Amelia Potasznik-Kriv. Courtesy photo

Partner Promotion 

Dallas business immigration firm Huddleston Law Group announced that Amelia Potasznik-Kriv has been promoted to partner, effective Jan. 1. Potasznik-Kriv has worked for the firm since its founding in 2017. She has experience with a broad range of temporary and permanent visa categories, with a focus on investment-based immigration. She helps Fortune 500 companies hire and retain foreign nationals, assists foreign national investors in establishing a U.S. business presence, and secures employment authorization for extraordinary researchers, athletes, and entertainers. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and a former immigration associate with Haynes and Boone.   

Principal Joins Dallas Insurance Coverage Firm

Amy Stewart Law, a Dallas-based insurance coverage law firm, welcomed appellate expert LaDawn Nandrasy, who joins the firm as a principal. With nearly three decades of experience handling sophisticated and complex civil appeals, Nandrasy adds expertise to the firm's insurance-coverage practice. She also brings 10 years of experience as managing partner of her prior law firm, an elite appellate boutique. At Amy Stewart Law, Nandrasy will lead the firm's appellate practice, including support for the firm's insurance litigation work at the trial court level. Additionally, Nandrasy served on the State Bar Pattern Jury Charge Committee (Business volume) for over 10 years, including three years as committee chair. 

Firm Promotes Nine Texas Lawyers to Partner 

Haynes and Boone announced the promotion to partnership of nine lawyers from the firm's Dallas, Houston and Richardson, Texas, offices.

Brad Holdbrook is a member of the real estate practice group in the Dallas office. His practice involves representing clients engaged in a variety of commercial real estate transactions. He represents REITS, developers, private equity investors, investment funds, individuals and financial institutions in projects across the nation. He received his bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University and his juris doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Gregory Huh is a member of the intellectual property practice group in the Richardson office. He is an experienced trial lawyer who represents clients in patent matters involving complex technologies. His experience includes regularly representing both petitioners and patent owners in inter partes review (IPR) challenges and other post-grant trials before the USPTO. 

Chris Kang is a member of the employee benefits and executive compensation practice group in the Dallas office. Kang has served as a trusted adviser to numerous companies, financial institutions, private investment funds, investment fund managers, and tax-exempt entities with respect to complex matters involving ERISA, employee benefits, and executive compensation.  He received his bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University and his juris doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Phil Kim is a member of the firm's health care practice group in the Dallas office. He has experience in health care law and focuses his practice on transactional and regulatory health care matters. He represents various types of providers, ranging from health care systems, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, physician groups (including nonprofit health organizations), home health providers, and other health care companies on the buy and sell side of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and operational matters. Kim received his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his juris doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Rob LeBlanc is a member of the trademark practice group in the Dallas office. LeBlanc is called upon by many of the world's most recognizable and valuable brands to advise them on the selection, protection and enforcement of their intellectual property assets, assessing legal risks and crafts and implements legal strategies for global brand management, LeBlanc received his juris doctor from Tulane University Law School.

Brent Shultz is a member of the finance practice group in the Houston office. He focuses his practice on the representation of financial institutions and borrowers in a wide range of complex loan transactions. His industry-specific experience includes upstream oil and gas, oilfield services, midstream oil and gas, private equity, energy, banking, financial services, life settlement, construction, maritime, defense, real estate and a range of other industries. He received his bachelor's degree from DePauw University and his juris doctor from the University of Houston Law Center.

Stephanie Sivinski is a member of the intellectual property litigation practice group in the Dallas office. She has obtained trial victories in technologically complex cases ranging from patent-infringement to breach-of-contract matters. She received her bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University and her juris doctor from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.

Simin Sun is a partner in the mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and securities and international practice groups in the Houston office. Sun's practice is primarily focused on mergers and acquisitions, cross-border transactions, technology-based transactions, corporate securities and general corporate matters. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his juris doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Lauren White is a member of the investment management and tax practice groups in the Dallas office. She advises a range of businesses regarding business planning and tax issues from initial formation and operation to disposition. She received her bachelor's degree from St. Edward's University, her master's degree from Texas Tech University, and her juris doctor from Texas Tech University School of Law.

New Partner and Associate Join Austin Firm's Estate and Probate Practice Group

McGinnis Lochridge announced that Douglas J. Paul and Emily R. Franco have joined the firm as partner and associate, respectively, in the firm's estate and probate practice group in Austin. Paul focuses his practice on estate planning through the use of trusts, family business entities and life insurance. He brings experience in charitable giving, asset protection planning and strategies to minimize transfer and income tax. Previously in his career, Paul was a partner with The Blum Firm and was the director of advanced planning for the Wiewel Law Firm. Paul earned his M.B.A. from Louisiana State University School of Business, followed soon after by his J.D. from the Louisiana State University School of Law. He received his B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. Franco joined the estate and probate practice group, having previously worked alongside Douglas Paul at The Blum Firm. She advises clients on estate planning and probate issues, drafting wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and more. Franco earned her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law and her B.A. from Rice University. She is active in the Austin legal community, participating in the Austin Bar Association Estate Planning & Probate section and in the Austin Young Lawyers Association. 

New Associate at Houston Firm

Vilina Bhagat recently joined the Houston office of Chamberlain Hrdlicka as an associate in the tax planning and business transactions practice. Prior to joining Chamberlain Hrdlicka, Bhagat had worked in the M&A tax practice of a Big 4 accounting firm, where she focused on tax structuring and tax diligence engagements. She also worked for a major oil and gas services company, where she negotiated and drafted purchase contracts. Bhagat earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Texas, and a J.D. from the South Texas College of Law, where she was a member of the South Texas College of Law Review. She earned her LL.M. in Taxation, with distinction, from Georgetown University Law Center.