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Alumni Newsmakers

The 1950s

Marion Harrison, LLB '54, LLM '59, has completed his 14th lecture circuit abroad with a U.S. Supreme Court justice, most recently in Geneva. Mr. Harrison is president of the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation, a conservative think tank, and lives with his wife in Arlington, Va.

Laurence Levitan, JD '58, a former Maryland state senator, has been appointed to the Strathmore Hall for the Arts board of directors. Mr. Levitan is a partner at Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan & Silver, LLC, where he specializes in administrative law and government relations.

The 1960s

Clifford W. Taylor, JD '67, former chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and of counsel in the Lansing, Mich., office of Miller Canfield, presented a forum on "Methods of Judicial Selection" with retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on June 14 in Detroit.

The 1970s

Richard Buhrman, LLM '70, received the 2010 Ralph H. Kelley Humanitarian Award from the Chattanooga Bar Association for exemplary service to the Chattanooga community. Mr. Buhrman is the principal attorney of Buhrman & Associates, P.C., in Chattanooga, Tenn., and was recently designated an accredited estate planner by the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils.

Charles Lyon, JD '70, has been named the Best Lawyers in America Cleveland Patent Litigation Lawyer of 2012. Mr. Lyon is senior counsel in the intellectual property group of Calfee, Halter & Griswold, LLP, where he provides counseling, strategy, and dispute resolution in patents and trademarks.

Lewis F. Tesser, JD '70, senior partner at Tesser, Ryan & Rochman, LLP, has been named vice president of the New York County Lawyers' Association (NYCLA) board of directors. Mr. Tesser is also director of the NYCLA's Ethics Institute and co-chairs the association's CLE committee.

Thomas G. Mancuso, LLM '72, has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2012 for his expertise in corporate law, securities/capital markets law, tax law, and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Mancuso is currently a member of Haskell Slaughter Young & Rediker, LLC.

Fred Wolf III, JD '72, a partner in Ballard Spahr's real estate department, has been elected chairman of Mt. Washington Pediatric Foundation's board of directors, one of the major fundraising organizations supporting Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital in Baltimore, Md.

David R. Berz, BA '70, JD '73, has received the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources' 2011 Award for Excellence in Environmental Energy and Resource Stewardship in recognition of his experience, in particular his role as debtor's counsel to General Motors in its Chapter 11 settlement.

Mark Ross, JD '73, a partner at Fisher & Phillips LLP, has been selected for inclusion in Northern California Super Lawyers 2011, as well as The Best Lawyers in America 2012. Mr. Ross specializes in labor law, including collective bargaining agreements and labor disputes.

Kenneth J. Scherer, BS '69, JD '73, has joined Greenspoon Marder's West Palm Beach office where he heads the firm's Central and North Palm Beach and Treasure Coast litigation practice. Mr. Scherer was formerly a partner at Cohen, Norris, Scherer, Weinberger & Wolmer.

Sanford M. Stein, JD '74, has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2012 for his work as partner with Quarles & Brady, LLP, where he specializes in energy, environmental, land use, and zoning law.

Shirley M. Justice, JD '76, an attorney with the law firm of Sirote & Permutt, has been selected the Best Lawyer of the Year for trusts and estates by The Best Lawyers in America 2012.

Janine M. Landow-Esser, JD '76, has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2012 for her work as partner with Quarles & Brady, LLP, where she specializes in environmental and OSHA law.

Arnold Rochvarg, JD '76, wrote Principles and Practice of Maryland Administrative Law (Carolina Academic Press, 2011), a treatise on court cases involving administrative law and hearings. Mr. Rochvarg is a professor of law at the University of Baltimore School of Law.

David B. Casas, JD '77, retired from the San Antonio City Attorney's Office after a 32-year career, during which he held every position in the office from an attorney to an acting deputy city attorney. At his retirement, he was the office's longest-tenured attorney.

Joseph Glantz, JD '77, wrote Philadelphia Originals (Schiffer Books, 2009), which profiles the unique styles and traditions of Philadelphia through art, stories, and a look at the city's most notable professions.

