1970s Class Notes
1970
Michael Bromley '70, U.S. Sen. Angus King '69 and Bill Hobson '69 came together for their 50th undergraduate reunion at Dartmouth, from which they graduated in 1966. Bromley graduated a year later from the Law School than classmates King and Hobson, as his foreign study fellowship was interrupted by the draft board. "I believe we all feel priveleged to have attended and graduated from two such wonderful institutions and feel a kinship as a result of our shared experiences," Bromley writes.
1971
Kent F. Christison is listed in Best Lawyers 2017 in corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital law. He is a partner with K&L Gates in Raleigh, N.C.
Clothilde “Chloe” Jacxsens Long died on May 29. She was born in Louvain, Belgium, and immigrated to the United States in 1945, when she was 3. She attended Bryn Mawr College for her undergraduate studies and then earned her master’s in anthropology at the University of Rochester. Her long career as an attorney included a role in the Magistrate Judges Division, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. She retired in 2009.
Mark E. Sullivan was a featured speaker in a continuing legal education program of the San Diego County Bar Association on the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act this summer. Sullivan is the principal of Sullivan & Tanner in Raleigh, N.C., where he practices family law and is a retired Army Reserve JAG colonel.
Allan Tanenbaum was elected president and chair of the board of directors for the American Bar Association Retirement Funds. He has served on the board for seven years, most recently as vice president and chair of the investment committee. He is also a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Audit. Tanenbaum is of counsel to the corporate and business practice group with Taylor English Duma in Atlanta, where he advises clients in financing, mergers and acquisitions, compliance and corporate governance matters.
1972
Howard E. Gordon is listed in Chambers USA 2016 and Virginia Super Lawyers 2016 in real estate law and Best Lawyers 2016 in land use and zoning law. Gordon is a partner with Williams Mullen in Norfolk, where he focuses his practice on commercial and multi- family real estate, commercial leases, ground leases, land use planning and permits, and pass-through entities.
George House is listed in Chambers USA 2016 in environmental law. He is with Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard in Greensboro, N.C.
Bill Jones retired from the practice of law and closed the doors on his solo practice in April. After spending the first seven years of his practice with the Browder Russell firm, Jones hung his shingle as a solo practitioner in Richmond, Va., in 1979. Over the next 37 years of solo practice he represented small businesses, primarily in the purchase and sale of their assets. With several months of retirement under his belt, Jones spends most of his time on Windmill Point on the Chesapeake Bay, cruising the waters on his boat and “slaying” fish.
1973
Robert S. Mueller III received the American Bar Association’s Morris I. Liebman Award in Law and National Security in May. Mueller is former director of the FBI and is widely credited with transforming the organization from a law enforcement agency to an intelligence-based national security organization following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. In October he received the Sylvanus Thayer Award from the West Point Association of Graduates. That award is given to a U.S. citizen whose service and accomplishments in the national interest embody the West Point motto, “Duty, Honor, Country.” Mueller served in the Marines, attended the Army’s Ranger and Airborne schools, and led a rifle platoon in Vietnam before attending law school. Today he is a partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr in Washington, D.C.
Fredrick R. Tulley is listed as a leader in his field in commercial litigation in Chambers USA 2016. Tulley is a partner with Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips in Baton Rouge, La.
1974
Ralph Baxter was the subject of a May feature story and podcast on Above the Law about becoming an agent of change within your firm. As the former chairman and CEO of Orrick, Baxter led the California firm’s expansion into a global presence. He advises on improving the legal system through new business models and is a senior adviser to Thomson Reuters Legal and chairman of the advisory board of the Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute.
Paul S. Bliley Jr. is listed in Chambers USA 2016 in bankruptcy/ restructuring law, in Virginia Super Lawyers 2016 in creditor debtor rights, and in Best Lawyers 2016 in bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights (insolvency) and reorganization law; banking and finance litigation; and bankruptcy litigation. He is a partner with Williams Mullen in Richmond.
Sarah E. Hall is listed in Best Lawyers 2017 in land use and zoning law. She is senior counsel with Blankingship & Keith in Fairfax, Va., where she has a broad-based commercial real estate practice with an emphasis on land use, rezoning and development.
John A.C. Keith is listed in Best Lawyers 2017 in bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, legal malpractice law (defendants), litigation (trusts and estates), and trusts and estates. He is a principal and co-founder of Blankingship & Keith in Fairfax, Va.
