The 1950s

George Jordan, AA ’47, LLB ’50, of Norcross, Ga., was elected to serve as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis in September. Jordan previously served as captain of his precinct in Gwinnett County and is a licensed mediator.

Marion Edwyn Harrison, LLB ’54, LLM ’59, has completed his 13th lecture series abroad with a supreme court justice, most recently in Galway, Ireland. Harrison served as president of The George Washington Law Alumni Association from 1974 to 1977. He is an attorney in Washington, D.C., and Virginia as well as the president of the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation. Harrison has moved his law offices to Alexandria, Va., and he and his wife live in Arlington, Va.

The 1960s

Alexander & Cleaver attorney Gary R. Alexander, JD ’67, was recognized as a “Maryland Super Lawyer” and has been listed for more than a decade in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of energy and environmental law. Alexander & Cleaver is a government relations and lobbying firm in Annapolis, Md. Alexander is a member of the Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. bar associations.

John B. Holden Jr., JD ’68, was selected as a 2008 “Texas Super Lawyer” by Texas Monthly Magazine. Holden is a partner in the Dallas office of Jackson Walker and has more than 34 years of experience representing clients in the natural resources area. He is board certified in oil, gas, and mineral law.

The Sports Lawyer Association elected Roger P. Kaplan, JD ’68, to its board of directors. Kaplan has been a sports arbitrator since 1989. He has been the grievance arbitrator for the NBA and NBA Players Association and has decided many cases involving Major League Baseball and the NFL Players Association. He lives in Alexandria, Va.

The 1970s

Charles B. Lyon, JD ’70, was recognized as a leading attorney in the field of intellectual property in the 2008 Chambers USA Guide. Lyon is a partner at Calfee, Halter & Griswold and is “known for his long-standing reputation in Ohio,” according to the publication.

Thorp Reed & Armstrong partner Barry R. Elson, JD ’71, was elected as a fellow to the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, an organization that recognizes leaders in the field. Elson is a member of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and American bar associations, as well as a member of the Standing Subcommittee on Practice and Procedure Under the National Labor Relations Act.

Gonzalo Biggs, MCL ’72, is a partner of Figueroa & Valenzuela, a firm with an active civil, commercial, and international law practice in Santiago, Chile. Biggs was appointed to the board of directors of the American Arbitration Association of New York in 2007 and has been a panelist in various World Trade Organization disputes.

Geoff Stamper, JD ’72, published his first novel, Suicide Squeeze. The sports fiction follows Jamie Mudd, a baseball “super fan” who begins to believe that his entries on a scorecard can influence the outcome of the game. Reviewers have called it “a clever and exciting first novel” as well as “a skillfully written book,” Stamper says. He lives in Bellevue, Wash.

Blank Rome announced that T. Michael Dyer, JD ’73, has been promoted to co-chairman of the firm. Dyer has practiced in Washington, D.C., for more that 30 years and is recognized for his experience in representing clients in complex business transactions both in D.C. and within the international maritime community. He will remain as a senior principal for Blank Rome Government Relations.

Keightley & Ashner welcomed Stanley M. Hecht, JD ’75, as of counsel at the firm. Hecht joined Keightley & Ashner upon his retirement from government service in March 2008 after 15 years with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., most recently as assistant chief counsel and senior legal adviser.

Holland & Hart partner James A. Holtkamp, JD ’75, received the Peter W. Billings Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. He serves as an auxiliary professor at the school and as chair of Holland & Hart’s environmental compliance and global climate change practice groups.

Jerry Selinger, JD ’75, has joined Patterson & Sheridan as a partner to lead the firm’s trial section and oversee the firm’s new office in Dallas. Selinger is an intellectual property litigator, has an active appellate practice before the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, and has argued a patent case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Best Lawyers of America 2009 recognized Janine M. Landow-Esser, JD ’76, in the area of environmental law. Landow-Esser is a partner with Quarles & Brady in Chicago.

Bradd N. Siegel, JD ’77, was recognized as one of Ohio’s leading labor employment attorneys, according to recent rankings by Chambers & Partners, publishers of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Siegel is a partner in Porter Wright’s labor and employment department and was elected a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers in 1999. He has more than 25 years of experience in labor and employment law litigation on behalf of companies and their managers in state and federal courts.