Daniel Levinson, LLM '77, the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services since 2004, has led a largely successful investigation of health-care fraud involving the Armenian-American mafia and a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud scheme in 25 states.

Bradd N. Siegel, JD '77, has been recognized by Chambers USA as a top attorney in Ohio for his work in labor and employment at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, LLP.

Jeri Whitfield, JD '77, has been appointed chair of the North Carolina State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization, which certifies attorneys who excel in a specific field of law as legal specialists. Ms. Whitfield is currently an attorney at the Greensboro, N.C., office of Smith Moore Leatherwood.

Richard L. Byrne JD '78, director and secretary of the Webb Law Firm, has been named one of Pennsylvania's 2011 Super Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America's 2012 Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year, and was listed in the IAM Patent Litigation 250, a source compiled by Intellectual Asset Management to identify world-class patent litigation expertise.

Eric N. Macey, JD '78, has been invited to join the International Society of Barristers, a society of 800 lawyers adjudged by their peers and judges to be outstanding in the field of advocacy. Co-founder of Chicago business litigation firm Novack and Macey LLP, Mr. Macey specializes in commercial litigation. He is an instructor with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law.

J.T. Westermeier, LLM '78, was recognized as a leader in the field of IP law in the 2011 Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. He was also listed in Intellectual Asset Management magazine's "IAM 250: The World's Leading IP Strategists" (2011); the International Who's Who of Internet and e-Commerce Lawyers; Best Attorneys in America (Information Technology; 2011); Best Lawyers in Washington D.C. (Information Technology; 2011); Virginia Super Lawyers (Intellectual Property; 2011); and Washington D.C. Super Lawyers (Intellectual Property; 2011).

Marcos G. Ronquillo, JD '79, president and chief operating officer of Godwin Ronquillo, PC, has been named to the 2011 binational board of directors of the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, a bilateral organization created to promote trade, investment, and joint ventures on both sides of the border. Mr. Ronquillo has also been recognized by Texas Super Lawyers 2011 for the ninth consecutive year, and received the 2011 Maestro Award for Leadership from Latino Leaders. In addition, Mr. Ronquillo was named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States by Hispanic Business for his work on behalf of public education, transportation, and the arts. Mr. Ronquillo was also named president of the Julian Samora Legacy Foundation Board.

The 1980s

Heidi L. Coleman, JD '82, has been named chief of the Behavioral Research Division at the National Highway Traffic Administration of the Department of Transportation, where she oversees research regarding impaired driving, motorcycle safety, speed, aggressive driving, and other traffic safety topics.

Kenneth J. King, JD '82, was named by New York Super Lawyers Metro Edition as a top attorney in 2011. Mr. King is a partner at Pepper Hamilton, LLP, where he specializes in health effects litigation.

Michael Perlmuter, JD '82, joined the Alex N. Sill Co., a property insurance loss consultant and adjuster, as executive vice president and general counsel.

Jefferson "Jeff" C. Glassie, JD '85, has joined Whiteford, Taylor & Preston as a partner in the firm's nonprofit organizations group. Mr. Glassie has over three decades of experience in representing associations and nonprofit organizations on a wide range of legal matters including international law.

Jeanine Perron, JD '85, has been promoted from associate to partner at Covington & Burling, LLP, where she specializes in food and drug law, with a focus on animal food and drug law. Ms. Perron has a degree in veterinary medicine and has practiced as a licensed veterinarian.

Mark Egert, JD '87, has joined the New York office of Brown Brothers Harriman as director of compliance for its investment management and markets practice.

Margaret Porfido-Feuer, JD '87, has been named to the board of directors of Kaiser Foundation Hospital and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Ms Porfido-Feuer was most recently the chief human resources officer at Level 3 Communications, a global communications firm.

Sandra G. Sheets, JD '87, has been named one of 2011's Florida Super Lawyers, an honor recognizing the top five percent of attorneys in each state, for her work as shareholder in GrayRobinson's Lakeland office. Ms. Sheets specializes in estate planning and probate law.

