Issue: Winter 2024-2025
85 results
Graduated in 2020s
2020
Adam Shniderman joined Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP as an associate. He most recently served as a staff attorney for Justice Evan A. Young of the Supreme Court of Texas. Prior to working with Justice Young, Shniderman clerked for Justice Brett Busby of the Supreme Court of Texas and the Hon. Jay S. Bybee of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also worked at Winston & Strawn LLP in the firm’s Dallas office, overseeing motions in state and federal trial courts, appeals, and a petition for certiorari before the US Supreme Court.
2021
Sean J. Brennan was a fellow for the 2024 Law Program of the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics. He is an assistant US attorney in Washington, DC, where he prosecutes crimes arising from the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Previously, Brennan worked as an associate attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
Elisabeth Brennen was a fellow for the 2024 Law Program of the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics. She is a third-year litigation associate at Milbank LLP in New York. Brennen primarily works in civil litigation and maintains an active pro bono practice, focusing on public international law and immigration assistance.
Chaila Fraundorfer was a fellow for the 2024 Law Program of the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics. She is an associate at Linklaters London, where she works in capital markets.
Chase Johnson joined Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew PC as an associate attorney in the firm’s business department. Prior to joining the firm, Johnson worked as an attorney with Goulston & Storrs, where he represented clients in complex commercial transactions and land use matters. His practice areas include corporate transactions and governance, renewable energy transactions, and nonprofits.
2022
Altamush Saeed, LLM, received the Humane Society of the United States’ first-ever Diversity Equity and Inclusion Spark Award. Saeed is the founding managing partner of Environmental and Animal Rights Consultants, Pakistan’s first dedicated animal and environmental law practice. He also co-founded the nonprofit Charity Doings Foundation, which supports a variety of initiatives related to human and animal rights as well as environmental issues. Saeed serves on the boards and as an international animal rights expert for several organizations, including Pro-Veg, Northwest Animal Rights Network, World Animal Justice, Green Islam, and Asia for Animals.
Graduated in 2010s
2010
Austin Ownbey joined Akerman LLP as a corporate partner in the firm’s Washington, DC, office. He is an antitrust and cannabis regulatory practitioner who counsels and represents clients across industries, including health care, pharmaceuticals, private equity, venture capital, technology, and energy. Ownbey also represents cannabis entrepreneurs in preparing license applications and other cannabis regulatory compliance matters. Before joining Akerman, he was competition counsel at Foley Hoag LLP, where he specialized in antitrust counseling and Hart-Scott-Rodino Act filings.
Daniel Trump was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom as legal adviser to the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), where he has been a regional attorney since 2011. Before his role at the California PERB, Trump was a law clerk and field organizer for the National Treasury Employees Union.
2011
Michael Huston was named a Law360 2024 Rising Star. He is a partner and firmwide appellate practice co-chair at Perkins Coie LLP and practices out of the firm’s Washington, DC, and Phoenix offices. He assists clients in high-stakes litigation matters, especially complex appeals and matters involving administrative law. Huston has briefed, argued, and won cases in the US Supreme Court and in federal and state appellate courts around the country. Before joining Perkins Coie, he was an assistant to the solicitor general at the US Department of Justice.
Melissa “Mel” Jordan has been recognized by Lawdragon for the second year running as a Global 100 Leader in Legal Strategy and Consulting for her work as founder and CEO of Jordan's Ladder Legal Placements LLC. Jordan specializes in high-end partner placements in major metropolitan markets and has worked with partners in a number of practice areas, including finance, trusts and estates, tax, and privacy.
2012
Justin Benson joined Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP as counsel in the firm’s Washington, DC, office. He practices complex federal litigation with an emphasis on the representation and defense of corporations and individuals doing business with, or regulated by, the federal government. Benson has extensive experience in litigation relating to the procurement and performance of government contracts and private sector participation in government programs. In addition, he represents clients in complex trial and appellate litigation in federal and state courts.