Smith Moore Leatherwood attorney Jeri L. Whitfield, JD ’77, was appointed vice chair of the Board of Legal Specialization by the North Carolina Bar Association Council. She was also recognized in Woodward & White’s list of The Best Lawyers in America for at least 10 years in workers' compensation law. Whitfield is a board-certified specialist in workers’ compensation law, and she focuses on litigating complex occupational disease claims before the North Carolina Industrial Commission and appellate courts.

Richard L. Byrne, JD ’78, director and secretary at Pittsburgh-based The Webb Law Firm, was named a “Pennsylvania Super Lawyer” for 2008. Byrne was raised in Conway, Pa., and now resides in Upper St. Clair, Pa.

Eckert Seamans Cherin and Mellot attorney Jay K. Meadway, JD ’78, was ranked No. 3 in Pennsylvania in the area of intellectual property by 2008 Chambers USA Guide.

Michael J. Jordan, JD ’79, head of the litigation section at Walter & Haverfield, was selected for the 2009 issue of The Best Lawyers in America. He was named in the areas of alternative dispute resolution, health care law, and insurance law. In 2007, Jordan received the Presidential Citation Award from the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northern Ohio, in recognition of his legal services to the medical community in Greater Cleveland.

The 1980s

Ava J. Abramowitz, JD ’80, was elected public member director of the National Architect Council of Architectural Registration Boards. She is the first public member elected to the council’s board of directors with full voting rights. Abramowitz served as assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. She is the author of the book The Architect’s Essentials of Contract Negotiation, and she teaches negotiations at The George Washington University Law School and the Catholic University School of Architecture and Planning.

Claudia Z. Springer, JD ’80, managing partner of Reed Smith’s Philadelphia office, was named to the board of directors of the National Adoption Center. As an adoptive mother, Springer says she knows “the importance of their work,” and she “consider[s] it a privilege to contribute to this effort.”

Schottenstein Zox & Dunn partner Randall S. Arndt, JD ’81, was named in The Best Lawyers in America 2009 in the area of real estate law. Arndt, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, has been listed in the ranking for at least 10 years.

Greenberg Traurig attorney Susan L. Heller, JD ’82, has been recognized by three notable legal publications — Practical Law Company, Los Angeles Daily Journal, and CSC Trademark Insider — for her work in the intellectual property field. Heller focuses her practice on protecting and enhancing her clients’ key brands and corporate images through strategic management of their worldwide trademark and copyright portfolios.

Stephen J. Hirschfeld, JD ’82, was inducted as a fellow into The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers on Sept. 13, 2008. He also received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of College and University Attorneys during its 48th annual conference in New York City this past summer. Hirschfeld is a founding partner of the San Francisco law firm Curiale, Dellaverson, Hirschfeld & Kraemer and is chief executive of the Employment Law Alliance.

Pepper Hamilton welcomed Stanley R. Soya, JD ’82, a government contracts and white-collar defense lawyer, as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office. Previously, Soya worked as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, and in private practice.

Stoel Rives attorney Kevin Beaton, JD ’83, was listed in the Chambers Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers of Business and earned the highest possible ranking in the area of natural resources and environment. Beaton works in the firm’s Boise, Idaho, office.

Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed attorney Aaron J. Gorovitz, JD ’83, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers of America 2009 in the area of real estate law.

Richard M. Kuntz, JD ’84, was appointed to the Environmental Board by the mayor of Evanston, Ill. Kuntz is a partner in the firm of Bollinger, Ruberry & Garvey in Chicago.

International law firm Bryan Cave welcomed William Weisberg, JD ’86, as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office. Weisberg will continue his practice with respect to government contracts matters.

Richard J. Pascal, JD ’87, announced the opening of his firm Block, Janney & Pascal, a commercial boutique providing commercial litigation and corporate law services from offices in Norwich and Mystic, Conn.

Elizabeth S. Blutstein, JD ’88, has joined Quarles & Brady as partner on the firm’s public finance team. Previously, Blutstein worked as a partner for Foley & Lardner. While in law school, she served as an editor of The George Washington Journal of International Law and Economics and was elected to the Order of the Coif. She now resides in Mequon, Wis.

In July 2008, Jonathan L. Katz, JD ’89, opened a solo law firm in Silver Spring, Md., which represents criminal defense clients in the state and federal courts of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Katz’s new firm will continue the work he previously preformed for 10 years as criminal defense law partner at Marks & Katz.

The 1990s

Natalie Bej, JD ’90, was named principal of Vanguard, where she will manage a team in the company’s legal department that provides securities law and regulatory support to other business units. Bej joined Vanguard in 2005 as an associate counsel in the legal department. She lives in West Chester, Pa.

