Class of 1999
(Notes posted in the order they were received, with the newest posts on top.)
Martha L. Boyd (BA ’90), a Nashville partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, has been named a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Association. Martha focuses her practice on labor and employment law and employee benefits litigation. Posted 01-27-12
Cristina Eubanks O'Brien recently joined Kindred Healthcare, Inc. as Vice President and Real Estate Counsel. She and her husband, Bobby, reside in Louisville, Kentucky, with their two children, Robert, 5 and Kate, 2. Cristina practiced commercial real estate law in the Atlanta office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP for over eight years prior to joining Kindred. Posted 01-11-12
Trenton Cotney (BS ’96), a shareholder in the construction law practice group of Glenn Rasmussen Fogarty & Hooker in Tampa, is now a Florida Supreme Court Certified Appellate Mediator. He was also recently recognized as the 2011 Earl Blank “Heart” Award recipient by the Florida Roofing, Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (FRSA) for outstanding service to the roofing industry by an associate member. Posted 10-17-11
Timothy W. Gregg has been named chair of the securities regulation practice area at Maynard Cooper & Gale in Birmingham, Alabama. Tim has more than 10 years of experience representing companies in public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financings and corporate governance. Posted 10-17-11
Peggy Heminger joined Reed Smith LLP, located in downtown Pittsburgh, PA, as a counsel in the corporate and securities group. Heminger previously worked at Eckert Seamans. Posted 12-3-10
Erika Wilson pitches her Purse Flats on TLC's “Homemade Millionaire.” Wilson’s idea gets prime-time exposure when she gets a chance to pitch her Purse Flats on the TLC network’s “Homemade Millionaire,” a six-part television series that gives a platform to women entrepreneurs-in-the-making. Her story was recently featured in a New Orleans Net article. Posted 12-3-10
Brian R. Michael has joined WilmerHale in the firm's Los Angeles office as counsel in the Business Trial, Securities Litigation and Enforcement, and Investigations and Criminal Litigation groups. Brian was formerly an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California from 2005-10, serving in the Violent & Organized Crime Section, both as Anti-Gang Coordinator and Violence Against Women Coordinator. He was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 2003-05. Read the press release announcing Brian's appointment. Posted 4-13-10
Trenton H. Cotney (BS ’96) has won the Florida Roofing, Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association’s (FRSA) 2009 President’s Award, which was presented during the FRSA 87th Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida on July 11. Trent is board certified by the Florida Bar in construction law and focuses his practice on construction-related issues. He is a director and General Counsel of FRSA, a director of West Coast Roofing Contractors' Association (WCRCA), and a member of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). He has published more than 75 articles in 10 different publications on such topics as negligent design, delay damages, and defective workmanship, and has also conducted seminars on such topics as construction contract provisions and licensing issues. He recently received the Byron Curry Award, given by the WCRCA, and has also been recognized in Florida Trend Magazine's Legal Elite "Up & Coming" and Florida Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” lists. Posted 10-31-09
Matt Bromund, founder of the Law Office of Matt Bromund, an immigration and family law firm in Ventura, California, just added his firm’s first associate attorney. Matt’s firm has also moved to new offices on Telegraph Road in Ventura. Posted 10-31-09
R. Brian Hendrix ‘99 and his wife, Susan, are the proud parents of a son, Lucas Aiden, born July 13. The Hendrixes live in Alexandria, Virginia, and Brian is a partner with Patton Boggs in Washington, D.C. Posted 10-31-09
Eric D. Ruka has joined the Pittsburgh office of Spilman Thomas & Battle as counsel. His practice focuses on intellectual property law, including patent matters. Posted 7-20-09
David Meadows has been appointed to the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. David is an attorney at King & Spalding and previously practiced at Powell Goldstein. He and his wife, Maureen, live in Decatur, Georgia, with their two children. Posted 7-16-09
Kito K. Huggins is a consultant and Corporate Diversity & Inclusion Strategist for The FutureWork Institute, a global diversity and change management consultancy. As a direct report to the firm's CEO and COO, Kito identifies, researches and analyzes future trends in employment, the marketplace and government regulation of his client’s industries to position them for success. He also advises corporate executives and organizations on best practices for management and execution of their global diversity and inclusion strategy and business initiatives. He spearheads diversity training, presents at conferences, leads focus groups and initiates change management solutions for corporate organizations representing the gamut of leading industries, including among others, pharma, advertising, law, government, investment management and energy. He comes to FWI with more than nine years’ experience as litigation counsel and as an investment bank compliance officer for global financial institutions. He has championed diversity initiatives for Fortune-100 companies and law firms including the recruitment, retention and professional development of employees of color and within the LGBT community. Posted 6-17-09
Mark Liniado recently joined BNSF Railway Company in Fort Worth as Assistant General Tax Counsel. Mark previously was Tax Counsel at Energy Future Holdings in Dallas. Posted 6-17-09
Trenton H. Cotney (VU B.S. 1996) was included in the 2009 Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star list, which includes top up-and-coming attorneys who have been practicing for 10 years or less or are under age 40. Trent focuses on construction litigation at Glenn Rasmussen Fogarty & Hooker in Tampa. Posted 6-17-09
Alexander Helderman has been promoted to counsel in the Communications Litigation Practice Group of Drinker Biddle & Reath in Philadelphia. Posted 4-3-09
Tricia Charles Pavela joined the legal department of Boeing Company at their corporate world headquarters in Chicago in February 2009. At Boeing, Tricia will handle a range of litigation, with a special focus on product liability and insurance coverage. Before she joined Boeing, Tricia was a product liability attorney with Swanson Martin & Bell in Chicago. Tricia married fellow Chicagoan Andrew Pavela on June 7, 2008, in Split, Croatia, in a location overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Posted 4-3-09
Brian Baker married Kate Maxwell of Alexandria, VA in July, 2008. Posted 2-21-09.