Elizabeth Bock is a Law360 2024 Rising Star. Bock is a partner at O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles who represents health care organizations in a variety of complex regulatory, enforcement, and litigation matters. She represents clients in matters involving Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act, including compliance with regulatory requirements, payment models and underlying data, and related topics such as medical loss ratio, payment integrity, and quality metrics.
Sharon Brett joined the University of Kansas School of Law (KU Law) faculty as an associate professor. Her scholarship focuses on structural, procedural, and doctoral impediments to systemic reform of government institutions, with a particular focus on the criminal legal system and policing. Before joining KU Law, Brett was the legal director at the ACLU of Kansas, where she led complex civil rights litigation in Kansas state courts as well as federal courts. She has first-chaired numerous trials and argued several appeals on cases regarding voting rights and redistricting, the Fourth Amendment, and LGBTQ+ rights.
Gautam Hans received the 2024 M. Shanara Gilbert Emerging Clinician Award from the Association of American Law Schools Section on Clinical Legal Education. Hans is an associate clinical professor of law and the founding director of the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Clinic at Cornell University Law School. Hans, who joined the Cornell Law faculty in 2022 as the associate director of the First Amendment Clinic, is an expert on First Amendment law and technology policy.
2013
Anika Fischer joined DiamondRock Hospitality Company as senior vice president and general counsel. Previously, Fischer was deputy general counsel at Essex Property Trust Inc., where she led its legal department in capital markets transactions, securities and corporate governance, and other matters. Fischer began her career as an associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in the firm’s real estate group.
2014
Winter 2024-2025 Class Note
Judith Conway, ’14: Representing David in a World of Goliaths
Conway, an associate at Cooney & Conway, a midsize plaintiff’s law firm in Chicago, represents victims of serious personal injury and wrongful death, specializing in cases involving asbestos-related diseases. For her efforts, she won the 2024 Young Lawyer of the Year award from the Illinois State Bar Association and Forbes named her one of Chicago’s Best Wrongful Death Lawyers of 2024.
Nicholas A. Fedewa joined Spencer Fane LLP in the firm’s Denver office as an associate in the real estate practice group. He helps clients navigate a range of real estate and business transactions with a focus on providing counsel for capital markets financing and other complex financial transactions.
Jenny Kim joined the University of Connecticut School of Law, where she teaches legal practice as an assistant clinical professor of law. Previously, she was the inaugural clinical fellow with Duke University School of Law’s Immigrant Rights Clinic. She also has worked at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, Church World Service, and the Kings County District Attorney’s Office.
Julian Kleinbrodt was named one of Law360’s 2024 Top Attorneys Under 40. He is a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where his nationwide labor and employment practice focuses on discrimination and class action claims. He handles a variety of antitrust matters through trial and appeal; he also represents clients in civil and criminal investigations by the US Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, and he regularly counsels clients on antitrust compliance.
2015
Luis Gomez was promoted to global class action counsel at Ford Motor Company, managing high-profile class actions involving allegations of product defects, breach of warranty, false advertising, and Telephone Consumer Protection Act violations. He also advises business stakeholders and executives on litigation risk and mitigation strategies. Previously, he was in-house counsel at Ford and managed complex consumer litigation nationwide. Gomez is a trustee and chairs the in-house counsel section of the Detroit Bar Association and serves as secretary for the Hispanic Bar Association of Michigan.
Andrew Knauss joined the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, part of the US Department of Labor, as a general attorney. He is based in Washington, DC, and focuses on litigation in all areas of labor and employment law. Previously, he was an associate at the Virginia-based firm Potter & Murdock PC, where he specialized in employment litigation and investigations.
Gabriel Lopez was appointed counsel at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, where he has been an associate in the Miami office since 2021. He represents clients in a broad range of domestic and cross-border transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, debt financings, joint ventures, and other commercial transactions throughout the United States and Latin America.
