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Class Note Winter 2024-2025

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.

Class Note Winter 2024-2025

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. 

Class Note Winter 2024-2025

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.

Class Note Winter 2024-2025

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.

Class Note Winter 2024-2025

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.

Class Note Winter 2024-2025

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. 

Class Note Winter 2024-2025

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. 

Class Note Winter 2024-2025

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.

Class Note Winter 2024-2025

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.

Class Note Winter 2024-2025

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.