2000s Class Notes

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2001

Christian AtwoodChristian Atwood was named a Boston rising star for 2015 by the National Law Journal. A partner with Choate, Hall & Stewart in the private equity group, he negotiates and structures complex mergers and acquisitions transactions, leveraged buyouts, growth capital investments, and recapitalizations.

Amy Collins Cassidy is a founding member of Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan, an insurance coverage law firm in Chicago. She focuses her practice in litigation. She married Sean Cassidy in September and she and her husband live in Barrington, Ill., with her 5-year-old stepson, Mikey. 

Steven M. KlepperSteven M. Klepper’s poem, “The Love Song of J. Anthony Kennedy,” was published in the autumn 2015 issue of the quarterly legal journal The Green Bag. The same-sex marriage decision Obergefell v. Hodges was handed down in June 2015, the same month as the 100th anniversary of the publication of T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Klepper’s poem (described in a Green Bag tweet as “a masterpiece of legal poetical Modernism”) is a spoof written from the perspective of Justice Kennedy.

In February, Klepper was interviewed by Law360 for his perspective on President Obama’s choice to replace Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. He was also a guest on “The Marc Steiner Show,” an NPR affiliate, giving his views of the Adnan Syed trial. Klepper is a principal with Kramon & Graham in Baltimore, Md., and editor-in-chief of the Maryland Appellate blog.

Cmdr. Anne Marks was sworn into the Navy and Marine Court of Criminal Appeals in an investiture ceremony in the Washington Navy Yard on Oct. 28. 

2002

Kate Hanlon and Bill Sinclair welcomed Robert “Robbie” Clayton Sinclair on July 2. He joins big brother Edward “Teddy,” 7. Bill is a partner with Silverman Thomson Slutkin & White in Baltimore, where he chairs the commercial litigation practice. Kate practices part time at the same firm and stays home with the boys, as well as volunteers on various boards and committees.

2003

John D. Adams was listed among Virginia Business magazine’s legal elite for 2015 in criminal law. He is partner and chair of the government investigations and white-collar litigation department with McGuireWoods in Richmond.

Andrew G. Beshear was elected attorney general of Kentucky in November. He grew up in a political family; his father also served as Kentucky’s attorney general, as lieutenant governor and two terms as governor. Beshear previously practiced law with Stites & Harbison in Louisville.

Brendan Stuhan was promoted to assistant general counsel for litigation at Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association in Washington, D.C.

Alumni Featured in Top Attorneys List

Seven young alumni were featured in the Law360 list of top attorneys under 40, including Daniel Bress ’05 (for class action), Matt Einbinder ’05 (energy), Peter Gilman ’04 (asset management), Lauren J. King ’08 (Native American law; pictured), Tirzah Lollar ’04 and Brian Tully Mclaughlin ’05(government contracts), and J. Leonard Teti ’05 (tax).

2004

Jeff BarnesJeff Barnes is listed in Texas Super Lawyers as a rising star for 2016, a recognition he has received every year since 2007. He is a partner with Fisher & Phillips in Houston, where he focuses on labor and employment law.

Allison Orr LarsenAllison Orr Larsen has received tenure at William & Mary Law School and has been promoted from associate professor to professor of law. She has received several teaching awards, most recently the 2015 Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence. Her scholarship includes constitutional law and the institutional and informational dynamics of legal decision-making. Larsen will conduct comparative research on fact-finding as a visiting scholar at the University of Oxford in England this fall.

Scott Luftglass joined Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in New York as partner in the litigation department, where he represents public company directors and executives in corporate governance matters and litigation relating to corporate transactions. He was previously with Davis Polk & Wardwell.

Charles E. Luftig has been named deputy general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget. He previously served for three years at the National Security Council as director for counterterrorism, then as deputy legal advisor, and finally as the senior advisor for the deputy national security advisor.