1975
W. Stuart Dornette has been named lawyer of the year in Best Lawyers 2017 in municipal litigation. He is also listed in Ohio Super Lawyers 2016 in business litigation. He is a partner in the litigation practice group with Taft Stettinius & Hollister in Cincinnati.
1976
Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons '76, right, of the Supreme Court of Virginia, received the Virginia State Bar's 2016 William R. Rakes Leadership in Education Award in recognition of his longstanding efforts in the field of legal education in the state and nationally. The award is named for its inagural recipient, William R. Rakes '63, left, a partner with Gentry Locke in Roanoke, and was presented to Lemons at a ceremony and reception at the state bar annual meeting in Virginina Beach on June 17.
1977
Julian D. Bobbitt Jr. is listed in Best Lawyers 2017 in health care law. He is the lead author of “The Texas Physician’s Accountable Care Guide,” published by the Texas Medical Association in April. He is of counsel with Smith Anderson in Raleigh, N.C., where he focuses his practice on providing strategic general counsel and regulatory guidance for health care organizations throughout the U.S.
Margaret Ann Brown, a partner in the finance section of Troutman Sanders in Tysons Corner, Va., is delighted to report that her daughter, Margaret Birkel, just completed a “terrific” first year in the class of 2018, and that Paul Stephan ’77 was her property professor.
Justice Dennis J. Curran of the Massachusetts Superior Court was honored by the 1,000-member Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys when he received its President’s Award for Judicial Excellence for his “deep commitment and belief in the civil justice system, his many contributions to society, and his continued dedication to the law.” As a trial judge, Curran has presided over 415 civil and criminal trials. In October, Curran authored an article, “Abraham Lincoln: A Model for Today’s Trial Lawyer,” which appeared in the Massachusetts Law Review.
James S. Gilmore III ran for president of the United States in 2016.
Barry R. Kogut is listed in Chambers USA 2016, Upstate New York Super Lawyers 2016 and in Best Lawyers 2017 in environmental law. He is a member with Bond, Schoeneck & King in Syracuse, N.Y., where he focuses his practice on federal and state regulatory compliance and enforcement matters.
1978
Richard D. Kirk is listed in Best Lawyers 2017 in intellectual property litigation and administrative/ regulatory law and in Chambers USA 2016 in intellectual property, and has been so recognized every year since 2006. He is a director at Bayard in Wilmington, Del., where he focuses on general business litigation, intellectual property litigation, administrative law and alternative dispute resolution.
Hal K. Litchford is listed in Best Lawyers 2017 in antitrust law, appellate practice, bet- the-company litigation, commercial litigation, and antitrust litigation. He was also named Orlando Best Lawyers 2017 appellate practice Lawyer of the Year. He is a shareholder with Baker Donelson.
Blake D. Morant, dean of George Washington University Law School and Robert Kramer Research Professor of Law, served as president of the Association of American Law Schools in 2015. Morant delivered the Rabinowitz Distinguished Lecture, “Challenges Facing the Legal Profession and Legal Education: Perspectives from the USA and Their Relevance for South Africa,” at the University of Cape Town in August.
Linda E. Romano is listed in Best Lawyers 2017 in corporate law. Romano is of counsel with Bond Schoeneck & King in Utica, N.Y., where she focuses her practice on matters concerning business law and public finance.
1979
Rob Burton joined Crowell & Moring as partner in the government contracts group in Washington, D.C. Burton will take a significant role in expanding Crowell & Moring’s government affairs capabilities and working with clients on acquisition reform legislation and regulatory changes. He was previously a partner with Venable.
J. Peter Byrne was appointed the John Hampton Baumgartner, Jr. Chair in Real Property Law at Georgetown University Law School. He teaches courses on property, land use and historic preservation, and is the faculty director of the school’s Environmental Law and Policy Program and the Georgetown Climate Center.
Peter S. Everett is listed in Best Lawyers 2017 in personal injury litigation (plaintiffs). He is a principal with Blankingship & Keith in Fairfax, Va.
Dennis Kelly is co-founder and chief strategy and legal officer for Island Telecom, a next-generation data communications wireless service provider focused on the Caribbean and small island states. He is also founder of Emergency Responder Info Net, a next-generation data communications wireless service provider focused on the “Internet of Things” needs of the U.S. emergency services sector.
Anne Kleindienst is listed in Chambers USA 2016 in health care law and in Best Lawyers 2017 in corporate law and franchise law. She is a shareholder with Polsinelli in Phoenix.