1970s Class Notes
1970
Paul C. Giannelli ’70, LL.M. ’75 is a distinguished university professor and the Albert J. Weatherhead III and Richard W. Weatherhead Professor of Law at Case Western Law School. He has written extensively about evidence and criminal procedure, with a particular focus on scientific evidence.
Kenneth M. Greene has been honored as a top vote-getter among Business North Carolina magazine’s 2012 legal elite for bankruptcy law, a distinction that will put him in the magazine’s legal elite hall of fame. He was recognized in the category of business law as well, making him the only attorney to be recognized in both practice areas. Greene was also selected for inclusion in the Top 100 list in North Carolina Super Lawyers 2012 for banking. He is with Carruthers & Roth in Greensboro, where he is a member of the banking and finance team, focusing his practice on commercial finance, banking, and bankruptcy.
Asher Grunis LL.M., a member of the Israeli Supreme Court since 2003, was appointed chief justice in February. The swearing-in ceremony took place at the president’s residence, with President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu present.
A new piece of legislation called the Grunis Law permitted Justice Grunis to be named Chief Justice. Previously, judges were not allowed to serve as the president of the court if they were within three years of their 70th birthday.
1974
Monroe Kelly III has been named Norfolk Banking and Finance Law Lawyer of the Year in Best Lawyers 2012. He is a partner with Williams Mullen in Virginia Beach.
Frank Riggs was named the Atlanta Construction Law Lawyer of the Year in Best Lawyers 2012. He is partner and co-chair of the construction practice group with Troutman Sanders in Atlanta, Ga.
Charles A. Young III is enjoying retirement. Last summer he drove to Little Big Horn, Mont., to visit the last three of the Lower 48 states he had not yet been visited. He flew to Hawaii for Christmas to complete all 50.
1975
Thomas R. Bagby currently serves as president-elect of the Virginia Bar Association. He is president of Woods Rogers in Roanoke, chairman of the labor and employment law section, and principal of the firm. His practice focuses on representing management in a broad range of labor and employment law issues. He was named Lawyer of the Year in Best Lawyers 2012 in employment law-management.
W. Stuart Dornette has been selected as a Leading Lawyer for 2012 in the area of sports by Cincy magazine. He was selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers 2012 in the area of business litigation and named Best Lawyers 2012 Cincinnati Litigation-Municipal Lawyer of the Year. He was also recognized in Chambers 2011 as a leader in the field in the area of litigation-general commercial. He is partner and co-chair of the litigation department of Taft Stettinius & Hollister.
Claron “Rob” Robertson retired from the full-time practice of law effective December 31.He remains of counsel to the firm he founded in 1988, Robertson & Hollingsworth, in Charleston, S.C., and began, as of January 1, a private consulting and dispute resolution practice focusing on complex construction, engineering, architecture, and environmental matters, with emphasis on medical, aviation and transportation, and other large public and privateprojects.He may be reached at Claron A. Robertson, d/b/a, a division of Robertson & Company, LLC, 177 Meeting Street, Suite 320, Charleston, S.C. 29201, 843-723-6470, and car@roblaw.net.Beginning January 1, 2012, Robertson & Hollingsworth will continue itspractice, with no other changes,as Robertson Hollingsworth & Flynn.
Tina Swent Byrd, appointed to the California Superior Court in 2010, is serving in family law in the main courthouse. “The most challenging part of the job,” she writes, “is grappling with child abuse issues and trying to decide if the claims are true or made up for strategic reasons. The financial issues are not difficult emotionally, but can be very interesting and complicated.”
1976
Frederick N. Gleaton was named in Best Lawyers 2012 for medical malpractice law and was named in Georgia Super Lawyers 2012 for the fifth consecutive year. He is a founding partner with Owen, Gleaton, Egan, Jones & Sweeney in Atlanta. The firm was named to U.S. News & World Report’s list of best law firms for 2011-12 and to Fortune’s list of top-ranked law firms in America for 2012.
Daniel J. Hoffheimer has been selected as a leading lawyer for 2012 in the area of trusts & estates by Cincy magazine. Hoffheimer was also named in Ohio Super Lawyers 2012 in estate planning & probate and Best Lawyers 2012 in trusts and estates. He is a partner with Taft Stettinius & Hollister.