Michael Signer was elected to the Charlottesville City Council in November and unanimously selected by his colleagues on the council to serve as mayor. He practices law at his own firm, Madison Law & Strategy Group, where he focuses on corporate and regulatory law (see full story).

Sean Suder is chair of Graydon Head & Richey’s commercial real estate industry group and partner-in-charge of Graydon’s new Over-The-Rhine office in Cincinnati. Suder is also managing director of the Graydon Land Use Strategies consulting affiliate, which consults with local governments throughout the Midwest, South and East Coast on drafting more consistent, clear, usable and defensible zoning and land use codes. Suder practices real estate and land use law and is admitted to practice in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. 

Thomas R. WaskomThomas R. Waskom was promoted to counsel with Hunton & Williams in Richmond, Va. His practice concentrates on class action, mass torts and environmental litigation.

Graham M. Wilson was promoted to partner with Perkins Coie in Washington, D.C., where he focuses his practice on political law and litigation. He counsels clients on federal and state campaign finance law, voting rights, ethics regulations, lobbying laws and pay-to-play issues. Before joining Perkins Coie, Wilson served as an attorney at the Federal Election Commission office of general counsel, litigation division.

Tyler Chance YarbroTyler Chance Yarbro has been named a shareholder with Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella in Nashville, Tenn., where she focuses her practice on litigation in employment, personal injury, criminal and probate matters. She was named to the 2015 Attorney for Justice pro bono honor roll by the Tennessee Supreme Court for her work with the YWCA, Metro Nashville’s community corrections advisory board, and the board of directors for Rooftop Nashville. Yarbro is an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at Vanderbilt University Law School. 

2005

Toni J. HoverkampToni J. Hoverkamp was promoted to counsel with Farrell Fritz in Hauppauge, N.Y., where she concentrates her practice on residential and commercial real estate.

2006

Chris BootheChris Boothe was named shareholder with Winstead in Charlotte, N.C. He is a member of the real estate finance practice group, representing lending institutions in the financing, acquisition, disposition and leasing of commercial properties nationwide.

Jason R. Brege is listed as a North Carolina Super Lawyers rising star for 2016. He is a partner with Smith Anderson in Raleigh, where he focuses on helping life sciences and technology companies develop and commercialize their intellectual property and technology assets through structuring and negotiation of research, development, licensing and other strategic collaboration and acquisition transactions.

Craig G. FallsCraig G. Falls was elected partner at Dechert in Washington, D.C., where he focuses his practice on antitrust/competition, white-collar and securities enforcement law.

Tommy Goodman is an associate vice president at The Cohen Group, a global business consulting firm in Washington, D.C., headed by former U.S. Senator and Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Since joining the firm in 2011, Goodman has advised clients on the legal, political and regulatory matters affecting their interests, with a focus on Latin America, particularly Mexico and Cuba. He is currently working on a project that could bring a major league team’s minor league affiliate to Havana in the near future. The prospect was the subject of a Nov. 28 article in The New York Times.

Daniel R.B. Nicholas was elected counsel with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan in Washington, D.C., where he advises clients regarding U.S. federal income tax with emphasis on international tax planning and transactions and the taxation of financial products.

David A. Reed and his wife, Sara, welcomed a daughter, Anne Moseley Reed, on Feb. 4, 2015. The Reeds live in Atlanta, where David is a patent attorney with Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton. Annie traveled with her parents to visit family in northern Tuscany in October on her first overseas trip.

Lars Rueve LL.M. was named European counsel of Sullivan & Cromwell. He joined the firm’s New York office in 2006 and transferred to Frank­furt in 2008. His practice focuses on equity capital market and M&A transactions.

James E. Tysse was named partner with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Supreme Court and appellate practice with a focus on handling complex matters, including developing strategy and authoring briefs, both on appeal and in high-stakes trial litigation. Tysse has prepared more than 50 briefs in cases at every appellate level, with more than 25 at the merits and certiorari stages at the Supreme Court.