2016
Winter 2024-2025 Class Note
Emily Rutkowski, ’16: Transforming a Legal Career into a Mission of Global Support
While working at Morrison and Foerster’s corporate department in Palo Alto, California, Emily Rutkowski, ’16, discovered her passion for advocacy when she had the opportunity to work on a number of pro bono cases. In the years since, Rutkowski has followed that instinct to help others through a number of pivots in her career and personal life—including a move to Ukraine to support fundraising and other aid efforts related to the ongoing war.
John Scrudato was appointed director of artificial intelligence and innovation at Latham & Watkins LLP in the firm’s Fort Worth, Texas, office. Before joining the firm, he was a senior legal engineering and data strategy manager at Gunderson Dettmer LLP. Scrudato is a founding member of the Open Cap Table Coalition and serves as chair of its technical working group.
2017
Adele Daniel was promoted to partner at Keller Rohrback LLP. Daniel works on automotive defect and data-privacy class actions as well as environmental litigation on behalf of states and municipalities. Her pro bono practice focuses on amicus briefing for Washington nonprofits. Before joining Keller, Daniel clerked for the Hon. Michael Mosman on the US District Court for the District of Oregon and the Hon. Ronald Gould on the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
2018
Ava Jill Morgenstern joined Meltzer Hellrung LLC as an associate attorney in the firm’s Washington, DC, office. She advises clients on employment-based immigration matters, including immigrant and nonimmigrant petitions, and has extensive experience in naturalization matters. Morgenstern represents clients across all industries, with an emphasis on the IT consulting industry. Before joining the firm, she was an associate at Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP.
2019
Dale A. Bellitto joined the San Francisco office of Ogletree Deakins as an associate. Her practice focuses on defending employers against wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wage and hour causes of action in both state and federal courts. Bellitto also counsels employers on various personnel matters and employment practices, including matters related to the Family and Medical Leave Act and the California Family Rights Act.
Robert M. Kuhn joined Ackerman & Ackerman PC as an associate. Prior to joining the firm, Kuhn clerked for Justice Brian K. Zahra of the Michigan Supreme Court and as the sole law clerk to Chief Justice Annette K. Ziegler of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He also clerked for the Hon. Robert H. Cleland on the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Hinh D. Tran was a fellow for the 2024 Law Program of the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics. He also was named a Carnegie Ethics Fellow for the 2023–2025 term. He is lead counsel at Ramp, a financial technology startup, and a lecturer at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. Previously, Tran worked at Keker, Van Nest & Peters in San Francisco and clerked for the Hon. Dale A. Drozd on the US District Court for the Eastern District of California.
Graduated in 2000s
2000
Kimberly D. Bailey was named associate dean of academic affairs at the University of Cincinnati College of Law (UC Law). Bailey joined UC Law in 2023 and has taught criminal law; criminal procedure; evidence; and sex, gender, sexuality, and the law. Before joining UC Law, she was an associate professor and the Norman and Edna Freehling Scholar at Chicago- Kent College of Law.
Maria Kaplan joined the National Labor Relations Board as director of its Office of Equal Employment Opportunity. Kaplan most recently served as director of the Investigations and Compliance Division in the Office for Civil Rights, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). During her almost 10 years with the EEOC, she also served in senior-level positions across multiple offices, including the office of general counsel, federal operations, and equal opportunity.
Jeffrey Talbert joined Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP as a partner in its Boston and Newark, New Jersey, offices. As a member of the environmental practice, he advises clients on environmental litigation, permitting, due diligence, and risk management. Before joining the firm, he worked as a trial attorney in the Environmental Enforcement Section of the US Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
2001
Michelle Foster, LLM, is now serving as dean of the University of Melbourne Law School, where she also is a professor and the director of the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness, which she helped establish in 2018. Foster, an international authority on refugee law, human rights, and statelessness, is a research associate at the University of Oxford’s Refugee Studies Centre and research affiliate at the Refugee Law Initiative at the University of London. She is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences and the Australian Academy of Law.
