New Positions

. . . Rachel A. de Cordova has joined Phelps Dunbar in Houston as a partner in the regional marine and energy practice groups.

. . . Leila Melhem has joined Winstead as an associate in Austin. She is in the firm's regulatory and environmental practice group.

. . . Jeffrey R. Elkin, a partner in Houston's Porter Hedges, has been named the firm's litigation practice group leader.