Dawn Holiday, with Jackson Walker in Houston.

Dawn S. Holiday has joined Jackson Walker in Houston as a partner in its trial and appellate litigation practice. Holiday was formerly an attorney with Steptoe & Johnson. She has first chair jury trial, arbitration and mediation experience handling multi-party lawsuits in the areas of commercial civil litigation, personal injury, employment litigation and general liability defense.

John Bloomer has joined Spencer Fane as a partner in the real estate practice in the firm's Plano office. Bloomer handles real estate transactions of all sizes through negotiation, structuring and completion. He has represented smaller companies at the local level to companies with international operations.

Hunter Polvi has joined the Fort Worth office of Thompson & Knight as an associate. Polvi's practice focuses on litigation and trial. Among other matters, he has experience in complex litigation involving partnership disputes, shareholder disputes and accounting malpractice.

Awards

Michael A. Olivas, a professor at the University of Houston Law Center, has received the American Association of Law School's 2018 Triennial Award for Lifetime Service to Legal Education and to the Legal Profession. Olivas started his career at the University of Houston in 1982 with a joint appointment in law and as chair UH's graduate program in higher education. He is currently the William B. Bates Distinguished Chair in Law and director of the Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance at the law center.

Bell Nunnally & Martin in Dallas has received Texas Appleseed's “Pro Bono Leadership Award” for its work on behalf of low-income residents in Port Isabel, who sued the city for alleged housing discrimination in the aftermath of Hurricane Dolly in 2008. Benjamin L. Riemer, a partner in Bell Nunnally, is lead counsel on the case.