William P. Johnson has been named rector and vice president of Saint Louis University’s (SLU) Madrid Campus. Most recently, he served as the dean of SLU’s School of Law for more than seven years. He also served as director of the Center for International and Comparative Law and, concurrently, as director of the School of Law’s Summer Law Program in Madrid. Before becoming a law professor, Johnson was in private practice in the business law department of Foley & Lardner LLP.
2003
Amit Trehan joined Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP in New York as a partner in the firm’s bankruptcy and restructuring practice. He represents financial institutions, hedge funds, direct lenders, corporate clients, ad hoc groups, and derivative counterparties. Trehan joined Cahill from Barclays PLC, where he was a principal in special asset management.
2004
Tony Shin was appointed general counsel of STIIIZY, a Los Angeles-based cannabis company. He has spent his career advising publicly traded and multinational companies and emerging high-growth organizations across a number of industries. Most recently, Shin was the associate general counsel at Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc. Before his role at Aerojet, he was a partner at Los Angeles-based TroyGould PC, where he represented and advised emerging growth, middle market, and public company clients in corporate and securities matters.
2005
Brenda Abdelall recently served as deputy director of Arab American voter outreach for the Harris-Walz presidential campaign. Abdelall is an Egyptian-American lawyer who has served in a number of roles at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including chief of staff and senior adviser for the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, assistant secretary for partnership and engagement, and, currently, senior counsel to the secretary. Before joining DHS, Abdelall worked at New York University as a deputy chief compliance officer and resident instructor and at the Washington, DC-based Muslim Advocates as a director.
2007
Tara J. Plochocki joined Sequor Law as a partner and head of the firm’s new Washington, DC, office. She is an asset recovery attorney and ICC FraudNet member who handles high-profile cases and unravels complex cross-border financial schemes. In addition to her international civil litigation practice, Plochocki represents individuals in connection with congressional and law enforcement investigations. She also advises on extradition law and regularly serves as an expert in proceedings in the UK and other Commonwealth countries.
2008
John Lyons joined Boies Schiller Flexner LLP as a partner in the firm’s New York office. His practice focuses on protecting companies against class actions and individual claims in state and federal court, along with complex litigation outside the US. Before joining Boies, Lyons was a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP. He is active in pro bono matters through the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and the New York Legal Aid Society.
Michelle Silverthorn was named one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 250 Female Founders for 2024. She is the founder and CEO of Inclusion Nation, a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) service company. Silverthorn was recognized for delivering DEI training to 3,500 students online and delivering more than 75 speeches to clients worldwide. Before founding her company, Silverthorn was the diversity and education director for the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. She lives in Ann Arbor.
2009
Elizabeth Crouse joined Holland & Knight LLP as partner in the firm’s Portland, Oregon, office. As an energy and tax law attorney, she advises clients on a range of US federal income tax matters, including tax credits for the renewable energy industry. Before joining the firm, Crouse was a partner at Perkins Coie LLP. She is the co-director of the Seattle chapter of Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy and co-chairs the tax committee of the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas.
Samantha Funk was appointed as a full-time faculty member at the University of Colorado Law School, where she has spent the past year as a visiting legal writing assistant professor. Before teaching, Funk practiced commercial litigation and represented clients at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal court. Her practice involved a broad range of civil matters, including class actions and franchise or contract disputes. After working as a civil litigator, she conducted civil rights and Title IX investigations at the University of Washington.
Lisa Helem, the executive editor at Bloomberg Industry Group, moderated the 2024 DMV Bar Presidents’ Panel in Washington, DC, which included the presidents of the Virginia and Maryland state bar associations as well as Charles Lowery Jr., ’79, who then was the president of the DC Bar. The event commemorated the first time that African American men led all three bar associations. Previously, Helem was editor-in-chief of the National Law Journal, practiced law at an Am Law 100 firm, and wrote for outlets including Newsweek, People, and the Philadelphia Daily News.
John Parsi joined the faculty at Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where he teaches criminal law, administration of criminal justice, family law, and health law, as well as remedies and science and technology law. His research and scholarship focuses on bodily autonomy at the intersection of health, science, and technology law. Previously, he taught at the University of Nebraska College of Law and Arizona State University.
