BRIEFS NEW MEMBERS The Austin Bar welcomes the following new members: Don Ballard Sheel Bedi Brett Beeler Catherine Chamblee Erin Cowden Kaili Cusak Terry Hammond Casey Kelly Josh Leamons Michelle Locke Scott McLellan Margaret Menicucci Marvin Okafor Joshua Rogers Alexander Schoch Erin Selvera Ambrosia Silva Jarren Sternburg Cassie Stinson Jamie Turner Garrett Wilson Yvette Yarbrough
TOP ROW: Barber, Bast, Hopkins, Kimbrough, Lutz, Metayer BOTTOM ROW: Mullins, Royer, Rupprath, Stotts, Vale, Ware
AWARDS
NEW TO THE OFFICE
The Austin firm Pirkey Barber, including Austin Bar members Louis Pirkey, Shannon Vale, and Bill Barber, was named a top firm in the country in 2016 for trademark law according to World Trademark Review 1000.
Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody announced Martin T. Lutz has joined the firm as a new shareholder. Lutz practices Corporate & Securities and International Law.
The Boy Scouts of America will award Justice Jeff Brown the National Eagle Scout Association’s Outstanding Eagle Scout Award for distinguished service to his profession and community. Justice Brown became an Eagle Scout at age 16, and has been an active adult volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America for more than 15 years. Cynthia Bast was selected by the Travis County Women Lawyer’s Association and Foundation to receive the Corporate/Transactional Attorney Award for 2016. Bast is recognized nationally as a preeminent lawyer in the area of affordable housing and community development finance. Rudolph (Rudy) Metayer was appointed as a new minority director at the State Bar of Texas. Metayer is also the president of the Austin Black Lawyers Association, member of the State Bar Grievance Committee, member of the State Bar Law Focused Education Committee, member of the Pflugerville Finance and Budget Committee, member of the Capital Area African American Chamber of Commerce, and vice president of the Austin Texans Soccer Club.
18
AUSTINLAWYER | MAY 2016
Texas Advocacy Project named Sheri Hunter one of four new members to its Board of Directors. Hunter is a trademark attorney for King & Spalding. The Texas Advocacy Project’s mission is to provide free legal services and access to the justice system to victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking throughout Texas. Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton announced the addition of William Hopkins as a partner for their Austin office. Hopkins represents health care entities in litigation, matters of licensure, regulatory compliance, and administrative issues. Carrie Rupprath, Kristi Stotts, and Jordan Ware have been elected shareholders to Winstead. Rupprath focuses on public and regulatory law; Stotts focuses on real estate development and investments; and Ware focuses on wealth preservation. Erin Selvera joined the Texas Rural Water Association as the Legal and Legislative Services director. Previously, Selvera was at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality where she served as special assistant to the air permits division director and was formerly a staff attorney in the environmental law division.
Zinda & Davis announced the hiring of former Associate Court Judge Michele Locke to its family law group. Prior to becoming a judge, Locke ran a successful family law practice and is knowledgeable in contested family law matters that involve issues of domestic violence, stalking, harassment, and child abuse.
MOVING ON UP Sedgwick announced JoAnn Dalrymple as a partner. Dalrymple focuses on commercial, insurance, and healthcare disputes. Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Rich Villa for a term on the State Board of Dental Examiners. Villa is a partner at Streusand, Landon & Ozburn. Jordan Mullins was elected as a new partner for McGinnis Lochridge. Mullins represents both landowners and operators for issues such as oil and gas pricing, contract disputes, lease termination issues, and more. Bowman and Brooke re-elected Kelly Kimbrough as managing partner for the firm’s Austin office. Kimbrough manages a comprehensive product liability practice as national and regional coordinating counsel for some of the country’s largest pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. C. Micah Royer has been made partner at Coldwell Bowes. Royer represents clients in family law matters, including divorces, child custody disputes, grandparent cases, modifications, appeals, and enforcements.