Alistair B. Dawson, a partner in Beck Redden in Houston, has been elected the 2018-2019 Fellows chair of the Texas Bar Foundation, the largest charitably-funded bar foundation in the United States.    Dawson took office on June 22.  PHOTO

Mo Aziz, a partner in the personal injury firm of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Aziz in Houston, has been elected to Sustaining Life Fellow membership in the Texas Bar Foundation.

Jay G. Beitel, a partner in Polunsky Beitel Green in San Antonio, has been elected as a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.   Beitel has 45 years of experience representing residential mortgage lenders in all aspects of the industry.

Brant J. Stogner, a partner in Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Aziz in Houston, also has been elected a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.  He focuses his practice on personal injury law.

New Positions

Stephen L. Tatum Jr., a former deputy commissioner of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, has joined Cantey Hanger as a partner in Fort Worth.   Tatum advises clients on matters involving the environment, energy and eminent domain, as well as government and regulatory issues.   Michael D. Duran has joined Cantey Hanger as an associate in Fort Worth.  He is in the firm's business, tax and estates section.  PHOTOS

Jennifer Freel, a trial and appellate lawyer who spent almost a decade as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, has rejoined Vinson & Elkins as counsel in the firm's Austin office.  She focuses her practice on white-collar criminal defense, government investigations, internal investigations and complex commercial litigation.

Christopher D. Porter has joined Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan as a partner in its Houston office.   An experienced trial lawyer, Porter has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of business disputes, ranging from breach of contract and trade secret claims to business torts and antitrust disputes.  Before joining Quinn Emanuel, Porter was a partner in Yetter Coleman.  PHOTO

Preston Enoch has joined Spencer Fane in Dallas as an associate in its litigation practice group.  Enoch has worked for individuals and businesses in commercial and fiduciary litigation as both a plaintiff and defense lawyer.

Megan Luh has joined Porter Hedges in Houston as an associate in the firm's litigation practice group.   She focuses on all types of business and commercial litigation.  PHOTO

Walter J. Dunn has joined Dykema Cox Smith as a member in the firm's Dallas office, which has added 14 attorneys in the past 13 months.  He is a member of the firm's corporate finance practice group and, among other duties, assists clients with the preparation and negotiation of power purchase and sales agreements and tolling agreements.

Jeffrey A. Tinker has joined Bell Nunnally & Martin in Dallas as a partner in its intellectual property group.  A registered patent attorney, Tinker has been helping clients protect their intellectual property for more than a decade, and he also advises clients on a broad range of information technology-related issues.  PHOTO

Myles F. Reynolds and Tab R. Urbantke have joined Hunton Andrews Kurth as partners on the firm's energy and infrastructure team in Dallas.   Reynolds advises electric and gas utilities, midstream companies and other energy providers regulated by state and federal government agencies.   Urbantke represents a variety of energy sector clients, including electric and gas utilities, mining companies, power marketers and generators.

Neal A. Bakare has joined Foley Gardere as of counsel in the firm's Houston office.  Bakare is in the firm's finance practice group and on its energy industry team.  He has worked on a wide variety of matters, representing clients across the finance and energy industries.

Anthony J. “Tony” Magee, an intellectual property and commercial litigator, has joined the Ross IP Group in Dallas as a partner.  He has represented business clients for more than 35 years in all types of complex disputes, particularly patent and trademark cases before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in federal court.  PHOTO

Award

The Houston Bar Association is the recipient of the Deborah G. Hankinson Award presented by the Texas Access to Justice Commission.  The commission recognized HBA for, among other efforts, its extensive program of legal clinics for low-income citizens through its Houston Volunteer Lawyers.