Eckert Seamans Cherin and Mellott welcomed John G. Loughnane, JD ’90, as a member of its corporate practice in Boston. He joins the firm from McCarter & English, where he was a partner in the corporate and bankruptcy groups. Loughnane is a member of the American, Massachusetts, and Boston bar associations and also serves on the board of editors of The Boston Bar Journal. He is a volunteer and leader in youth sports and scouting organizations within his community.

Sheryl Robinson Wood, JD ’90, was named parliamentarian of the National Bar Association at its 83rd annual convention in Houston. Wood is a partner and co-chair of the White Collar and Government Enforcement Practice Group. Previously she was a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust and Civil Rights divisions and assistant district attorney for the New York County District Attorney’s Office investigations division.

Gregory C. Garre, JD ’91, was named the 44th solicitor general of the United States. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on June 19, 2008, confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Oct. 2, 2008, and took the oath of office on Oct. 6, 2008. Garre served as principal deputy solicitor general from October 2005 until October 2008. He was formerly a partner at the law firm of Hogan & Hartson in Washington, D.C., where he headed the firm’s Supreme Court and appellate practice section. Garre has argued 25 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous additional matters before the federal courts of appeals. Following his graduation from law school, Garre served as a law clerk to Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.

Greg Brower, JD ’92, was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the U. S. attorney for Nevada.

Larry Cruz, JD ’92, the chief patent counsel for Conair Corp. in Stamford, Conn., organized a push-up fundraiser that benefited the Autism Society of Connecticut and the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. “Pushing Past Autism 2008” was held in June at the O’Neil Center on Western Connecticut State University’s Westside campus in Danbury. For more information, visit www.pushingpastautism.org.

The Legal 500 US 2008 publication named Heidi Davis Knapik, JD ’92, one of the top Florida attorneys for her land use capabilities. Knapik concentrates her practice in the areas of land use and development in the Fort Lauderdale office of Gunster Yoakley.

Jennifer Lear, JD ’92, contributed to a book of essays titled Knowing Pains: Women on Love, Sex and Work in Our 40s. The book is a collection of 32 essays written by female authors, and all net proceeds will be donated to Breast Cancer Action to support breast cancer education and advocacy.

Southfield, Mich.,-based Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller attorney Lowell D. Salesin, JD ’93, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2009 in the area of real estate law.

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox welcomed Richard B. Almon, JD ’94, into its electronics practice group. Previously, Almon was with the law offices of Causton A. Toney in Washington, D.C. He has more than seven years of technical industry experience as a senior software engineer with a broad variety of software technologies.

David Benowitz, JD ’95, opened a private criminal defense practice after seven years as a staff attorney at the District of Columbia Public Defender Service and another six years representing those less fortunate. Since law school, Benowitz received his LLM in trial advocacy from Temple University.

Scott Dinstell, JD ’96, was promoted from associate to trial attorney within the AIG staff counsel organization. Dinstell and his wife, Audrey, recently welcomed twin girls, Samantha and Lauren, who join big sister Abby.

Daniel W. Hartman, LLM ’96, opened a new firm, Hartman Curtin & Way P.A., with partners Ethan Andrew Way and Jeanne B. Curtin. The firm serves clients throughout Florida.

The Lockheed Martin Corp. in Bethesda, Md., welcomed Robin H. Villanueva, JD ’96, as assistant general counsel for employee benefits and executive compensation.

Raymond T. McKenzie Jr., JD ’98, opened The Law Office of Raymond T. McKenzie, Esq., located in Rockville, Md. The firm concentrates in the areas of franchise law, corporate and business law, and civil and commercial litigation.

Crowell & Moring elected Kirsten L. Nathanson, JD ’98, to partner. Nathanson practices in the firm’s environment and natural resources group in its Washington, D.C., office in addition to leading the firm’s Women Attorneys’ Network. She resides in Arlington, Va., with her husband and two sons.

Javier J. Rúa-Jovet, LLM ’98, was named president of the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board by Gov. Aníbal Acevedo Vilá. The EQB is the commonwealth agency in charge of the environmental impact statement process, and it regulates air, water, and soil pollution and cleanup issues. Previously Rúa-Jovet served as deputy secretary and legal adviser for the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.

Kimberly Bullock Gatling, JD ’99, has expanded her role with the North Carolina Bar Association and has been named to the board of governors. As part of her board service, she will serve as chair of the Memorials Committee. Gatling is a partner in the Smith Moore Greensboro office and focuses her practice on intellectual property issues.

