2000s Class Notes
2000
Ryan Clinton has been named a 2011 Rising Star in Texas Monthly, the seventh time he has been selected. Clinton is a former assistant solicitor general for the Texas Attorney General’s office, and has handled a wide range of appellate matters in both state and federal courts. He has presented oral arguments before the Supreme Court of Texas and appellate courts in Texas and Louisiana and has handled briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court. Clinton often speaks on appellate matters at continuing legal education seminars and has served in the Austin chapter of the American Inns of Court. He practices at Hankinson Levinger in Dallas.
Kandice J. Giurintano has been appointed chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association appellate advocacy committee for 2011–12. Her term began in May. The committee’s goal is to promote, support, and improve post-trial and appellate advocacy through seminars, a newsletter, interactions with the courts, and national and state organizations.
Giurintano is with McNees Wallace & Nurick in Harrisburg, where she co-chairs the appellate & post-trial practice group and is part of the litigation and transportation, distribution, and logistics practice groups. She focuses her practice on the representation of corporate clients in business disputes.
Robert D. Probasco continues to serve on the board of directors of Mental Heath America of Greater Dallas, a position he has held since 2009. He is with Thompson & Knight, as a partner in the tax practice group, where he focuses his practice on IRS audits and appeals and tax litigation.
Andy Wright and Caprice Roberts celebrated the arrival of their son, Garrett Robert Wright, on April 15. In January, Andy began serving at the White House as associate counsel to the President. Andy, Caprice, and Garrett live in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
2001
Joseph A. Bailey III has been appointed counsel in Drinker Biddle & Reath’s insurance practice group in Washington, D.C. He represents insurers in a wide variety of litigation and counseling matters, with a particular emphasis on coverage disputes involving directors’ and officers’ liability and fiduciary liability insurance policies. Bailey is a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society. He was previously with Hogan & Hartson.
Cordel L. Faulk has been appointed a voting member of the Virginia Tech board of visitors. He earned his bachelor’s in political science from Virginia Tech in 1998. While enrolled there he participated in the honors program, and since has served as an instructor and advisor to that program. He has been director of admissions for the Law School since 2009.
Dee Martin has been recognized as one of Washington, D.C.’s Top 40 Lobbyists Under 40 in Washingtonian. The article features young lobbyists who are “shaping the policies that will affect us for years to come.” In June she was named a Champion in National Law Journal’s Champions and Visionaries article, which identifies champions as “those who have upheld the profession’s core values through public service, pro bono efforts and advocacy for civil liberties.” Martin is a partner in the government relations practice of Bracewell & Giuliani. She guides corporations, nonprofit organizations, and industry coalitions through the legislative, regulatory, and public affairs aspects of government advocacy campaigns.
Will Olson and Alison Perine ’03 welcomed their son, Michael Edward Olson, on January 7. He was 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 19½ inches long at birth. Will is a trial attorney with the Department of Justice civil frauds section. Alison is a special agent with the Washington field office of the FBI. They reside in Alexandria, Va.
The Honorable George Bundy Smith (retired) LL.M. has been selected as a panel member of JAMS, the largest private provider of mediation and arbitration services worldwide. He will be based in the New York Resolution Center, where he will serve as arbitrator, mediator, and work on disputes in areas including appellate, business/commercial, civil rights, environmental, estates/probates/trusts, insurance, personal injury/torts, real property and Native American matters.
Smith served as associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals for 14 years before he retired in 2006. He is a partner at Chadbourne & Park, where he focuses on litigation and ADR.
2002
Meredith Caskey Parker and her husband, Andrew, welcomed their second child, Mason Andrew, on July 21. Mason joins two-year-old sister, Olivia Catherine. The family resides in Fairfax, Va.
Afi Johnson-Parris has been invited by the American Bar Association law practice management section to participate in the diversity leadership program. Only two attorneys in the nation are selected for this annual comprehensive training program. Johnson-Parris is a divorce and family law attorney with her own practice based in Greensboro, N.C.
