Vanderbilt University Law School

Class of 1998

(Notes posted in the order they were received, with the newest posts on top.)

Peggy (Facklis) Hintergardt has joined Essilor of America, Inc., a Dallas-based leading manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses worldwide, as its Corporate Counsel. Peggy will be responsible for all areas of legal representation for the company, including mergers and acquisitions, promotions and marketing, antitrust and distribution, employment and intellectual property matters. Peggy joined Essilor with more than eight years of employment law litigation and counseling experience in the Dallas area. She is board-certified in employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and was recently named by D Magazine as one of the "Best Lawyers under the Age of 40." Posted 6-17-09

Kevin R. Ghassomian, who is a member of Greenebaum Doll & McDonald based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been appointed to the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. Kevin has served on the Cincinnati Chamber's Board of Directors since 2006. His practice focuses on estate planning, asset protection and closely held business law. Posted 4-2-09

Christian Peterson, an attorney with the law firm of Gunster, has been named Volunteer of the Year for the L.A. Lee Family Center by the YMCA of Broward County. Chris is a shareholder and a member of the firm’s litigation practice group. He was recognized for his dedication and outstanding service to the YMCA at its annual meeting. Posted 3-3-09

Stacy Amity Feld has joined Physic Ventures, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm dedicated to investing in consumer-driven health and sustainable living, as Associate Director of Business Development. In this role, she will be responsible for sourcing and managing new investments in the areas of Personalized and Consumer Medicine, focusing on companies developing novel therapies and predictive diagnostics and offering innovative services to promote preventive and personalized healthcare. She joins Physic with more than 10 years of transactional experience in the healthcare sector. At Genentech, she focused on sourcing and accessing novel therapies and diagnostics in the areas of Oncology, Immunology, Ophthalmology, Vascular Biology and Metabolic Diseases and participated in various strategic initiatives to drive expansion of research and product development into new therapeutic areas. She also served as Director of Licensing and Corporate Development at Third Wave Technologies, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company (since acquired by Hologic, Inc. in 2008), where she was responsible for in-licensing intellectual property to support product development and building strategic relationships with customers, collaborators and suppliers. Stacy began her career in the life sciences sector at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati in Palo Alto, California, where she advised public and private companies in the biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors on intellectual property matters and strategic business transactions. Posted 1-12-09

Elisabeth S. Gray has been re-elected mayor of Crossgate, a city in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky. A member of Greenebaum Doll and McDonald’s Louisville office, Elisabeth was appointed mayor in June, 2008, after the previous mayor relocated to another state. Crossgate has about 300 residents. Elisabeth is part of Greenebaum’s litigation and dispute resolution practice group. Her practice focuses on trade secrets and covenant not to compete litigation, class action litigation, cyber-litigation, jurisdictional litigation, and general commercial litigation. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon. Posted 11-21-08

Meg Gallmeyer Anderson and her husband, Knight, welcomed their daughter Sevilla Pierce Anderson in April 2007. They live in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Amy J. Everhart joined the Nashville firm of Riley Warnock & Jacobson.

David G. Wilson was named partner with Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis. David practices in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, securities and business transaction law in Nashville, Tenn.

Robert C. Hannon was named a Member of the Nashville, TN firm of Boult Cummings Conners & Berry. Prior to joining Boult Cummings, Robert practiced at the law firm of Stites & Harbison. His practice is focused primarily on representing lenders and borrowers in all types of commercial loan transactions including syndications, participations, real estate development and construction loans, real estate acquisition loans, health care loans, asset based loans, floor plan loans, airplane loans, and loans to nonprofit institutions. He also has extensive experience with loan workouts and distressed debt acquisition. For the past nine years, Robert has been a director for McNeilly Center for Children, including serving as chairman, vice chairman, secretary and chair of its annual fundraising event McNeilly in May. Prior to attending law school, Robert taught 5^th and 6^th grade in Washington, D.C. through Teach for America.

Aaron Davidson was named a partner in the law firm Baker Botts. His practice focuses on complex professional malpractice, securities, and intellectual property disputes.

Tom Cullinan is a partner with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan in its Atlanta office. Tom focuses his practice on tax controversy matters, and represents taxpayers in administrative examinations and in court.

Beth Townsend has joined the Nashville firm of Moses & Townsend as a partner.

Charlnette A. Richard has joined the Nashville office of Miller & Martin as an associate in the firm's litigation practice group. She was previously staff counsel with The Travelers Insurance Companies' Travelers Insurance. Earlier, she was an associate with Booker & Associates, in Nashville.

Chris Gramling has been named partner at Shook Hardy & Bacon in Kansas City, Missouri. Chris represents clients in high-profile cases in state and federal courts across the country. He focuses on the defense of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in complex product liability litigations.

Marc Schatten has relocated his law practice to G.W. Merrick & Assoc. and is a Senior Associate practicing business and securities litigation in Denver, Colorado. He says he would love to see any Vanderbilt Law classmates passing through the Colorado mountains.

