Five Alumni Among ‘Rising Stars’ for 2021
Young Attorneys Recognized for Accomplishments That Transcend Their Ages
Five University of Virginia School of Law alumni were among Law360’s Rising Stars for 2021, a list of attorneys under age 40 whose accomplishments as lawyers “transcend their age.”
Honorees were selected based on their career accomplishments in their respective disciplines.
Marissa Boynton ’09 of Latham & Watkins was named a top cybersecurity and privacy attorney for guiding Facebook through its global response to a data breach, as well as representing one of nine technology companies in a novel Federal Trade Commission inquiry.
Kyle P. Brinkman ’10 of Blank Rome was named a top insurance litigator for taking a prominent role in several policyholder-side real estate disputes, including representing publicly traded real estate investment fund Urban Edge Properties in a $40 million COVID-19 business interruption suit.
Tristan Morales ’11 of O’Melveny & Myers was named a top transportation attorney for successfully defending American Airlines, United Airlines and other air carriers in multiple class actions.
Melanie Wilson Rughani ’07 of Crowe & Dunlevy was named a top appellate law attorney after scoring several major appellate victories in Oklahoma, including leading the legal side of a successful fight to expand Medicaid eligibility in the state.
Elizabeth Tuan ’13 of Irell & Manella was named a top intellectual property attorney for helping Juno Therapeutics and Sloan Kettering win a $752 million verdict and VLSI Technology win a $2 billion verdict.
Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.
