My Profile Search Directory Submit News Contact Us Logout Alumni Home
Fall 2010UVA Lawyer - Home
Dean's MessageOpinionClass NotesIn MemoriamIn PrintFaculty Briefs Home
Twitter

 
E-mail  E-mail   print  Print

1990s Class Notes

1990

Vince Cheverine has been working for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for almost four years. He reports that he loves his job, especially his focus on Title IX issues. Carolyn Cheverine is a lawyer for the Lubrizol Corporation, but her primary focus shifted in the past year from securities compliance to corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions.

The couple stays busy with two soccer-playing daughters in high school. Carolyn keeps busy managing the high school girls’ soccer team. Vince continues to coach their younger daughter’s softball team.

Chris Herren was recently promoted to voting section chief in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Jill Lynch Graham has joined the board of directors of the non-profit Catholic Leadership Institute, headquartered in Wayne, Pa. She resides in Bryn Mawr with her husband, David, and their three children.

Andrea E. Neuman recently received an “Attorney of the Year” award from California Lawyer in the category of litigation. In 2008 Dole Food hired Neuman’s firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, to defend two follow-up cases after a Los Angeles jury found the company liable for $5.8 million in damages for exposing workers on its Nicaraguan banana plantations to a harmful pesticide. With a co-lead trial counsel, Neuman traveled to Nicaragua for depositions that raised doubts about the veracity of plantation workers’ accounts regarding their exposure to the pesticide. In April 2009 a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge found “a heinous conspiracy” by plaintiffs’ attorneys, declared a fraud on the court, and dismissed the litigation with prejudice. Neuman is a partner in the Orange County office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and a member of the firm’s class action, environmental and mass tort and litigation practice groups.

Henry C. Su was recognized for his pro bono work on Americans with Disabilities Act cases at the joint conference of National Disability Rights Network and Disability Rights California in Los Angeles in June. He also received a California Lawyer’s “Attorney of the Year Award” for 2010 for his work in this area, which is the focus of much of his pro bono work. Last year Su logged more than 800 hours in 15 pro bono cases, and many of these involved disability rights.

One case (American Council of the Blind v. Astrue) resulted in a significant victory for nearly 3 million individuals. The case alleged that the Social Security Administration’s mailing program denied the blind and visually impaired proper access to benefits as required by the Rehabilitation Act. The SSA now communicates with blind beneficiaries using CDs and Braille. Su is a partner in the East Palo Alto office of Howrey.

1991

Sarah DaviesSarah E. Davies was recently honored as an “Unsung Hero” by the Legal Intelligencer for her pro bono work with the Support Center for Child Advocates in the Philadelphia area. In the past eight years she has represented 15 children, advocating for their placement in safe and permanent homes. She is with Cozen O’Connor, where she is the administrative partner of the commercial litigation department in the Philadelphia office.

Zane David Memeger was appointed by President Barack Obama in May to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He returns to the same office where he served as an Assistant United States Attorney from 1995 to 2006.

Jeffrey L. Stredler was recently named president of the Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association in Norfolk, Va. He is the senior vice president and litigation counsel for Amerigroup Corporation in Virginia Beach.

Robert D. Vander Lugt continues to enjoy parenting Joel (3) with Ruthie and his work as director of export compliance at Northrop Grumman. He is, however, departing for a one-year tour in Iraq as a naval intelligence officer.

1992

After 17 years at Caplin & Drysdale, Nate Finch has joined the plaintiff’s law firm of MotleyRice as a member in its new Washington, D.C., office. Nate will continue to represent people injured by asbestos exposure, securities and consumer fraud, defective drugs and devices, and other corporate wrongdoing to obtain just compensation from the corporations responsible for harming them. Nate and his wife, Kerry Moore, live in Bethesda, Md., with their daughter, Alexandra (5), and son, William (3). When he is not practicing law or spending time with his family, Nate still occasionally runs in track races.

Ninth Circuit Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain LL.M. of Portland, Ore., has been appointed chair of the Committee on International Judicial Relations of the Judicial Conference of the United States. The three-year appointment was made by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., of the Supreme Court of the United States. The committee helps establish and expand the rule of law throughout the world.

Vytas PetrulisVytas Petrulis recently became board certified in commercial real estate law through the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He has served clients in real estate development and investment, leasing and finance for more than 17 years. Much of his practice is focused on multifamily and office leasing transactions. He has been appointed to the Green Lease Task Force by the American Bar Association section of real property, trust and estate law. He is a partner in the Houston office of Jackson Walker.

