BRIEFS NEW MEMBERS The Austin Bar welcomes the following new members: Allison Akers Deke Bond Christi Koenig Brisky Randy Bruchmiller Casey Burack Jason Cairns Virginia Covarrubia Alexandra Crawley Catherine East Claudia Garnica Estrada Emmarie Foerster
TOP ROW: Anderson, Burack, Dashiell, DeLeon, Fitxhugh, Garsson BOTTOM ROW: Gunn Venditti, Harris, Morrison, Reneker, Rollo, Judge Shepperd
James Gibbs Lindsey Groos Trey Hebert Rhett Hoestenbach Matthew Kirby Renee Kolar Jared Livingston Christen Mason Thomas Mendez Dianna Muldrow Lauren Munselle Donna Peery Shea Place Meredith Sullivan Luke Thomas Betny Townsend Devin Vasquez
AWARDS Toya Cirica Bell was selected as the 2016 recipient of the Contribution to the Minority Community Award by the Travis County Women Lawyers Association and Foundation. Bell is the deputy chief ethics officer for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Stephen Nagle received the Scott Ozmun Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. Nagle is a personal injury trial law specialist. Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr Shareholder Ronald Reneker was awarded the 2016 Significant Sig Award by Sigma Chi Fraternity’s Executive Committee for his achievements in the field of law that have brought honor and prestige to Sigma Chi. Jeannie Rollo was appointed to the Texas Access to Justice Commission. Rollo is the executive director of the Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas in Austin, advocating for legal services for low-income Texans. Judge Eric Shepperd was appointed to the National Association of Bar President Executive Council at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
NEW TO THE OFFICE Andrews Meyers hired T. Champe Fitzhugh and Andrew Harris to their Austin office. Fitzhugh joins as a shareholder in the firm’s Corporate Law practice group.
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Harris joins in the Construction Law practice group.
service providers in a wide range of sophisticated corporate transactions.
Buchanan DiMasi Dancy & Grabouski announced the addition of Donna Peery as a senior associate attorney. Peery is a commercial trial lawyer with a primary focus on business disputes including insurance coverage and bad faith litigation.
Amy Dashiell was appointed as a new member of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Board of Directors. Dashiell has represented and advised clients in all areas of employment law, including discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour violations, compliance issues, and more.
Susan G. Morrison and Eva DeLeon joined the Chamberlain McHaney law firm. Morrison brings 30 years of employment and education law experience. DeLeon focuses on education law and employment litigation. Dickinson Wright hired Ross Spencer Garsson and K. Lance Anderson to the firm’s new Austin office. Garsson focuses on intellectual property litigation, patent prosecution, and intellectual property portfolio management. Anderson focuses on complex technology and intellectual property transactions. Casey Johnson Burack joined the Austin Office of Winstead PC. Burack’s background is in publicprivate partnership agreements and the procurement of toll highways, rail projects, transit, airport, and other major infrastructure.
MOVING ON UP Amanda K. Jester was elected to the board of directors at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis. Jester represents private equity funds, surgery centers, home health agencies, physician practices, and specialized
Lorinda Holloway was appointed by Husch Blackwell as managing partner of its Austin office. Holloway represents healthcare clients in federal False Claim Act and state Medicaid fraud cases, as well as in business disputes and malpractice cases. Carey Gunn Venditti was invited to become an Advisory Council Member of the Real Estate Finance and Investment Center (REFIC) of the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. Venditti is a real estate shareholder at Greenberg Taurig in Austin. New officers have been elected for the Austin LGBT Bar Association board. The new officers are Robert Vela, president; Christine Andresen, vice-president; Marshall Eudy, secretary; Daniel Collins, treasurer, Stefanie Collins, membership chair and Ryan Malloy, social chair. To submit announcements for inclusion in the Briefs section of Austin Lawyer, email Kelli Horan at kelli@austinbar.org.