Class of 1994
(Notes posted in the order they were received, with the newest posts on top.)
David L. Hudson Jr. had his 24th book published. His book, Combat Sports: An Encyclopedia of Wrestling, Fighting and Mixed Martial Arts, was recently released by Greenwood Press. David is a licensed boxing judge who has worked a couple of world title fights. He serves on Vanderbilt's adjunct law faculty and is the First Amendment Scholar at the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University. Posted 6-18-09
Jeffrey A. Brauer, a litigation partner with Hahn Loeser & Parks in Cleveland, was presented with the Ohio State Bar Foundation (OSBF) Community Service Award for Attorneys 40 and Under in District 12 for his outstanding service to the community. He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) District 12, which covers Cuyahoga County. Jeff has been an active member of the legal community, having served as chair of the New Lawyers section of the OSBA, the New Lawyer Training Task Force and as a Young Lawyer Delegate to the American Bar Association House of Delegates. He is a Fellow of the OSBF; as a member of the Fellows Class of 2005, he was actively involved in the project, “With Liberty and Justice For All…Somalis in Ohio.” He is currently the statewide coordinator for Wills for Ohio, an organization that provides free estate planning to firefighters, police officers and emergency medical service employees. Jeff is also committed to pro bono work within Hahn Loeser, where he chairs the firm's Pro Bono Committee and is responsible for the firm’s pro bono services in Cleveland, Columbus, Akron and Florida. One of his main pro bono initiatives is a program that addresses landlord-tenant disputes in Cleveland Municipal Court. He also aided in the development of a program with Community Legal Aid Services of Akron for Hahn Loeser to adopt-a-neighborhood for regular pro bono services. Posted 6-17-09
Tacita A. Mikel Scott is now a partner with Adorno & Yoss, based in the firm's Atlanta office. Her practice focuses on employment and business litigation. Adorno & Ross focuses on international law and is the largest certified minority-owned law firm in the United States. Posted 1-12-09
Cristina Pauzé has joined Time Warner Cable as vice president of federal regulatory affairs. She will report to Steven Teplitz, senior vice president of government relations, and will be based in the company’s Washington, D.C. public policy office. Cristina will be responsible for leading Time Warner Cable’s advocacy efforts before the Federal Communications Commission on cable and media-related issues. “Cristina has an impressive background in communications policy,” Teplitz said. “Her experience at the FCC, in particular, prepares her tremendously well to help guide Time Warner Cable’s regulatory efforts, and we will be fortunate to have her level of expertise at our company.” Cristina formerly was legal advisor to FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell. She provided counsel on cable, broadcast and satellite policy and regulatory issues, including carriage of digital signals, the digital TV transition, cable must-carry requirements, leased access, and video franchising. She joined the FCC in 2006 from the Washington law firm of Morrison & Foerster, where she worked from 1997 to 2001, and again from 2004 to 2006, on a variety of issues for broadcast, telecommunications, wireless and satellite companies. She has additional corporate and law firm experience and began her career as a judicial clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. She received a bachelor’s degree from Duke University.
Posted 9-7-08
Robert Gonzales has announced he will be leaving MGLAW, the firm he helped found, to pursue investment opportunities in the insolvency arena. His long-time partner, Bob Mendes, knew that Robert had an entrepreneurial spirit that fueled a variety of interests. “He always said he wouldn’t be doing this forever,” Bob said of Robert. “With this economy, it is the perfect time for the business he's talked about for years.” Robert, who specializes in guiding companies through financial restructurings and wind downs, will be leaving MGLAW at the end of September after working closely with his partners and associates to ensure a smooth transition for everyone at MGLAW and its clients. “I will continue to work with distressed companies and insolvency professionals, but in the role of investor rather than lawyer. My new company will buy claims and distressed assets, and will provide capital to businesses going through workouts or Chapter 11s,” Robert said. “I can’t live in two worlds, which is why I’ve made the decision to resign from MGLAW. As a founding member, MGLAW and its continued success will always be very important to me. I wouldn't have been able to make this move without my partners' support and encouragement” said Robert. “I have been privileged to work with an exceptional group of lawyers and colleagues at MGLAW and in the legal and business communities. I look forward to continuing to strengthen those relationships going forward.” More than a decade ago, Robert and Bob partnered to create a small law firm known today as MGLAW – a firm with an impressive track record in resolving litigation and insolvency matters for an equally impressive list of clients and referring attorneys. In addition to building a successful law practice, the two had a vision to create an atmosphere that was different than the stereotypical legal firm. It is this entrepreneurial vision that has bred a culture which makes it possible for Robert to take this next step and start a new company. Robin Bicket White (VLS '98) joined the firm in 2000 and made partner in 2006. Along with Joe Kelly, who joined the firm in 2007, the partners have often commented that they are “business people with a lawyer’s tool kit.” They have fostered an innovative culture that encourages entrepreneurial thinking and an open approach to the business which they hope will continue to create an atmosphere that attracts bright, talented attorneys. The firm’s niches of corporate insolvency (representing debtors, creditors, committees) and business litigation won’t change, nor will the name MGLAW. Robert thinks the firm's future has never been brighter, stating that "the firm is poised for growth and I’m looking forward to watching it. Even now, they are expanding into an adjacent suite, have hired a new associate, and are interviewing some other talented candidates."