Elizabeth Mims Donley has been elected partner at King & Spalding in Washington, DC. Elizabeth concentrates on mergers, acquisitions, licensing and financial transactions, joint ventures, and other corporate matters and represents pharmaceutical, defense, aerospace, telecommunications, and technology companies. Prior to joining the firm in 2000 as an associate, she clerked for Judge Owen Forrester of the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Jeffrey M. Ratinoff recently joined the Silicon Valley office of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney as a senior attorney. Jeff previously worked for an international law firm in the area of intellectual property litigation in Silicon Valley. Jeff focuses his practice on protecting clients' intellectual property rights and in commercial disputes, particularly in the areas of trade secret misappropriation and trademark, copyright and patent infringement actions. He has federal, state and appellate court experience representing high-technology clients, primarily in the semiconductor and computer hardware and software industries.

Richard E. Kozlowski has been elected to the Partnership of Baker & Hostetler. Richard, based in Columbus, Ohio, is a member of the Business Group and concentrates his practice in mergers and acquisitions and international transactions.

Elizabeth Blackwell has been selected to become a partner in the firm of Thompson Coburn. Liz is a member of the firm's Tobacco Litigation and Appellate practice areas. She possesses special expertise in defending against the improper use of aggregate trial procedures, such as class certification, large and small consolidations, and phased bifurcated or trifucated trial plans.

Gray Sasser, a Nashville attorney with Miller & Martin, was elected Saturday to serve as chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party for 2007-2008. Sasser will take the reins from outgoing Chairman Bob Tuke '76, an attorney at the Nashville firm of Trauger & Tuke, who chose not to seek another term at the Party's helm. Sasser, the son of former U.S. Senator Jim Sasser, has served as legal counsel for the state's Democrats for the last four years. At Miller & Martin, his practice has concentrated on corporate and international law, with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, securities and venture capital investments. He has also worked with local entrepreneurs, advising on general business issues and entity formation.

Robin Bicket White and Jason L. White gave birth to Chloe Rose White on June 12, 2006. They live in Brentwood, Tennessee, and Robin is a member of Mendes & Gonzales' involvency group, based in Nashville.

Shannon Evans Pinkston has joined the Nashville firm of Bass Berry & Sims in its healthcare practice.

Caitlin Noe Moon and two other prominent female Williamson County, Tennessee, attorneys have joined forces to form a new legal practice called The Harpeth Law Group. Moon most recently has been a sole practitioner, but she has also spent time with the law firms of Hale & Hale in Franklin and Dodson, Parker & Behm in Nashville. Her practice is focused in the areas of wills and estate planning, among others. The firm was formed so that the attorneys could offer legal services in "a family-friendly environment," according to a press release.

Richard J. Carter, Jr., was recently elected partner at Powell Goldstein in Atlanta, practicing in the area of corporate and commercial real estate.

Louis C. Spelios was recently elected partner at Powell Goldstein in Atlanta, practicing in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity and general corporate law.

Gindi Eckel Vincent married Garrett Bray Vincent on May 6, 2006 in Houston, Texas. She was sworn in as Chair of the Texas Young Lawyers Association in June 2006 at the State Bar Annual Meeting and is a senior associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.

Elizabeth A. Alexander is a partner in the Nashville office of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, where she focuses on employment law and consumer class actions.

Andrea Taylor McKellar is a partner in Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville.

Sonya G. Smith was named associate to the president and assistant vice president of academic affairs for diversity at the University of Nebraska. Sonya previously served as associate dean of admissions at Vanderbilt Law School.

Judd Peak has been named senior associate at Frost Brown Todd. Judd joined the firm's Nashville office as an associate in 2003. He concentrates his practice in employment litigation and traditional labor law, representing employers in both federal and state court.

Gray Sasser has joined the Nashville office of Miller & Martin, where he practices corporate and international law with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions and venture capital investments.

Monica Victoria (Vicky) Harris Bowers has joined the New Orleans office of Oats & Hudson.

Jane Hyatt Thorpe is the Associate Vice President of Payment and Policy at the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) in Washington, D.C. An active member of the D.C. Bar, Ms. Hyatt Thorpe serves on the D.C. Bar Health Law Section Steering Committee and oversaw the development of a Patient Rights Manual and the revitalization of the Health Care Decision Making Project. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, and serves on the Board of Physician-Parent Caregivers, Inc.

Anthony T. Barnes is a shareholder of Law Weathers & Richardson in Grand Rapids, Michigan. An experienced corporate lawyer and West Michigan native, Tony has been with Law Weathers for three years.

Meredith Griffith has become a partner of the firm of Little House & Griffith, formerly Little & House, in Brentwood, Tennessee. Meredith's practice includes estate planning, probate and general corporate matters. She earned her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in 1994.

Jeffrey Ratinoff has joined Gordon & Rees in San Francisco as senior counsel in the intellectual property and business litigation groups. Jerry was formerly with Dechert.

Jerry Trippitelli moved from Washington, D.C., to San Diego to join the securities litigation group of DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary in August 2004.

Do you have news you would like to share or just want to let everyone know what you are up to these days? Submit your class note online, e-mail Grace Renshaw or call 615-322-2606.

Please check the "Alumni MIA" list to see if you can help us find any of your "lost" classmates!