Priscilla Lundin writes that she recently enjoyed going to the Law Day event sponsored by the Pre-Law Institute at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in NYC, which she’s attended for the past several years. “This annual event gives the students, the majority of whom are from underrepresented groups in the legal profession, the opportunity to talk to lawyers in different areas of practice, and to find out more about the law school application process and financial aid options.” Priscilla is an attorney with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), specializing in employment law.
“At this year’s program, which emphasized the options offered by careers in public service, I had the pleasure of being introduced by one of the students to fellow Law School alum Shawn Grant ‘02; Shawn is now VP and Director of Law School Admissions Counseling for Nelson Test Prep.”
Stephen C. Neff ’76, LL.M. ’77, S.J.D. ’88 was awarded the David J. Langum, Sr. Prize for American Legal History for 2010 for his book, Justice in Blue and Gray: A Legal History of the Civil War (Harvard University Press, 2010). The book was cited as an “excellent resource for scholars” while also being “highly accessible to general readers.”
Donald Shuller was named in Ohio Super Lawyers 2012 and Best Lawyers 2012 in real estate law. He is a partner with Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease in Cincinnati, where he is a member of the commercial and real estate group.
1977Stephen V. Cheatham has joined Buckley King in Cleveland, Ohio, as of counsel. He was previously vice president and associate general counsel to New York Community Bank in its contracts and corporate governance division.
Richard F. Engel reports that his son, John Engel ’08, was married in September to Megan Fanale ’11 in Leesburg, Va. John changed firms and is now with Ballard Spahr in Baltimore, Md.
1978
Ed Baxa ’78, LL.M ’80 received the 2012 Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Services Award for the 9th Judicial Circuit. Baxa has served as guardian ad litem for more than 100 children in juvenile dependency court and has made a collective contribution of nearly 1,000 hours of pro bono work throughout his career. He is a partner with Foley & Lardner in Orlando, where he is chair of Foley’s national pro bono committee. He maintains a complex commercial litigation practice focused on construction law.
Mary Bland Love was recently honored as Lawyer of the Year at the annual Jacksonville (Florida) chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. She is of counsel to Marks Gray, where she practices in medical and products liability. Her primary focus is in the defense of hospital and physical liability cases.
Michael P. Haggerty has been named in Best Lawyers 2012 in real estate law and was named in Texas Super Lawyers 2011 in banking and real estate. He is a partner with Jackson Walker in Dallas, where he leads the finance practice group. He represents banks, credit companies, insurance companies, and other financial institutions in real estate, commercial, and corporate lending transactions.
1979John “Jack” Berry has joined the personal injury firm of Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen as managing partner of the Charlottesville office. Berry served as chief judge on the Circuit Court bench of Virginia’s 16th circuit from 2010-12.
H. Aubrey Ford III was designated among the top 10 Virginia Lawyers in Super Lawyers 2011. His son, Aubrey, is living in Denver, and his son, Billy, just returned from a one-year Fulbright program in Malaysia.
Michael K. Kuhn was named in Best Lawyers 2012. He is a partner in the real estate group with Jackson Walker in Houston, Tex., where he focuses on commercial real estate with an emphasis on office and retail leasing.
Ely A. Leichtling was named in Wisconsin Super Lawyers 2011 in employment and labor. He was also named in Best Lawyers 2012 in employment law-management, labor law-management, litigation-labor & employment. He is a partner with Quarles & Brady in Milwaukee.
John Maddrey was named solicitor general of North Carolina in November. Maddrey is responsible for coordinating the handling of civil appeals before state and federal appellate courts and will also coordinate the state’s Department of Justice’s participation in amicus briefs. He has served as an attorney with the Department for 31 years, most recently handling cases challenging the constitutionality of State statutes. His career with the Department also includes seven years in the consumer protection division and 15 years in the transportation section.
Cuyler Overholt has published her debut novel, A Deadly Affection, a historical mystery set in 1907 New York about a young psychiatrist who fears she may have unwittingly provoked a patient to commit murder. Overholt worked as a litigation attorney and freelance business writer before turning to fiction. To read more about the book, (see In Print), visit www.cuyleroverholt.com.