Elizabeth Blustein, JD '88, has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2012 for her work as a partner with Quarles & Brady, LLP, where she specializes in public finance.

The 1990s

Alan Ehrlich, JD '91, is of counsel to the Washington, D.C., intellectual property law firm Stein McEwen, LLP, where he specializes in the chemical arts and transactional matters. Dr. Ehrlich previously worked with the Environmental Protection Agency before retiring from government.

Marc J. Gross, JD '91, an attorney at the Roseland law firm of Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis, LLP, obtained a ruling from a federal judge in September 2011 precluding BP Products North America from terminating its New Jersey franchises. Mr. Gross has appeared in federal courts throughout New Jersey and New York and in the Superior Courts of nearly every New Jersey county.

Robert Stamps, LLM '91, won first prize in the North Carolina State Bar's 2011 annual fiction writing competition for his swashbuckling tale, "Blackbeard's Last Raid," which was published in the North Carolina Bar's Fall 2011 Journal. Mr. Stamps currently lives in Arlington, Va., where he consults for small businesses on federal contracts and grants.

Roberta "Rob" Valente, JD '91, received the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence's 2011 Sharon L. Corbitt Award, which recognizes service by lawyers demonstrating exemplary service to victims of domestic violence. Ms. Valente works with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, where she provides legal analysis.

Adam K. Derman, JD '92, has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America 2012 for his work at Wolff & Samson, PC, where he is co-chair of the firm's litigation group and specializes in intellectual property, real estate, labor and employment, trusts and estates, and commercial litigation.

Joan Ellis, JD '92, has joined the Washington, D.C., office of Dickinson Wright, LLC. Ms. Ellis specializes in patent prosecution and litigation with an emphasis on biotechnology, as well as pharmaceutical and life science industries.

Steven S. Hanagami, JD '92, has joined Fox Rothschild, LLP, as an associate. Mr. Hanagami was previously an associate at the intellectual property and business law firm Chan Law Group, LLP, which recently merged with Fox Rothschild.

Catherine Bowers, JD '93, is turning her 9.5-acre farm into a safe haven for children in foster care as part of her nonprofit organization Sparrows Rest. Ms Bowers, a lawyer in Madison County, Va., has parented nearly 30 foster care children.

Darrin P. Gayles, JD '93, was appointed circuit judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida.

Lowell Salesin, JD '93, has been selected for recognition by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business 2011 and Michigan Super Lawyers 2011. Mr. Salesin is currently a shareholder and member of the executive management committee at Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller, PC.

Deborah R. Eisenberg, JD '94, was selected for inclusion in the 2011 edition of Connecticut Super Lawyers for her work in family law. Ms. Eisenberg has her own practice in Glastonbury, Conn.

Mark Hoose, JD '94, was appointed assistant professor of law at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he will teach taxation.

Ayman Khaleq, LLM '94, was appointed managing partner of the Middle East offices of international law firm Vinson & Elkins LLP. Mr. Khaleq specializes in structured finance and debt capital market transactions, as well as private equity transactions and Islamic finance.

Harrie Samaras, LLM '94, edited ADR Advocacy, Strategies, and Practice for Intellectual Property Cases (ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law, 2011), a treatise on ADR processes and pre-dispute resolution clauses.

Philip B. Taub, JD '94, partner at Nixon Peabody, LLP, was recognized by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business as a leader in corporate and commercial practice.

Adele Abrams, JD '95, was honored by the American Society of Safety Engineers' Women in Safety Engineering Common Interest Group for her work in the safety, health, and environmental field. In addition to having her own full-service law firm, Ms. Abrams is a certified mine safety professional.

Musa L. Eubanks, JD '96, was appointed acting director of the Office of Community Relations for Prince George's County, Md.

John Houston, JD '96, was selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America 2012. Mr. Houston is a founding member of Houston Harbaugh, a firm concentrating in the areas of health care and estate planning.

Monica Gray Parchment, JD '96, was appointed an administrative judge with the District of Columbia Contract Appeals Board.

