Paola Garcia-Jurado. Courtesy photo

New Positions

Stibbs & Co.,  headquartered in North Houston, welcomed associate Paola Garcia-Jurado to its construction law team. Garcia-Jurado is a licensed attorney in Texas who will bring her experience and knowledge to the firm, and combine past and new skills to provide a variety of services to Spanish- and English-speaking clients. She is a specialist in land planning and urban law and also has a master's degree in urban and regional planning. Garcia-Jurado has been in charge of major construction projects, among them the Mangrove Spirit Park and The Blue Crab Park. She coordinated and directed the majority of the activities from conception to completion. These projects are considered excellent examples of urban intervention for the improvement of the environment, security and co-existence among neighbors of the community, according to a statement issued by the firm. Garcia-Jurado has been a licensed attorney in Colombia, with over 10 years of experience in construction law. She has served as an adviser for mayors, governors, senators and several other elected officials in Colombia on urban development and land planning. 

The Polsinelli law firm in Dallas has added Hunter Barker, Keirsten Hamilton and Eunice Yi as associates. Barker joins the corporate and transactional practice. Barker's background includes experience in issues involving procurement and disposition, distribution, outsourcing of business processes and other related commercial transactions. He earned a J.D. with honors from the University of Texas School of Law and previously completed his B.S. at Oklahoma State University. Hamilton has been added to the firm's real estate finance practice. Hamilton's practice focuses on providing legal advice and strategic counsel to real estate developers, lenders, buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants on financial issues, servicing issues and other critical matters, including securitizations, loan origination and refinancing. She earned her J.D. from the Texas Tech University School of Law, where she earned Order of the Coif recognition. Hamilton also earned an M.B.A. from Texas Tech University and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Texas A&M University. Yi has joined the firm's capital markets and commercial lending practice. She brings significant experience advising clients on complex financial transactions, including acquisitions of assets on a whole loan basis, asset sales, securitizations and structured finance transactions, as well as other transactional matters. Yi earned her J.D. from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and previously completed her B.S. at Boston University. 

Labor, employment and ADA attorney John Bosco has joined Bailey Brauer in Dallas as a partner. Bosco joins Bailey Brauer from the Dallas office of Miami-based Leon Cosgrove. He represents international, national and regional clients in labor, employment, and accessibility matters across the United States and in select foreign jurisdictions. He handles all areas of employment law, including trade secrets, discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour claims, and regulatory agency investigations. Bosco's practice includes a focus on federal and state ADA issues involving physical and technological accessibility. He earned his law degree in 2004 from Wake Forest University School of Law and graduated from the University of Florida in 2001.

Gale Pearson, who is helping to pioneer water contamination litigation, has joined Dallas-based Fears Nachawati Law Firm as senior counsel. A nationally certified clinical laboratory scientist, Pearson has served on several multidistrict litigation science committees. She helped lead Minnesota's first lawsuits alleging water contamination by 3M-manufactured chemicals. Recently, she was named to the federal Plaintiffs Executive Committee leadership group for multidistrict lawsuits involving water contamination caused by products containing PFOA and PFOS. “Gale is a tenacious trial lawyer with a profound understanding of both the science and legal issues involved in technical environmental and medical cases. She also has the organizational expertise to manage complex MDL cases,” said Fears Nachawati co-founder Bryan Fears In a statement issued by the firm. Pearason earned a bachelor's degree in laboratory medicine, physics and chemistry from California State University, Northridge and worked as a clinical laboratory scientist before attending Loyola Law School.

Thompson & Horton announced the addition of Melissa Mihalick as counsel in the firm's Houston office. She has more than 15 years of legal experience, much of it focused on representing institutions of higher education and other education clients. She has served as general counsel to the governing bodies of community colleges and has experience in a variety of areas that affect higher education, schools and other government entities, such as Title IX and other employment and civil rights areas, internal investigations, employee training, employment contracts, grievances, employee terminations, bidding and contract matters and policy development. Thompson & Horton managing partner Philip Fraissinet said in a statement by the firm. “Melissa comes to us from the Bracewell law firm, where our founding partners all began their legal careers. We are thrilled to have Melissa join our firm and add even more depth of expertise to our top quality higher education and Title IX practices.”  

Honors

The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers announced the election of South Texas College of Law Houston Professor Richard Carlson as a new fellow of the 24-year-old nonprofit association. Carlson teaches and writes in the fields of employment law, including discrimination and collective bargaining, family law and contracts. “I'm honored to serve with the Fellows of the College, many of whom have been my mentors, friends and guiding lights for many years,” said Carlson in a statement issued by the law school. “I look forward to participating in the many ways that the College serves the legal profession and the public.” Carlson joined South Texas College of Law Houston in 1995 as an assistant professor and earned tenure in 1990. He earned his bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University and his law degree from the University of Georgia.

Larry Campagna, a shareholder in the Houston office of Chamberlain Hrdlicka, was recently named a “Texas Tax Legend” by the State Bar of Texas at its annual meeting in Austin. This title  is one of the highest honors for the Tax Law Section. Campagna was the only tax attorney chosen this year. “It's an honor to be recognized by the State Bar of Texas among this elite group of tax attorneys, and to have my interview included as part of the Texas Tax Legends archive,” Campagna said in a statement issued by the State Bar. Campagna is only the 26th tax attorney to be named a Texas Tax Legend by the State Bar of Texas, Tax Section. As shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka, Campagna has established a reputation as an authoritative litigator in matters of business litigation and white-collar criminal defense, as well as federal, state and local tax controversies. Campagna was unanimously inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel in 1995 and has been recognized for years among the best tax attorneys in the country.

Bar Diversity 

Houston Bar Association president Benny Agosto Jr. has established the organization's first LGBTQ+ Committee and named the founding members. The committee will meet July 8 to set goals and discuss programming for 2019-2020, including participation in the HBA's Diversity Summit scheduled for July 11. “As our nation prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, it is important that our bar association recognizes there is much work to be done to ensure diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, as well as in our communities,” said Agosto in a statement issued by the HBA. “We are proud to work alongside organizations like the Stonewall Law Association of Greater Houston to make sure that everyone has equal opportunities under the rule of law.” The founding members of the HBA LGBTQ+ Committee are: Hon. Steve Kirkland, 334th District Court, co-chair; Hon. Darryl Moore, 333rd District Court, co-chair; Hon. Kim Ogg, Harris County District Attorney, co-chair; Hon. Alice Oliver-Parrott, Alice Oliver-Parrott, P.C.; Travis Torrence, Shell Oil Company; Deborah Lawson, Attorney at Law and president, Stonewall Law Association of Greater Houston; Bryan Vezey, Cozen O'Connor; Lena Laurenzo, Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Aziz; Jessica Rodriguez, Ramsey Law Group; Joseph Sanchez, Harris County District Attorney's Office; Charles Shaw, Harris County District Attorney's Office; Andrew J. Smith, Harris County District Attorney's Office; Benny Agosto Jr., HBA president; Mindy Davidson, HBA Executive Director; and Tara Shockley, HBA Associate Executive Director.