Andrey Spektor joined Norton Rose Fulbright’s regulatory, investigations, securities, and compliance practice in the firm’s New York office. He represents companies, boards of directors, and individuals in criminal actions, government inquiries, civil enforcement proceedings, complex commercial litigation, and appeals and helps clients navigate criminal and civil investigations as well as to design, enhance, and implement risk-based compliance programs. Before joining Norton, Spektor was a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP and previously was an assistant US attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Graduated in 1990s
1990
Audrey Anderson was appointed interim general counsel at Dartmouth College. She is an attorney at Bass, Berry & Sims PLC and previously served as vice chancellor and general counsel and university secretary for Vanderbilt University. She remains an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt Law School, teaching higher education law and a seminar on the Supreme Court. Earlier in her career, Anderson worked in the Department of Homeland Security and also served as a partner in the education and litigation practice groups at Hogan & Hartson LLP, where she represented and advised public school districts in litigation and other matters, as well as advised clients in a range of complex civil litigation and appellate litigation.
Dan Kim has become the vice president for marketing and communications at Quinnipiac University. Before joining Quinnipiac, Kim was senior vice president for communications, marketing, and external relations at Brandeis University. Earlier, he served as vice president for marketing and communications at the College of the Holy Cross.
Colin Zick received a Band 1 rating for health care law in Massachusetts from Chambers USA. He is a partner at the Boston office of Foley Hoag LLP, where he serves as chair of the health care compliance practice and co-chair of the privacy and data security practice. His work often involves the intersection of health care and compliance issues in investigations, administrative proceedings, or litigation.
1991
Susan Hartmus Hiser co-founded Calzone Hiser PLLC in January 2024 with David Calzone, ’81. The firm, located in Metro Detroit, provides neutral mediation, arbitration, investigation, and Title IX hearing officer services. Throughout her career, Hiser has focused her practice on employment litigation, workplace investigations, and counseling employers on matters including discrimination and harassment, FMLA compliance, ADA accommodations, and disciplinary matters. Before co-founding Calzone Hiser, she was a partner at Fisher Phillips LLP. She also is a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
1992
Margaret A. Walker joined the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion board of trustees. She is the executive vice president of legal affairs and corporate communications at HMTX Industries, a global flooring company headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Before joining HMTX, Walker spent more than two decades at the Xerox Corporation. She has served on the boards of New Beginnings Family Academy Inc. and LifeBridge Community Services. Walker also is a founding member of the Black Bar Association of Rochester, New York.
1993
John W. Rees joined Reising Ethington PC in Troy, Michigan, as a senior attorney. Rees’s practice specializes in a broad range of technologies, including medical devices, machine-based inspection systems, and automotive-related products, with an emphasis on control algorithms. He has represented global clients across intellectual property matters, including US and foreign patent preparation and prosecution, trade secret protection, product reverse engineering studies, product and trademark clearances, and intellectual property due diligence.
Alec Rogers has joined Ford Motor Company’s Washington, DC, office as a government affairs executive and director of tax and finance policy. His appointment follows 18 years as senior director for Xerox Corporation and a decade on Capitol Hill, where he was senior counsel to the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. Before working on Capitol Hill, Rogers was in private practice in Birmingham, Michigan, and Washington, DC.
1996
Ashby Jones has been named deputy economics editor at the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). He first joined the WSJ in 2009 as an editor and went on to hold a number of positions at the organization, including most recently as deputy coverage chief for US news. Jones led the WSJ’s legal coverage from 2016 to 2019, which included working with a team of reporters and editors who received the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting.
Stephen Kuperberg joined Feldesman Leifer LLP in Washington, DC, as a partner in the firm’s health care and litigation and government investigations practice groups. His practice encompasses a broad spectrum of litigation, regulatory, and advisory matters, with a particular focus on issues related to the 340B drug discount program, health care fraud, contract disputes, and the False Claims Act.