Susan J. Walsh, JD '96, of counsel at Elias & Engelhard, PC, has been named secretary of the New York County Lawyers' Association (NYCLA) board of directors. Ms. Walsh also chairs the NYCLA's committee on committees and is a member of the association's executive and nominations committees.

Miguel López Forastier, LLM '97, has been promoted from associate to partner at Covington & Burling, LLP, where he specializes in international arbitration and litigation.

Carey S. Roberts, JD '97, was honored at the Sanctuary for Families' Above and Beyond Pro Bono Achievement Awards and Benefit for her work on behalf of a victim of domestic violence and her two daughters. Ms. Roberts is a partner at Covington & Burling LLP.

Raymond Ausrotas, JD '98, has founded Arrowood Peters, LLP, a boutique law firm focusing on complex civil litigation and trial work. The firm, operated by Mr. Ausrotas, two partners, and a senior associate, opened in Boston in September.

J. Tom Boer, JD '98, a partner at Barg Coffin Lewis & Trap, LLP, has been named a Northern California Rising Star 2011, an accolade given to lawyers who have been practicing for less than 10 years. Approximately 2 percent of the Northern California Bar receives the distinction.

Regina A. DeMeo, JD '98, authored "The Expanding Role of Collaborative Family Law," a chapter in Understanding Collaborative Family Law: Leading Lawyers on Navigating the Collaborative Process, Working with Clients, and Analyzing the Latest Trends (Aspatore Books, 2011). Ms DeMeo has her own family law firm specializing in mediation and litigation.

Brian Finch, MA '99, JD '99, currently head of Dickstein Shapiro's Homeland Security Practice, has been named a top lobbyist under 40 by Washingtonian magazine. Mr. Finch was described as one of the country's leading experts on the SAFETY Act, a law offering legal liability protections from the Department of Homeland Security to corporations that produce counter-terror technology.

Jahna Hartwig, BA '92, MA '96, JD '99, has joined Williams Mullen as a partner in the law firm's Washington, D.C., office. As a member of the international team, Ms. Hartwig provides guidance in the areas of export controls and international trade law.

Owen Hill, JD '99, has joined employment and labor law firm Littler Mendelson, P.C. as a shareholder in its Atlanta office. Mr. Hill, a former partner at Jackson Lewis, specializes in complex employment litigation, class action avoidance and defense, and equal employment opportunity and discrimination.

Matt Kaminer, JD '99, has joined mobile health software company Epocrates, Inc. as general counsel and secretary.

Lisa Seilheimer, JD '99, received the 2011 Rising Star Award from First Chair, an organization that recognizes the achievements of in-house corporate counsels. Ms. Seilheimer is senior counsel for Kaplan Higher Education, where she specializes in litigation and labor issues.

The 2000s

Eric D. Jenkins, MBA '00, JD '00, was named to the Washington Business Journal's "40 Under 40" list for 2011, an award honoring the D.C. area's top business leaders and owners. Mr. Jenkins is currently director of the Walter Reed Local Development Authority.

Ernesto Hernández-López, JD '01, has been promoted to professor of law, with tenure, at the Chapman University School of Law in Orange, Calif.

John C. Moran, JD '01, a shareholder at Gunster Law Firm, has been named a 2011 "Rising Star" by Florida Super Lawyers, an annual publication recognizing lawyers who have attained peer recognition and professional achievement.

Andrea Hence Evans, JD '02, was awarded the 2011 Advocate of the Year Award from the National Bar Association and IMPACT at its 2011 "Nation's Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers under 40" ceremony. Nation's Best Advocates recognizes talented individuals within the African American legal community. Ms. Evans, a patent attorney, has her own law firm in Columbia, Md., and runs KidGINEER, a science enrichment program for children, on weekends.

Rafael Nendel-Flores, JD '02, was named in Southern California Rising Stars as one of the region's top attorneys for 2011 for his work as partner at the Irvine office of Fisher & Phillips, LLP.

Nura Maznavi, JD '03, co-edited the anthology Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women (Soft Skull Press, 2012), a collection of 25 short stories from American Muslim women writers about love and religion.

