their two young daughters, Ruth and Madeline.
“Two moves, two kids, and one dog later, we’re still very much in love and grateful for UT Law for connecting a guy from Friendswood, Texas, with a gal from Laguna Hills, California,” says Brian.