2007

Rebecca Clifford CarsonRebecca Clifford Carson was elected partner with Irell & Manella in Newport Beach, Calif. She is a member with the litigation and intellectual property pratices and handles a range of commercial litigation matters, with particular focus on complex intellectual property and general business disputes.

Lauren E. CatoeLauren E. Catoe was elected shareholder with Carlton Fields Jorden Burt in Tampa, Fla., where she is a member of the construction, development, and real estate and commercial finance practice and industry groups. She concentrates her practice on advising clients on the planning and development of large-scale, complex construction projects, with primary focus on contract preparation, review and negotiation.

J. Austin CurryJ. Austin Curry is listed as a rising star for 2016 in Texas Super Lawyers. He is a principal at Caldwell Cassady & Curry in Dallas, where he focuses his practice on patent infringement disputes.

Adam L. FotiadesAdam L. Fotiades has been named partner with Zucker­man Spaeder in Washington, D.C., where he represents companies and indi­viduals in complex civil litigation and white-collar criminal defense.

Christopher Lynch was promoted to counsel in the litigation department at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York City. He represents clients in anti­trust, telecommunications, securities and general litigation matters, and advises and represents clients in merger investigations by antitrust and competition authorities.

P. Nicholas PetersonP. Nicholas Peterson was promoted to of counsel with Wiley Rein in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the white-collar defense and government investigations practice and represents clients from various industries in litigation, transactional and regulatory matters.

Adam C. WolkAdam C. Wolk was named a partner at Mayer Brown in New York City. He practices banking and finance law, representing banks and other financial institutions as well as borrowers and sponsors in connection with a wide variety of leveraged finance and other lending transactions. Wolk lives on the Upper West Side with his wife, Brita, and their son, Barry, 2, who’s looking forward to welcoming a new baby brother in May.

2008

Brenna M. Clark was elected counsel with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan in Atlanta. She focuses her practice on employee benefits matters, advising clients on retirement plans, executive compensation arrangements, and compliance with ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. Clark also provides employee benefit advice in corporate transactions.

Elliott Klass is a vice president and in-house counsel with Amur Capital Management, a diversified investment company with a focus on aviation headqua­tered in White Plains, N.Y. He was previously with Vedder Price.

Preston Lloyd was named among the top 40 under 40 in 2015 by Style Weekly. He is a partner with Williams Mullen in Richmond, Va., where he focuses his practice on land use and real estate law. He works with elected officials on projects that help improve communities and the way residents feel about them, and he was instrumental in founding United Way’s Young Leaders Society, which recruits young people to get involved in philanthropy.

Edward A. MullenEdward A. Mullen was promoted to partner in the global regulatory enforcement group with Reed Smith in Richmond, Va. He was listed among the legal elite in 2015 in Virginia Business magazine in legislative/ regulatory/administrative law.

Rebekah Shapiro has been commissioned as a member of the board of her secondary school, Alma Heights Christian Schools, in Pacifica, Calif. Shapiro is an associate in the insurance defense practice group with Selman Breitman in San Francisco. She and her husband reside in Redwood City.

Sara E. StinnettSara E. Stinnett was promoted to partner with Jackson Walker in Austin, Texas. She is a member of the investment funds practice group, where she focuses on representing institutions with investments in private equity funds and other investments.

2009

Bradley T. Giordano was elected partner with Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice on corporate restructurings.

Alexander S. Holtan was elected counsel with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan in Washington, D.C., where he advises energy clients regarding investment and trading in commodity derivatives, compliance with securities laws, commodities-related enforcement matters and internal investigations, and matters related to corporate governance. Holtan also advises clients on derivatives and other transactions.

Bryan Starrett has been named to the Community Partners Board for the city of Greensboro, N.C., where he will review community nonprofits’ requests for city funding. Starrett practices with Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard in Greensboro, representing businesses in litigation, internal investigations and compliance, employment law and privacy.