Porter Hedges in Houston announced that Miranda Jones joined the firm as a new patent litigation partner. Her practice focuses on helping inventors and business owners navigate technical and high-stakes patent litigation. In addition to her trial practice, Jones has handled appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and before the U.S. Supreme Court. She received her J.D. from George Mason University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Houston. After law school, she clerked for Judge Pauline Newman on the Federal Circuit. “I am so appreciative of all the past and current clients who have given me the opportunities to work on significant inventions and to advocate for important changes in patent law,” Jones said in a statement issued by the firm.

New Positions

Clark Hill Strasburger announced the addition of Chris Heinrichs as of counsel, Maurine “Mo” Heinrichs Shipp as senior counsel, and Kimberly A. Ford as an associate, to its San Antonio office. Heinrichs and Shipp, father and daughter, as well as Ford join the firm from San Antonio's Heinrichs & De Gennaro. Heinrichs founded that firm in 1993 and oversaw its operations before joining Clark Hill, where he'll work with other attorneys and clients in addressing estate planning needs. Shipp was formerly vice president at Heinrichs & De Gennaro. At Clark Hill, she'll be responsible for working with clients to address their estate planning and administration needs. She attended St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio and received her Juris Doctor from the school in 2008. Ford will focus on estate planning and probate. As an associate at Heinrichs & De Gennaro, she drafted wills and worked on estate administrations, probate and guardianships proceedings. Ford also attended St. Mary's University School of Law and received her Juris Doctor there in 2014.

Thompson & Knight announced that Louis J. Jenull has joined the firm's Houston office as a partner in the tax practice group. He represents clients in most phases of federal income taxation with an emphasis on oil and gas, tax credits, real estate lending and development, mergers and acquisitions, renewable energy, and the structuring and formation of complex partnerships with tax-exempt, U.S. taxable and foreign investors. Prior to joining the firm, he was a partner at Jones Day. Jenull received an LL.M. in taxation from New York University in 2004, his J.D. from Tulane University in 2003, and his B.B.A. in marketing and organizational behavior and business policy and B.S. in anthropology from Southern Methodist University in 2000. 

Promotion

Brian Newby was elected managing partner of Cantey Hanger in Fort Worth. He replaces Michael Appleman, who had been managing partner since August 2015. Appleman will continue with his practice areas focusing on estate planning, trusts and estates and tax. Newby joined Cantey Hanger in 1991 and became a partner in 1996. Newby heads the firm's public/regulatory practice. He has experience representing Fortune 500 companies, national insurance carriers, retail distributors, small businesses and political subdivisions, including school districts, water and transportation authorities in commercial litigation, administrative law and governmental affairs.

Appointments

Ryan Cantrell, a shareholder in the Houston office of Chamberlain Hrdlicka, was appointed to the Pattern Jury Charges–Family and Probate Committee by the State Bar of Texas. Cantrell will serve on the committee for three years, and will represent District 4 overseeing Harris County, starting in June 2019. The committee was created in 1987, and monitors statutory and case law developments in family and probate law and prepares supplementation as needed for the state bar. Cantrell maintains a diverse litigation practice, representing clients in probate and fiduciary litigation, labor and employment litigation, governmental defense, complex commercial litigation, and construction litigation and arbitration.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that David L. Peavler was named director of the Fort Worth Regional Office. He will rejoin the SEC in early July. Peavler previously served for nearly 15 years in senior Division of Enforcement roles in the Fort Worth Regional Office, most recently as an associate director. He rejoins the SEC from HD Vest Inc., where he has served as general counsel since 2017. Prior to joining the SEC's Division of Enforcement as a staff attorney in April 2000, Peavler was a partner in the trial section of Locke Liddell (now Locke Lord), and before that was in-house with Phillips Petroleum Co. and ConocoPhillips, handling general corporate and transactional matters. Peavler received his law degree from the University of Texas and his undergraduate degree in accounting and economics from Baylor University in Waco. “It's an honor to rejoin the SEC as director of the Fort Worth Regional Office.  I am excited to partner with the skilled and knowledgeable professionals in Fort Worth and across the agency as we work together to further the SEC's mission,” said Peavler in a statement issued by the SEC.

Awards

Dallas-based JAMS and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) neutral Cecilia H. Morgan was recently selected to receive the Association of Attorney-Mediators' Steve Brutsché Award. This award is the association's highest honor and is named for its founder, the late Steve Brutsché. Morgan recently celebrated her 25th anniversary as a JAMS neutral and was the first non-judge panelist at JAMS. She has conducted more than 2,500 sessions of civil cases and arbitrated more than 1,000 cases in Texas and 31 other states. She has over 40 years of experience as an attorney and ADR professional, and is a respected member of the JAMS employment, energy, health care and financial services practice groups.