Posted 8-27-08
Elijah Blaine Sprouse is a member of the law firm of Procter Slaughter & Reagan, in Ventura, California.
Posted 8-14-08
Sheila Jones Calloway was honored as a Top Lady of Distinction for 2008. Sheila was one of ten women selected for the honor, which is bestowed by the Top Ladies of Distinction on ten African-American women whose professional accompishments support the organizations focus on promoting scholarship opportunities for today's youth, assisting the aged, improving the status of women, and promoting community beautification. She teaches Trial Advocacy at Vanderbilt as an adjunct professor of law.
David Hudson had his 14th, 15th and 16th books published recently. They are: The Rehnquist Court: Understanding Its Impact and Legacy (Praeger, 2006); Basketball Championships Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of March Mayhem, Playoff Performances and Tournament Oddities (Potomac Books, 2007); and Women in Golf (Greenwood, 2007).
Jeffrey L. Rose has been named Deputy First Assistant Attorney General by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (VULS JD '84). Jeff has served as Chief of the Civil General Litigation Division at the Office of the Attorney General since 2003, handling some of the state's highest profile civil litigation matters, ranging from school finance to health care administration.
"Jeff Rose has been a trusted legal advisor, not just for me and my office, but to outside clients, commissions, agencies and boards across the state," said Attorney General Abbott. "Jeff has the civil litigation background and strong leadership that will serve the people of Texas well as he oversees the complex legal and administrative issues of this office."
Jeff brings a distinguished legal record to his new role, having handled significant trial and appellate matters on behalf of the State, including guiding state officials through the recent school finance conflict. Prior to joining the Attorney General's Office, Jeff was a partner in the Austin office of Strasburger & Price, a Dallas-based law firm handling a broad range of civil litigation. Rose was named by Texas Monthly Magazine as a "Texas Super Lawyer" in the field of commercial litigation in 2004 and again in 2005. He graduated from Baylor University with degrees in Finance and Business Management and was on the Dean's list at Vanderbilt Law School.
Jeff is a strong advocate for community service and has served on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central Texas. He is an alumni of the Leadership Austin program, which promotes energetic and experienced leadership, and he was a founding board member of The Rise School, a preschool for children with Down Syndrome and related developmental difficulties.
Cristina Chou Pauzé has been hired as Acting Media Advisor to the Federal Communications Commission. She had joined the FCC as an Associate Bureau Chief in the Media Bureau. Her prior experience includes positions at Morrison & Foerster's Washington DC office, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and Teleglobe USA Inc.
Dana Renea Brown Shaffer has been named Chief Wireline Advisor to the Federal Communications Commission. She had recently joined the FCC as Deputy Bureau Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau and served as an interim legal advisor to Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate. Shaffer has more than ten years' experience in the telecommunications industry, during which time she served in a number of leadership roles, including President of the Southeastern Competitive Carriers Association and President of the Tennessee Telecommunications Association. Shaffer was also formerly vice president and Regulatory Counsel at XO Communications in Nashville.
Heather M. Corken has been named a partner in the Houston office of Fulbright & Jaworski. Corken has practiced all aspects of environmental law, including advising clients on regulatory requirements, assisting them in the evaluation and negotiation of corporate and real estate transactions and representing them in environmental litigation and criminal defense matters. A major focus of her practice is representing clients in state and federal superfund matters. Heather was profiled in the March 2006 edition of Texas Lawyer in an article about new firm partners.
Heather has worked at Fulbright for the more than 11 years since she graduated from Vanderbilt. She is the mother of four children under the age of 8, and took advantage of Fulbright's modified work-schedule program to work about four-and-a-half years of her tenure part time after the birth of her first child. She and her husband now have four daughters: Katherine, 7; twins Brittany and Meg, 5; and Elizabeth, now 2. "I am proud that I was able to plot my own career, able to have my children, able to stay on track and accomplish what I view as the pinnacle of the law profession: to be partner at a major international law firm," she told Texas Lawyer writer Jeanne Graham.
Tracey M. Roberts received the Access to Justice Committee's first Civil Justice Innovation Award in June 2005. The Civil Justice Innovation Award honors an individual lawyer or legal project that, through the use of innovative technology, has extended civil legal services to the poor or marginalized communities or has met previously unmet legal needs. Tracey, an attorney-consultant for Georgia Legal Services Program and the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, was recognized for outstanding leadership in the civil justice community and has worked extensively with immigrant communities in Georgia to train low-income households to use online legal information and self-help resources.
James Wodarski was recently promoted to member in the Boston office of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo. James practices in the litigation section of the firm's Boston office. He is a trial lawyer with experience representing clients throughout the United States in a wide range of disputes, including complex business litigation, white-collar crime, products liability, federal securities actions, insurance coverage and intellectual property.
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