Elizabeth Malone was recently promoted to counsel in the environmental group of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Washington D.C. Her practice involves handling litigation in state and federal courts and in administrative proceedings, and advising clients on environmental matters in corporate transactions. She also provides general regulatory and compliance advice and represents clients undergoing bankruptcy proceedings with respect to the resolution of their environmental claims and liabilities. She and her husband, Ryan Malone, an associate at Ropes & Gray, live in Washington, D.C., and Dewey Beach, Del.
William L. Newton has been promoted to counsel at Hunton & Williams in Richmond, where he focuses on domestic and international energy projects. He has helped shape the firm’s global energy and infrastructure practice, which provides finance, development, and infrastructure counsel through all steps of a project.
2003
Nathan T. Danielson has joined Bose McKinney & Evans in Indianapolis, Ind., where he is a member of the bankruptcy and creditors’ rights group. He represents banks, insurance companies, and other commercial and financial institutions in dealing with problem loans.
Brian M. Feldman has joined Harter Secrest & Emery in Rochester, N.Y., as counsel in the trial practice group. He was previously senior litigation counsel in the civil frauds unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan. He resides in Pittsford.
Stacey Rose Harris and Daniel Harris welcomed a baby girl, Avery Laina, in June.
Joanna Nelson is of counsel with Liskow & Lewis in Houston, Tex., where she is a member of the maritime, oilfield, and insurance group. Her practice focuses on insurance and reinsurance matters. She was previously with Cozen O’Connor’s global insurance group, where she represented clients in insurance litigation.
In April 2011 Yoshikazu Noma LL.M. was appointed as an instructor at the Legal Training and Research Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan for a term of three years. While he is still engaged in private practice at TMI Associates, a Tokyo-based law firm, he lectures on civil litigation practice skills and mediation skills, as well as professional responsibility at the Institute.
Alison Perine and Will Olson ’01 welcomed their son, Michael Edward Olson, on January 7. He was 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 19½ inches long at birth. Alison is a special agent with the Washington field office of the FBI. Will is a trial attorney with the Department of Justice, civil frauds section. They reside in Alexandria, Va.
Ali Sarafzade is the director of the corporations division, Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. The corporations division is responsible for all corporate and Uniform Commercial Code filings in Vermont. The office also takes an active role in assisting startup businesses in maneuvering through complex state filing requirements. Sarafzade is excited about managing a larger staff and budget with new and exciting programs in development, and he invites anyone interested in government/public service jobs to feel free to contact him for general career guidance.
On March 2 Porter and Anna Tilton Daniel welcomed their son, Joshua Rushmore, to the family, which resides in Arlington, Va.
2004
Jared Berg has joined Sherman & Howard in Denver, Colo., as an associate in the construction litigation practice. He returned to the firm after having worked there as an associate from 2004 to 2007.
Tyler Chance Yarbro is an associate with Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella in Nashville, Tenn., where her practice in the litigation section focuses on business, employment, and personal injury matters. Previously she was an assistant public defender for Metro Nashville, where she made hundreds of court appearances and conducted more than 60 trials.
Geoffrey Grindeland is a principal at Mills Meyers Swartling in Seattle. Geoff is a civil litigator whose practice emphasizes aviation law, insurance coverage, and representation of municipalities and police officers. Prior to law school, Geoff graduated with merit from the U.S. Naval Academy and served 11 years as a Navy pilot, flying both helicopters and turboprop airplanes. He has chaired the King County Bar Association’s aviation section and currently serves on the board of directors for Helpline House, a nonprofit social service organization on Bainbridge Island. He particularly enjoys cases that involve scientific, engineering, or other technical issues.
2005
Sarah L. Hartley has joined Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck in Denver, Colo., as an associate in the litigation group. Her practice will focus on general commercial litigation and intellectual property and technology. Before joining Brownstein, she was with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in New York.
Scott P. Horton presented “Workplace Harassment & Bullying in the Workplace” at the New York State Public Employer’s Labor Relations Association training conference in Saratoga Springs in July. He was recently named to the ProZoo Board for the Buffalo Zoo, which organizes several major fundraisers each year and supports the board of trustees. He is with Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel in Buffalo, where he is an associate in the labor & employment and e-discovery & records management practice groups.
Matt Quatrara moved from Charlottesville’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Office to Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office. Quatrara practiced with McGuireWoods in the areas of labor and employment law and general litigation prior to joining the Charlottesville CAO.