Brett Cottrell, JD '04, wrote his debut novel, The Valley of Fire (Amazon Digital Services, 2011), a dark adventure about "a rogue angel, a polygamous sect, and the threat of Armageddon."

Woodrow Hartzog, JD '04, joined the faculty at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., where he teaches in the areas of information privacy law, intellectual property, and payment systems.

Shannon O'Sullivan, JD '05, and Joseph Alexander Reubens were married in Rhinecliff, N.Y. Ms. O'Sullivan is an associate in the corporate division at the Manhattan law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

Eric Koester, JD '06, founder and COO of customized online shopping director Zaarly, was honored in the Washington Business Journal's 2011 "40 Under 40" Awards, which honor the D.C. area's top business leaders and owners under 40 years of age.

Sunita Sreedharan, LLM '06, published an essay in BioSpectrum on the changing role of law firms after India's Protection and Utilisation of Public Funded Intellectual Property Bill 2008 became an act. An advocate and registered patent agent, Ms. Sreedharan is a member of the Bar Council of India, LES, and the AIPPI.

McClain E. Bryant, JD '07, an associate at Husch Blackwell, LLP, was appointed by Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James to the city's Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners. Missouri Lawyers Weekly also named her among its "Up & Coming" attorneys, an award given to lawyers who have been practicing for less than 10 years.

Joshua Lewis, JD '07, has accepted a position as the rule of law planner with the Interagency Planning and Implementation Team in Kabul, where he will be responsible for planning and coordinating all U.S. government rule of law programs in Afghanistan.

Emily Crandall Harlan, JD '08, and Jeremy Harlan are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Lucy Claire, on March 24, 2011.

Megan Spratt, JD '08, has joined Whiteford, Taylor & Preston as an associate. Ms. Spratt has represented nonprofit organizations on a variety of legal matters, including intellectual property, mergers, contracts, and corporate issues.

Ben Wanger, JD '08, has joined Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, LLP, as an associate in the litigation services department of the firm's Philadelphia office.

Michael Dobson, BA '05, JD '09, opened DC Combat Labs, a training center offering classes in self-defense, combat sports, and sports conditioning. Mr. Dobson is an associate in the international trade section of Kelley Drye & Warren's D.C. office.

Stacy Ma, JD '09, was honored at the Sanctuary for Families Above & Beyond Pro Bono Achievement Awards and Benefit in New York City. Ms. Ma, an associate at Schulte Roth & Zabel, LLP, received the award for her advocacy on behalf of victims of domestic violence and custody cases.

Michael Weller, JD '09, co-authored a chapter on climate change in the new edition of the Environmental Law Handbook (Scarecrow Press, 2011).

Heather Jenquine, JD '01, was named president of the Alexandria Bar Association in May 2011. A partner at Grenadier, Anderson, Starace, Duffett & Keisler, P.C. in Alexandria, Va., Ms. Jenquine previously served on the Alexandria Bar Association's board as a general director and treasurer, and was elected president-elect in May 2010.

"It's been a great way to be more involved in the community, to network within the bar, and really promote the collegiality of the bar," says Mrs. Jenquine of her time as a member of the board. "The nice thing about Alexandria is that it really does feel like a small town environment; all the attorneys within the bar know each other and are always willing to act as mentors and to assist within the community. I've really found it to be a very positive group of professionals."

Ms. Jenquine's tenure as president runs through May 2012.

The 2010s

Margaux Ewen, LLM '11, has been awarded the Dean Acheson Stage Internship to clerk at the European Court of Justice.

April Heidt, JD '11, has joined Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC as an associate in the firm's securities and corporate governance group. She specializes in private investment and public equity.

David L. Holt, JD '11, has joined global law firm Fish & Richardson as an associate in the patent group of its Washington, D.C., office, where he focuses on patent prosecution. Prior to this, Mr. Holt was a technology specialist at the firm.

Colin Wellenkamp, LLM '11, hosted a charity benefit in Washington, D.C., for home rebuilding efforts in Joplin, Mo., in the wake of one of the nation's most devastating tornados. Mr. Wellenkamp is currently vice president of sustainable partnerships at the Washington Linkage Group.

And What About You?

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