Send Us Your News
To submit a class note, email us or submit mail to UVA Lawyer, University of Virginia School of Law, 580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903. Please send your submissions no later than Feb. 1 for inclusion in the next issue.
2010
Minoo S. Blaesche was elected to partner with Jackson Walker in Dallas. Blaesche focuses on business and commercial litigation and handles a wide array of complex litigation for a variety of clients, including high-stakes matters for many financial institutions. In 2021, she was selected to participate in the Dallas Bar Association’s WE LEAD program. Outside the firm, Blaesche is an avid volunteer for Cycle for Survival.
2011
Caroline Fox was promoted to counsel with Haynes Boone in Dallas. An intellectual property practice group member, she is experienced in patent litigation matters involving a range of technologies, including wireless communications, electronics and life sciences. Fox has been recognized by Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Thomson Reuters, from 2017-23.
Brian A. Wright was promoted to counsel with Hunton Andrews Kurth in Richmond, Va. Wright represents corporate clients in a wide array of commercial disputes, including construction litigation, contract claims, corporate torts, insurance claims, trademark infringement claims and post-mergers and acquisitions disputes. In his 10 years as a trial lawyer, he has obtained nearly $100 million in combined awards and judgments for his clients.
2012
Douglas Hance was promoted to partner at Morris, Manning & Martin in Atlanta. Hance is the national coordinating counsel for a Fortune 500 company and the associate primarily responsible for its successful global defense strategy.
Caitlin M. Poe was named to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under List for 2023. This is her sixth consecutive year being recognized as an attorney among the top young talent in their respective litigation communities in the U.S. and Canada. Poe is a trial lawyer and regulatory adviser with Williams Mullen in Raleigh, N.C. She represents criminal and civil clients, with a particular focus on representing clients adverse to the state or federal government. Her experience includes criminal and civil cases involving securities regulation, intellectual property, consumer protection, environmental compliance, health care fraud and financial fraud.
Daniel Watkins recently helped found a new law firm specializing in “reputation management and fighting misinformation.” Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch is based in Washington, D.C. The firm was founded by Watkins and three other Clare Locke partners who had served as co-counsel to Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation lawsuit against Fox Corp., which led to a sizable settlement for their client.
2013
Michael S. Dawkins joined Winderweedle, Haines, Ward & Woodman in Winter Park, Fla., as a partner. Dawkins has a wide range of experience in all aspects of real estate, including acquisition, development, sale and leasing, particularly complex commercial leasing.
Melinda Han Gammello was named a partner in Skadden’s tax controversy and litigation group in Washington, D.C. Gammello advises multinational corporations, financial institutions and individuals on a wide range of tax controversy and tax planning matters.
William Halliday joined Williams Mullen’s corporate section as a partner in Tysons, Va. Halliday focuses his practice on corporate and securities matters, including initial and follow-on public stock offerings, private stock offerings, growth equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate reorganizations.
Nicole Jackson-Leslie was named one of Business Insider’s Top Private Bankers Under 40 in April. Jackson-Leslie is vice president and a wealth planner with Brown Brothers Harriman in Boston.
P. Ryan Messier was elected to partner with Fried Frank in Washington, D.C. Messier practices in mergers and acquisitions, private equity and complex corporate transactions.
2014
Emily Feder was promoted to partner with Allen Matkins in Los Angeles. Feder’s practice focuses on all types of real estate transactions.
Chelsea Leitch was promoted to counsel with Haynes Boone in Dallas. A member of the corporate practice group, Leitch’s practice focuses on structuring, drafting and negotiating commercial agreements and related arrangements, bringing strategic legal insight and practical solutions into clients’ business relationships.
2015
Aisha Haley joined Caldwell Cassady & Curry as counsel in Dallas. Following two clerkships, Haley worked on commercial and patent trial work with two firms in Washington, D.C. Most recently, she was an integral member of a trial team that secured a $15 million jury verdict in the Northern District of California.
2016
Andre Ferrari was promoted to vice president of transactions and general counsel at Tellus Group, a real estate developer in Dallas. Ferrari focuses on acquiring large tracts of land in Texas and developing them into amenity-rich, master-planned residential communities. Recently, Ferrari was honored as one of the Dallas Business Journal’s 40 Under 40.
In July, Ferrari completed the legal transaction he is most proud of—representing his parents in the sale of the remaining assets and intellectual property of their company, Free Donkey Sports. Ferrari and his mother founded the cornhole bag company while Ferrari was studying for the LSAT. His mother and stepfather grew it so much in the past decade that its sale has “sent them into well-deserved retirement.”
2017
John H. Elliott is a litigation associate in Bradley’s new Atlanta office. Elliott represents a wide range of clients in complex commercial disputes and has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Commercial Litigation and Litigation—Labor & Employment.
2019
Matthew Johnson joined Fish & Richardson as an associate in Minneapolis. With technical experience in many areas—including electrical engineering, cybersecurity and thermodynamics—Johnson focuses his practice on patent litigation in U.S. District Courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
2020
Ronald Pantalena started clerking for Chief Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble with the U.S. District Court in Alaska in June.