Tonya M. Gray is now a partner with Andrews Kurth, based in the firm's Dallas office. Posted 12-31-08
Taylor A. Cates, with Burch Porter & Johnson in Memphis, has been selected to participate in the Tennessee Bar Association’s 2009 Leadership Law program. Taylor handles a range of litigation as well as intellectual property matters. Leadership Law is designed to equip Tennessee lawyers with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders in their profession and local communities. This year’s class of 35 attorneys was chosen from across the state. Posted 12-2-08
Ryan D. Thomas is a partner with Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville, Tennessee. Ryan is a member of the firm's corporate and securities group, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, take over preparation and defense, registered public equity and debt offerings and venture capital financings, as well as the advising of both public and established private companies in compliance, disclosure and governance matters. Posted 10-1-08
Ben Foster is an executive and in-house counsel at Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. IDS combines weapons and aircraft capabilities, intelligence and surveillance systems, communications architectures and extensive large-scale integration expertise. IDS has three capabilities-driven businesses, Boeing Military Aircraft, Network and Space Systems, and Support Systems, as well as a tanker programs unit and an advanced technology development organization, Advanced Systems. Ben’s responsibilities include oversight of various advanced defense programs within Advanced Systems including Command and Control (C2) systems, Anti-Terrorism Technology (ATT), logistics, and network-centric capabilities. His previous responsibilities at Boeing included advising Phantom Works, the advanced research and development unit at Boeing. Prior to joining Boeing, Ben practiced government contracts law and complex commercial litigation at Thompson Coburn in St. Louis, Missouri. Posted 8-1-08
Mark Miller has become a shareholder of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz. Miller, who began his legal career as a summer associate with the firm, handles banking, M&A and securities work and has represented clients before various federal and state regulatory bodies. He is a board member of and legal advisor to the Nashville Area Junior Chamber of Commerce.
David A. Applebaum was elected a shareholder of Leonard, Street and Deinard. David focuses his practice on class action litigation, complex litigation and antitrust litigation and counseling.
Salvador M. Hernandez joined the firm Riley Warnock & Jacobson. Salvador is a former clerk for the Hon. Gilbert S. Merritt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Jennifer Bozeman passed away on January 24, 2008 after an extended battle with cancer. Prior to her illness she worked with Metro Legal Department of Law in Nashville.
Kirk D. Johnson has been elected to the partnership of Baker Hostetler in the firm's Orlando office. Kirk is a member of the Litigation Group and concentrates his practice in commercial litigation.
Thomas K. Johnson II has joined the partnership of Dechert. Tom is a member of the labor and employment group. Resident in the firm’s Philadelphia office, Tom counsels and represents employers in all types of litigation in federal and state courts, including individual and class action employment discrimination suits, trade secrets, and non-compete disputes.
Charlie Reasor practices commercial real estate law in Nashville. He and his wife (Katie Knaphurst BA'92, MA'00) have two boys aged four and two. Charlie enjoys having lunch at the University Club as he never knows who will be there: one week he runs into Don Hall and Tom McCoy and the next week former President of Brazil Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
Paul Morris of Martin Tate Morrow & Marston has been named Vice President of Memphis Area Legal Services for the 2007-2008 year. Paul Morris focuses his practice in the area of business litigations, concentrating on issues such as patent litigation and licensing, trademark and copyright litigation. He is an active member in several organizations such as the Center City Commission, Downtown Neighborhood Association and American Inn of Court.
Mary Beth Fortugno has joined Bass Berry & Sims as an associate in the firm's healthcare industry practice. She previously served as counsel supporting IASIS Healthcare's acute-care hospital operations in Texas and Florida.
Julye Johns was recently named partner of the Atlanta-based law firm of Huff Powell & Bailey. Julye joined the firm as an associate in July 2004. She largely focuses her practice on healthcare litigation and the defense of professional liability lawsuits. Her experience includes nursing home defense, medical device/pharmaceutical litigation and products liability as well. Since joining Huff Powell & Bailey, Julye has contributed to the success of cases involving medical and legal professional defense, insurance law and employment litigation before federal and state courts. Julye dedicates her time to several professional and community organizations. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia, the Atlanta Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute and the Lawyers Club of Atlanta. She also served as a barrister in the Lumpkin American Inn of Court. For the past six years she has served as a Guardian ad Litem with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation. Additionally, Julye is a member of the Junior League of Atlanta and also serves on the Judicial Citizen Review Panel for the Fulton County Juvenile Court.