Nathaniel Marrs has joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as a partner in the firm’s Chicago office and is a member of Willkie’s asset management department. Marrs has more than 25 years of fund formation experience and focuses on private funds investing in the real estate, infrastructure, and energy industries. He previously was a partner at DLA Piper LLP.
Thomas Trujillo joined McGuireWoods LLP as chief innovation and artificial intelligence (AI) officer in the firm’s Charlotte, North Carolina, office. He manages the development and deployment of business solutions, including the use of AI-enhanced tools, to better serve clients and improve firm operations. He also joined the firm’s technology committee. Trujillo served as director of MWAccel before joining McGuireWoods and continues to hold this position alongside his new role.
1997
William “Bill” Quick received the 2024 Distinguished Service Award from the Kansas Bar Association. Quick is a partner at Polsinelli PC’s Kansas City office. He is the chair of the firm’s Corporate Transparency Act practice and focuses on managing the corporate portfolios of business enterprises and family offices on an array of corporate, finance, transactional, and related legal needs.
Michaune D. Tillman joined Corning Inc. as senior vice president and general counsel. Tillman previously was general counsel and corporate secretary for Worthington Steel Inc. and has extensive experience in corporate governance matters, litigation, commercial transactions, regulatory, antitrust, environmental health and safety, cyber security, data privacy, import/export, labor and employment, intellectual property, and compliance.
Pryce Tucker joined Schouest Bamdas Soshea BenMaier & Eastham PLLC as a partner in the firm’s new Dallas location. He defends clients against wrongful death, catastrophic personal injury, and property damage claims and also specializes in product liability cases. Before joining Schouest Bamdas, Tucker worked for more than 20 years at Hartline Barger LLP.
1998
Steven Feenstra joined Nixon Peabody LLP as counsel in the firm’s community development finance practice in Washington, DC. His practice focuses on negotiating business arrangements between a large low-income housing tax credit syndicator, investors, and developers in order to build affordable housing projects. Feenstra also reviews proposed projects to confirm compliance with tax code requirements and addresses essential development matters on behalf of the syndicator and its investors.
Brian Steinhardt was appointed co-head of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP’s banking and credit practice. He is based in the firm’s New York City office, where he currently serves on the opinion committee and has previously served on the compensation and business development committees. Steinhardt represents private equity and infrastructure sponsors and their portfolio companies in connection with a broad range of corporate finance transactions.
1999
Andrew Feller joined Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto as senior special counsel, specializing in securities and commodities laws. Feller most recently was the associate general counsel and executive principal for The Options Clearing Corporation. Before that, he spent 12 years as senior counsel in the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Enforcement, including three years as senior counsel and policy adviser to the SEC commissioner. Earlier, he was in private practice, representing clients in capital markets matters and securities fraud litigation.
The Hon. J. Chris Larson was appointed to the 20th Judicial District Court by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. He was an assistant US attorney in the Civil Division of the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. He also has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Law School. He sits on the board of directors for IN! Pathways to Inclusive Higher Education, a nonprofit designed to create inclusive college opportunities in Colorado for students with intellectual disabilities.
Jonathan Lewis joined Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP as counsel in Washington, DC. He is an antitrust and consumer protection attorney who advises clients from the consumer products, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, chemicals, and health care industries. Lewis joins Hunton from Lowenstein Sandler LLP, where he was a partner and member of the firm’s antitrust group.
Benjamin Zainea was selected by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a 2024 Go To Lawyer for business transactions. He is an attorney at the Grand Rapids-based law firm Mika Meyers PLC. Zainea specializes in transactions, mergers and acquisitions, business formation and succession planning, general business and real estate law, estate planning, commercial lending, and manufacturing.
Graduated in 1980s
1980
Ronald Nessim was named a 2024 Legal Legend by the Hollywood Reporter. He is a partner at Bird, Marella, Rhow, Lincenberg, Drooks, & Nessim LLP in Los Angeles, where he has practiced commercial and entertainment litigation and white-collar criminal defense for more than 30 years. Nessim has argued numerous appeals in federal and state courts, including in the US Supreme Court. Previously, he served as an assistant US attorney in the major frauds section of the US Department of Justice in Los Angeles.