Nilla Watkins recently graduated from a two-year program at the Maggie Flanigan Studio in New York, where she studied the Meisner acting technique. She recently read for, and got, the part of Clara Wings (the devil’s attorney) in Applaud the Devil, Praise the Lord, an off-off-Broadway production. She was formerly with Sullivan & Cromwell in mergers and acquisitions.
2006
Tiffany M. Graves was named the 2010–11 Outstanding Young Lawyer by the Mississippi Bar Young Lawyers Division. The award was presented at the annual assembly of the Young Lawyers Division in Destin, Fla., in July. Graves is with Corlew Munford & Smith in Jackson, Miss., where she focuses her practice on litigation.
Patricio P. Pantin LL.M. has joined Baker & McKenzie in Buenos Aires. He focuses his practice in complex commercial litigation, arbitration, debt restructuring, and maritime law.
Michael Toth has authored Founding Federalist: The Life of Oliver Ellsworth, published by Intercollegiate Studies Institute in July. The book, part of the Lives of the Founders series, tells how Oliver Ellsworth, an important but little-known figure at the Constitutional Convention, was one of the key framers.
“I came across the idea for writing the book while a 3L,” says Toth. “Professors Cushman, Hylton, and Harrison were all crucial in helping me with my research.” Toth has served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and on the staff of White House budget director Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. He is clerking for U.S. District Court Judge Ursula Ungaro and lives in Miami, Fla. (See In Print.)
2007
Alan C. Kingsley is an associate with Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he will focus on foreclosure services in the real estate default group. Kingsley brought nearly four years of creditors’ rights experience with him, having handled contested and uncontested foreclosure matters and collections work.
Howell O'Rear
The Night the Luxury Bus Disappeared
Alexander B. Patterson is chief marketing officer and in-house counsel at Tough Mudder: Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet. From the Web site: “Tough Mudder is not your average lame-ass mud run or spirit-crushing ’endurance’ road race. Our 10–12 mile obstacle courses are designed by British Special Forces to test all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. Forget finish times. Simply completing a Tough Mudder is a badge of honor. Tough Mudder has raised over one million dollars for the Wounded Warrior Project. www.toughmudder.com. Alexander says, “See you at the starting line!” Alex was recently interviewed at the Law School.
Matthew E. Pinkham recently joined Reed Smith as an associate in Chicago, Ill., where he is a member of the corporate & securities group. Prior to joining Reed Smith, he worked with a sports management agency representing college football coaches and sports broadcasters.
2008
Kate Skagerberg is an associate with Beck, Redden & Secrest in Houston, Tex. She previously served as assistant district attorney for Harris County, Tex.
2009
Nathan Bryant has been selected to join the U.S. Department of Homeland Security General Counsel’s Honors Program for 2011.
A note published by Craig Smith in the Virginia Law Review in November 2010 was cited three times in a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. “Taking ’Due Account’ of the APA’s Prejudicial-Error Rule” was cited with approval in Judge Consuelo M. Callahan’s opinion and twice in Judge Sandra S. Ikuta’s dissent.
In his opinion for California Wilderness Coalition v. U.S. Department of Energy, Judge Callahan wrote that Smith’s analysis of cases applying the Administrative Procedure Act’s harmless error rule was in accord with recent Supreme Court analysis of the rule. Dissenting Judge Ikuta had quoted Smith’s note in her statement. Both opinions drew support from cases discussed by Smith.
Smith is an associate with Wiley Rein in Washington, D.C., where he counsels and represents government contractors and subcontractors on a range of issues, including bid protests, contract claims, and government investigations.
Christina Zaroulis married John Bennett Milnor on November 13, 2010. Christina Z. Milnor is an associate in the litigation/controversy department at WilmerHale in Washington, D.C.
2011
Christopher E. Cheek has joined Carlton Fields in Miami, Fla., as an associate in the business litigation and trade regulation practice group. He was a 2009–10 summer associate working in the firm’s Tampa and Miami offices.
Christopher Corts has joined Carlton Fields in Miami, Fla., as an associate in the appellate practice and trial support group. He was a 2010 summer associate with the firm.