Jeffrey W. Shaw was recently elected by the Virginia General Assembly to a six-year term as a judge of the Ninth Judicial District. He is the presiding general district court judge in Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex, and New Kent counties. He was sworn in by his father, William H. Shaw, III ’71, who recently retired as a judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit.

1993

Bill Bailey and his wife, Erica, have welcomed their fourth child, Finn, into the family. Bill is vice president, government relations for the Walt Disney Company in Washington, D.C.

1994

Clarke Futch is co-founder, managing director, and investment committee member with Cowen Healthcare Royalty Partners in Stamford, Conn. He previously was a partner at Paul Capital Partners, where he led royalty-related investments for the Paul Royalty Funds. He helped pioneer the use of securitization with pharmaceutical royalties as a means of alternative biotech financing.

Jeanne Lyons Liedtka recently moved to Berwyn, Pa., with her husband, Steve, and their four children. Jeanne and her husband are both teaching at Villanova University.

Ethan G. Shenkman is enjoying his return to government service, having been appointed deputy assistant attorney general of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice. His wife, Jen Jacobsen ’95, is still handling government relations at Sony Music and singing in a local cover band called “The Overcommitments” with bass player Michael Nachmanoff ’95. Ethan and Jen live in Arlington with “two hilarious daughters and a poorly behaved beagle.”

1995

Jonathan T. Blank administered the presidential oath of office to his father, Irving M. Blank, at the annual Virginia State Bar meeting in Virginia Beach in June. Jonathan is managing partner of McGuireWoods in Charlottesville.

Jen Jacobsen is still handling government relations at Sony Music and singing in a local cover band called “The Overcommitments” with bass player Michael Nachmanoff. Her husband, Ethan G. Shenkman ’94, is enjoying his return to government service, having been appointed deputy assistant attorney general of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice. Jen and Ethan live in Arlington with “two hilarious daughters and a poorly behaved beagle.”

Daniel V. Johns has been elected president of Philadelphia’s Community Learning Center, a nonprofit education center that helps adults develop literacy, math, and other life skills. Johns is a partner in the litigation department of Ballard Spahr and a member of the labor and employment, higher education, and health care groups.

Brett Miller left the partnership at Morgan Lewis in January 2009 to become general counsel of the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. The foundation holds one of the world’s largest collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and early Modern paintings, as well as Old Master paintings, African sculpture and Native American ceramics, American paintings and decorative arts, and antiquities from the Mediterranean region and Asia. The foundation, which also has an extensive horticulture program, is currently in the process of relocating the collection from Merion, Pa., to a new 93,000-square-foot building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Center City, Philadelphia. Brett’s wife, Amy Carroll, is a partner in the intellectual property practice of Drinker Biddle.

Tyler RandolphTyler Randolph joined the Georgia Air National Guard last year, “not having enough to do already between being a lawyer and having a family (not!).” He and his wife, Tracey, celebrated their 20th anniversary in August. With only three and five years at home left for his two daughters, Addison and Morgan, before they go to college, Tyler wants to make the most of the remaining time with them and Tracey.

Joel H. Trotter has been selected for Law360’s list of the “10 Most Admired Securities Attorneys.” He is the main source on matters related to complex and ever-changing federal securities laws for Latham & Watkins, a task that requires keeping a hawk-eye on any and all developments before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He makes sure the firm’s 2,000 attorneys are kept up to date as well. In addition, he devotes about half of his time to corporate work. Trotter is deputy chair of the corporate department in the Washington, D.C., office.

Hill Wellford left the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, where he was most recently chief of staff, in January 2009. He taught antitrust law at Vanderbilt University Law School during the spring semester, then in June 2009 joined Bingham McCutchen as an antitrust partner in Washington, D.C. He lives in Arlington, Va., with his son, “little Hill,” and his wife, Michelle Boardman, a professor at George Mason University Law School.

1996

Damian Capozzola is practicing commercial litigation with Epstein Becker Green in Los Angeles and is a founding member of the firm’s technology team.

Laura Flippin is a partner with Paul Hastings, and serves as the chair of the litigation department of the Washington, D.C., office. She was appointed by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell to serve as a member of the board of visitors for the College of William & Mary.

Robert A. Kole has been recognized as one of the “Insurance Law Rising Legal Stars Under 40” by Law360 for his accomplishments in the field of insurance and reinsurance law. He is co-chair of the insurance and reinsurance group with Choate, Hall & Stewart in Boston. He has handled a range of high-profile cases in his field involving aviation, hazardous waste, asbestos, hurricane-related losses, and the World Trade Center.

1997

Naomi (Wilkinson) Beard is now a co-principal of Lawyers Life Coach, and runs its west coast operations. She is based in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband and four children.