1981
David Calzone co-founded Calzone Hiser PLLC in January 2024 with Susan Hartmus Hiser, ’91. The firm, located in Metro Detroit, provides neutral mediation, arbitration, investigation, and Title IX hearing officer services. Throughout his career, Calzone has practiced on behalf of public and private sector employers in the areas of employment discrimination, labor litigation, labor arbitration, appellate litigation, mediation, and complex class action litigation. He is a former director and shareholder of Vercruysse Murray & Calzone PC and is a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
Michael Kump, founding partner and trial attorney at Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP, was named a 2024 Legal Legend by the Hollywood Reporter. Kump represents plaintiffs and defendants across matters involving intellectual property, entertainment, media, contract, and business litigation and counseling. He represents a number of well-known media figures, including the Kardashians and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as media outlets like Blumhouse Television, Live Nation Entertainment, and HBO Latin America.
1982
Gerald Laderman has been elected chairman of Kemper Corporation’s board of directors. He joined the board in 2020 and has since served on its audit and investment committees. Laderman is the executive vice president of finance for United Airlines. He has nearly 35 years of experience in the airline industry, serving in various leadership roles for both United Airlines and Continental Airlines.
Myint Zan, LLM, has edited a book written by his late mother and professor of medicine, Myint Myint Khin. The book, Burmese Women Through the Ages: The Heritage (Dr. Myint Zan, 2024), includes an introduction written by James Boyd White, the L. Hart Wright Collegiate Professor of Law Emeritus at Michigan Law. Zan's most recent academic journal publication is "The Dudley & Stephens and Palmer Cases Juxtaposed: A Few Legal and Moral Considerations," which was published in the Commonwealth Lawyer (33, No. 3, 2023). He also published a collection of articles on 28 Burmese personages born between the mid-18th and mid-20th centuries in his book Glimpses of Myanmar Personages II (Dr. Myint Zan, 2023). In August 2023, the Hon. Hilary Charlesworth of the International Court of Justice delivered the inaugural Myint Zan Law and Philosophy Lecture at the Australian National University, another of Zan's alma maters, on the topic of "Assessing International Adjudication: The World Court at 100."
1985
Stanley P. Jaskiewicz recently published “Life Lessons from Boy Scout Camp (For Those Returning to the Office)” in the American Bar Association’s April 2024 Voice of Experience e-newsletter. The Boy Scouts of America (now Scouting America) republished Jaskiewicz's article in its popular Aaron on Scouting blog. Jaskiewicz also published “The Train Ride of a Lifetime” in the July 2024 issue of Voice of Experience. He is a member of the Philadelphia-based law firm Spector Gadon Rosen Vinci PC.
1986
Margaret Seif was elected to Kopin Corporation’s board of directors. She has held various positions, including corporate secretary, chief people officer, and chief legal officer, at Analog Devices Inc. (ADI). Before joining ADI, Seif also held various positions at RSA Security Inc. She serves on the board of advisers for Community Servings Inc. and the New England regional council of the Smithsonian Institution.
1988
Ray Espinosa, LLM, joined the board of directors for EEI Corporation, a construction company in the Philippines. He is an attorney and the director of the Philippines-based telecommunications company PLDT, where he is a member of its technology strategy and data privacy committee and the information security committee. He also serves as a director, chairman, and/or trustee of several corporations, holding companies, foundations, and trust funds.
Graduated in 1970s
1970
Ralph Wellington received the 2024 Award for Exceptional Service from Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts for his commitment to supporting low-income artists and small arts organizations through volunteer legal services. Wellington is of counsel at Dilworth Paxson in Philadelphia, where he is a partner in the litigation department and focuses on class actions, aviation and railroad law, business and corporate disputes, art law, and trusts and estates.