The Philadelphia office of Morgan Lewis’ Labor and Employment Practice elected Michael Puma, JD ’99, as partner. Puma’s broad practice includes federal and state wage and hour claims litigation, including more than 20 national and regional collective and class actions in jurisdictions across the country.

Sidley Austin law firm named Elizabeth M. Schubert, JD ’99, a partner in the Chicago office. Her primary area of practice is investment funds, advisers, and derivatives.

The 2000s

Hunton & Williams in Washington, D.C., welcomed Andrew J. Turner, LLM ’00, as senior attorney. As a member of the firm’s resources, regulatory, and environmental team, Turner concentrates on issues relating to marine and inland waterways, wetlands, natural resources, waterfront, and offshore facilities and structures. Previously he served as chief of general law in the U.S. Coast Guard.

Emile Loza, JD ’01, published an article in the Wolters Kluwer publication The Computer & Internet Lawyer on the constitutionality of states’ regulation of violent video games and the access that minors have to those games. Loza wrote the article as part of her service on the American Bar Association’s special committee on computer gaming and virtual worlds. She is a founder and managing partner of Technology Law Group, an Internet, intellectual property, and international law litigation and competitive intelligence practice based in Boise, Idaho.

Mayte C. Cabada, JD ’01, joined Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrère, & Denègre law firm as special counsel in the health care industry group within the firm’s business and finance practice group. She will practice in the firm’s Miami office.

The New York Times noted Roberto Diego Velazquez, JD ’02, for representing a pro-bono client in a foreclosure case. The real estate section article, “Foreclosure Makes Its Move on Manhattan” by Christine Haughney, was published in the Sept. 7, 2008, edition of the newspaper.

Tania M. L. Saylor, JD ’03, has joined the business and professional litigation practice team of Sands Anderson Marks & Miller as a member of the McLean, Va.-based group of attorneys. Saylor focuses her practice on commercial and tort litigation and on professional liability, including malpractice defense. Previously, she was with Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker.

Rebecca M. Hamburg, JD ’04, was appointed to the executive board of the National Employment Lawyers Association, which advocates employee rights and serves lawyers who advocate for equality and justice in the American workplace. Hamburg joined the law firm of Schonbrun DeSimone Seplow Harris & Hoffman in Venice, Calif., where she focuses her practice on representing plaintiffs in employment rights litigation as well as other civil and human rights matters.

Fish & Richardson welcomed Rebecca Barbisch, JD ’05, as an associate in the litigation group in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. She has experience in intellectual property litigation as well as patent prosecution, licensing, and counseling in areas including software, semiconductors, and imaging technologies.

The Asia Society Philippine Foundation selected Myrish Cadapan-Antonio, LLM ’07, as a member of the Philippines 21 Young Leaders Initiative Class of 2008, a group of young leaders who collaborate and share ideas on public service and other initiatives. She is currently teaching corporate law, legal and judicial ethics, and international human rights at Silliman University in the Philippines.

In the past year, Samir Jammal, JD ’07, passed the California bar exam and introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Jammal, who works for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, introduced the legislation, called the Strengthening Communities through Education and Integration Act. It seeks to address the educational needs of English-language learners and immigrant integration.

Armstrong Teasdale in St. Louis welcomed David S. Kim, JD ’07, to the firm’s intellectual property practice group. Kim focuses his practice primarily on the preparation and prosecution of U.S. and foreign policy patent applications. Previously, he worked for the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox in Washington, D.C., welcomed Jeffrey R. Fougere, JD ’08, to its mechanical practice group.

Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione welcomed Ryan M. Gleitz, JD ’08, as an associate in its Chicago office. Gleitz spent the summer of 2007 as a summer associate in the firm’s Indianapolis office.

Noah B. Koretz, JD ’08, joined the Boston office of Sullivan & Worcester as a first-year associate. Koretz previously was a Thurgood Marshall Scholar at GW Law School and a legal fellow at the Small Business Clinic.

Jordan Nodel, JD ’08, wrote a legal paper in conjunction with the Reut Institute, one of Israel’s premier policy think tanks. The article was published on the institute’s Web site.

Roetzel & Andress law firm announced that Jenna Persons, JD ’08, joined the Fort Myers, Fla., office as an associate. She focuses her practice in the area of litigation.

The Chicago office of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione welcomed Virginia Wolk, JD ’08, as a new trademark associate.