Greg and Emily Feder both have new jobs with the federal government. In May, Greg left private practice at Latham & Watkins to join the bank activities section in the legal division at the FDIC, where he is reviewing proposals from private equity groups seeking to acquire failed bank assets and working on regulations implementing the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation. Emily’s position at the U.S. Department of Education will have her working on a team monitoring compliance with the Randolph-Sheppard Act, which gives contracting preference to visually impaired vendors.

Kevin HoltKevin Holt has achieved the distinction of the AV Preeminent rating, the highest rating given through Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review. He is a partner with Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore in Roanoke, Va., where he focuses his practice on commercial litigation, construction litigation, e-discovery management, alternative dispute resolution, and employment & labor litigation.

Caroline Laguerre-Brown has been named vice provost for institutional equity at Johns Hopkins University. She was formerly associate vice provost, and in that position she worked to bring a higher level of fairness, inclusion, diversity guidelines, programs, and initiatives to Johns Hopkins. In her new position, Laguerre-Brown will be responsible for working with other Johns Hopkins leaders to enhance the university’s diversity and inclusion efforts and to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws related to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and disability issues. Her office investigates discrimination and sexual harassment complaints; provides training in sexual harassment, discrimination and disability issues; fosters campus diversity initiatives; and oversees the implementation of policies, procedures, and services relating to federal disability laws.

Jennifer L. McClellan, past president of the Young Lawyers Conference, attended the annual Virginia State Bar meeting in Virginia Beach in June.

Samantha Pelosi protects consumers as an attorney at the Consumer & Community Affairs Division of the Federal Reserve, which recently issued regulations on credit cards, gift cards, overdraft fees, and mortgages. She married Anthony Tomlinson in May. Several alums attended the wedding, including Sarah and Todd Ratner ’96 and Jennifer Gohlke ’98. Samantha and her husband had a fabulous honeymoon touring Australia.

Jeff Sherman recently joined Fulbright & Jaworski as senior counsel in the Washington, D.C., office. He advises electric utilities and natural gas companies on a broad array of federal energy regulatory issues relating to transactions, including asset acquisitions, and FERC matters. He was previously with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

Kelley Taylor Hearne and her husband, Steve, welcomed the addition of Kathleen Marie to the family on March 10. Katie joins big brother Nicholas George (2). The family resides in Alexandria, Va. Kelley is a partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath in Washington, D.C., where her practice focuses on health care transactions.

1998

Gary M. Gansle has been named partner with Dorsey & Whitney in Palo Alto, Calif. He will maintain his focus on labor & employment defense, including litigation, counseling, and training, as he works alongside Ted Hollifield ’97 and Greg Mathis ’97 to continue growing the practice in the Silicon Valley office, working with startups and other emerging technology companies.

1999

Nader Baroukh was elected mayor of Falls Church, Va., by a 5-2 vote of the city council in July. He will serve an 18-month term. He is in his first term as councilman, and was elected in May 2008 as an independent. Baroukh is an attorney with the Department of Homeland Security with responsibility for immigration and national security issues.

Stephanie ChandlerStephanie Chandler has been selected as a Texas Monthly magazine Rising Star. She is a partner in the San Antonio office of Jackson Walker.




Mark Rankin
joined Shutts & Bowen as partner in the Tampa, Fla., office, where he will expand the firm’s litigation practice to include white-collar criminal defense.

Alix RosenthalAlix Rosenthal, deputy city attorney for the city of Oakland, Calif., was recently elected to the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, the governing body of the San Francisco Democratic Party. The DCCC endorses candidates, registers new voters, and takes positions on issues on behalf of the SF Democratic Party. Alix’s campaign focused on involving the Democratic Party in identifying and recruiting more female candidates for public office, as well as supporting San Francisco’s endangered nightlife and culture. She credits social networking for her win. She welcomes friends finding her on Facebook and saying hello!

Riley H. Ross III was one of 30 Pennsylvania lawyers selected by the Legal Intelligencer and the Pennsylvania Law Weekly as a Lawyer on the Fast Track in 2009 and was named a Rising Star by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers. Riley is with the Tucker Law Group in the Philadelphia, where he concentrates his practice on complex litigation.

Anthony RussellAnthony M. Russell was recently named a 2010 Virginia Super Lawyer Rising Star in the area of personal injury plaintiff/medical malpractice. He was also honored with the highest rating given by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review, which cited him for the highest ethical standards and professional abilities. Russell is a partner with Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore in Roanoke, where his practice areas include medical malpractice and personal injury.


UVA Lawyer Home