1971
R. Joseph Kimble has published the second edition of his book Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please: The Case for Plain Language in Business, Government, and Law (Carolina Academic Press, 2023). Also, he recently won the Golden Pen Award from the Legal Writing Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to improving legal communications, for his contributions to the field. Kimble has been editor of the “Plain Language” column in the Michigan Bar Journal for 36 years.
1973
John K. Villa recently received two recognitions from Chambers USA: 2024 Star Individual in the law firm defense category and Senior Statesperson in the financial services regulation category. Villa is a partner at William & Connolly LLP in Washington, DC, where he specializes in the defense of law firms and companies in cases involving malpractice, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, and securities violations. He is co-chair of the firm’s financial services and banking group and served on the firm’s executive committee for 15 years.
1974
Larry D. Thompson has published Quiet Counsel: Looking Back on a Life of Service to the Law (Disruption Books, 2024), a memoir that chronicles his career in public service, corporate law, and academia. Among other significant roles in the public and private sectors, Thompson served as a deputy US attorney general from 2001 to 2003, led worldwide legal and government affairs functions for PepsiCo, and specialized in political corruption and drug trafficking prosecutions as a US attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
1975
Walter Mugdan retired in 2023 after nearly five decades with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where he most recently served as the deputy regional administrator for EPA Region 2. He is the president of the Udalls Cove Preservation Committee on Long Island, New York, and the Westmoreland Association. He also is a member of the board of directors for the EPA Alumni Association, Alley Pond Environmental Center, and Douglas Manor Environmental Association. Additionally, he works with the Environmental Protection Network to provide pro bono technical assistance to persons and groups with environmental questions.
1977
Jim Olson, LLM, has published a new book, People of the Dune (Mission Point Press, 2024). The novel covers a legal battle over the mining of a coastal dune on a freshwater inland sea. As a lawyer, Olson has represented citizens and communities in courts for five decades and authored articles, papers, and blogs on law and the environment, water, and natural resources. In 2010, he founded For Love of Water, a nonprofit law and policy center, to protect the public commons in water, lands, and communities.
George Pond received a Band 1 rating from Chambers USA for his work in energy law in New York. Pond is a partner at Barclay Damon LLP, where he represents electric and gas utilities, pipeline companies, generators, and marketers in administrative proceedings and commercial matters. He is a former trial attorney in the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice and a former federal regulatory affairs attorney.
1978
The Hon. Roger L. Gregory is the 2024 recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Law, which is presented annually by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and the University of Virginia. The law medal, along with its counterparts in three other disciplines, is the university’s highest external honor. Judge Gregory is the first Black judge to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and has served as the chief judge and a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
1979
Winter 2024-2025 Class Note
Charles Lowery, ’79: Connecting the Dots at the DC Bar
When Charles Lowery assumed the role of president of the DC Bar, he brought a simple mantra with him: Connect the dots. The legal community in Washington, DC, offers a wealth of associations and other groups dedicated to the profession, but Lowery says there are additional opportunities for beneficial collaborations.
John J. McCullough III won reelection as mayor of Montpelier, Vermont, for a two-year term. He became mayor following a special election in 2023 and has served on the City Council since 2018. McCullough began his career at Legal Aid of Western Michigan in Grand Rapids, before joining the Montpelier office of Vermont Legal Aid. He also is the longtime project director of Vermont Legal Aid’s Mental Health Law Project, directing and representing clients in hospitals and outpatient settings in voluntary mental health proceedings throughout the state.
Graduated in 1960s
1967
Richard D. McLellan has endowed the Richard D. McLellan Prizes for Advancing Free Speech and Expression at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal, an educational nonprofit based in Mecosta, Michigan. The prize will award a total of $75,000 annually to support writing, creative work, and other actions that advance the First Amendment principle of free expression.
1969
Robert M. Meisner is a member of Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Class of 2024 Hall of Fame for his contributions to the field of community association law, including his role in drafting the 1978 Michigan Condominium Act and amendments to the law in 2001. Meisner is the principal founding member of The Meisner Law Group PC in Bingham Farms, Michigan.