Joseph Y. McCoin has become a member of the law firm of Miller & Martin. Joseph concentrates his practice on providing strategic advice and legal counseling to clients in matters involving traditional labor law, employment law, health and safety compliance and transportation law.
Alex Helderman and Carrie Rosen welcomed their son, Jacob Parker Helderman, on August 11, 2006. Carrie, Alex and Jake live in Philadelphia, PA where Carrie practices labor and employment law with Cozen O'Connor and Alex practices telecom litigation and general commercial litigation with Drinker Biddle & Reath.
Christopher A. Sloan has been named a Member of Boult Cummings Conners & Berry. Chris joined the firm in 1999 and advises clients on a wide variety of intellectual property, software, technology, e-commerce and Internet law issues. In addition, Chris handles many general corporate and entertainment law-related matters for the firm. He is a long-standing member of the Executive Committee of the Tennessee Bar Association's Intellectual Property Law Committee and a member of the Nashville Bar Association.
Timothy W. Gregg has been named a new shareholder at Maynard Cooper & Gale. Tim practices in the firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Finance, Corporate Governance and Compliance, Financial Institutions, General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Venture Capital and Private Equity Investment practice groups. Tim represents both private and publicly held companies in public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions and venture capital financings. He also counsels both new and established public companies regarding their public reporting obligations, corporate governance matters and other issues related to their public company status, including compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and NYSE and NASDAQ listing standards. Tim serves on the Committee on Federal Regulation of Securities, the Committee on Corporate Governance, and the Committee on Negotiated Acquisitions of the American Bar Association. He is also a member of the Alabama State Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar and the Birmingham Bar Association.
Paul Gontarek was named partner at the Nashville law firm of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis.
Martha Boyd has joined Boult Cummings Conners & Berry's litigation practice as an associate. Martha joined the firm after practicing for seven years in the Cincinnati and Nashville offices of Frost Brown Todd, where she focused on labor and employment law. In her new role at Boult Cummings, Martha will focus her practice in the areas of business litigation and labor and employment. A former Major in the United States Army Reserve, Martha served in Iraq as the Coalition Provisional Authority's senior advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. She helped set up the first public shelter for victims of domestic violence in Baghdad.
Kito Huggins has joined the Lehman Brothers global investment bank in New York, NY. Kito is Vice President of Corporate Advisory Compliance supporting the bank's Private Investment Management division. Kito joined Lehman after four and a half years managing sales practices litigation, securities arbitrations and regulatory matters in MetLife's Law Department as Counsel.
J. Christopher Clifton has been appointed as senior vice president, general counsel and chief compliance officer of Opteum Incorporated (NYSE:OPX), a real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests in residential mortgage-related securities and originates loans through its taxable REIT subsidiary, Opteum Financial Services. Christopher joins Opteum from PPG Industries, Inc., a global manufacturer of coatings, glass, fiber glass and chemicals, where he was most recently the primary attorney supporting PPG's Industrial Coatings business unit. Prior to that, he served as PPG's finance and securities counsel, and was previously an associate with Pillsbury Winthrop, where he focused principally on corporate, mergers and acquisitions, securities and finance matters. Christopher holds an MBA in finance, is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the bars of New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Indiana. He is also a former director of the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and a former treasurer of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals.
Julie and John Ehinger have moved to Dallas to take in-house positions. John took a general counsel/chief compliance officer position with Placemark Investments, and Julie is corporate counsel for the specialty pharmaceuticals division of a large healthcare company, AmerisourceBergen Corporation. They have a 16-month-old daughter named Lulu.
Scott Fielding was recently named partner of Sherrard & Roe in Nashville. Scott joined the Nashville law firm in 1999 and focuses his practice in commercial lending, real estate and corporate transactions.
Stephen Hurd was recently named partner of Sherrard & Roe in Nashville. Stephen joined the firm in 2000 and focuses his practice on commercial litigation and arbitration, securities, and health care.
Tom Tong has left Locke Liddell & Sapp in Houston to launch his own legal boutique. The Tong Law Firm specializes in a unique niche stimulated by steadily rising business relationships between the United States and China. Tong departed with a stable of Chinese and U.S. clients and the blessings of his former colleagues at Locke Liddell, who continue to count on him for support in their work involving Chinese parties. The mutual arrangement eliminated the need to fill the position vacated by Tong, a dual Chinese national and U.S. citizen fluent in English, Mandarin and several Chinese dialects. "You can't replace someone with Tom's cultural background," says Stacy Williams, a litigation partner at Locke Liddell. "He understands both the Chinese and American cultural and legal systems." Williams considers Tong to be the top Chinese-speaking attorney in Houston in terms of international legal experience.
Thomas B. Bosch has joined the Atlanta office of Counsel On Call to help manage the company's recruiting efforts. Bosch practiced with the law firm of McKenna Long & Aldridge, concentrating in the area of commercial litigation.
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