S. Shannon Davis Hunter. Photo: Kevin McGowan-Houston.

Houston Promotes Two to Partner

Coats Rose, a transactional and litigation law firm focused on development, announces the promotions of two lawyers to director, S. Shannon Davis Hunter and F. Christopher Wootten, from the firm's Houston and New Orleans office, respectively. Both Hunter and Wootten are in the firm's affordable housing and community development practice, one of the largest legal practices in the country focused on the affordable housing industry. Hunter represents public housing authorities, housing developers (both for- and nonprofit), syndicators and investors with leveraging various products, including HOPE VI funds, low-income housing tax credits, private activity tax-exempt bonds, investment syndications and conventional loans, to finance their projects. Hunter joined the firm in 2012 after working at Arnold & Porter and Klein Hornig, both in the District of Columbia. She earned her Juris Doctor in 2006, cum laude, from Howard University School of Law, where she was a member of the Howard Law Journal, and a merit scholar (2004-2006). Hunter received her Bachelor of Science in 2003 from Texas A&M University.

Houston Firm Promotes New Shareholder

Derek C. Pershing was promoted to shareholder with the law firm of Wilson, Cribbs + Goren in Houston, effective Jan. 1. Pershing, who joined the firm after graduating from law school in 2013, assists clients with transactional matters involving the development, acquisition and disposition, leasing and financing of all types and classes of property. He received three board certifications from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization: in commercial real estate law, residential real estate law and farm and ranch real estate law. Pershing obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration in finance, summa cum laude, and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of St. Thomas, which awarded him both degrees in three years under what is usually a five-year program. He earned his doctor of jurisprudence, cum laude, from the South Texas College of Law Houston, where he currently serves as an adjunct professor teaching a real estate transactional skills course. Before attending college and law school, Pershing was a decorated combat medic in the U.S. Army from 2002-2006. During this period, he attended Army Airborne School, Army Air Assault School, obtained a private pilot license by the Federal Aviation Administration, and deployed to Afghanistan for over a year to provide emergency care to fellow soldiers, Afghan children and Afghan elders.

Dallas Firm Receives Honors From Trial Lawyers Group

Dallas-based litigation law firm of Rogge Dunn Group earned honors from the National Law Journal and The National Trial Lawyers as the 2020 Elite Trial Lawyers Law Firm of the Year for its gender discrimination cases. The national awards were given for innovative trial successes in various practice areas during the National Trial Lawyers Summit held Janu. 20 in Miami Beach, Florida. The Rogge Dunn Group was one of only three law firms in the nation selected as finalists in the gender discrimination category. The firm won National Law Firm of the Year for enforcing gender discrimination laws for female executives and winning multimillion-dollar settlements for them in the energy, finance and medical industries. They pursued claims involving glass ceilings, denial of promotions, sexual harassment and whistleblowing. "Society and corporate boardrooms have come a long way in preventing gender discrimination, but it still occurs in many companies and in the C-suites," said Rogge Dunn, founder of Rogge Dunn Group, in a statement by the firm. "Protecting women's workplace rights is an important and a rewarding part of our legal work. This prestigious award acknowledges that our firm's work is helping ensure the rights and remedies for women who have suffered workplace discrimination." 

Austin Firm Continues Growth With Addition of 5 Environmental Attorneys

McGinnis Lochridge, one of Austin's oldest law firms, announced that five lawyers joined the firm's Austin office, including four environmental partners and one environmental associate. With them, they bring decades of experience involving a wide array of environmental issues, including permitting, enforcement, site assessment, remediation and compliance. The new lawyers include: partners Al Axe, Keith Courtney, Lisa Dyar and Derek Seal, along with associate Lecelle Clarke. This well-respected group joins the firm from Winstead. 

Axe brings more than 40 years of experience representing business and industrial clients in environmental and administrative litigation, regulatory and legislative matters. "While we will miss our colleagues at Winstead, we are thrilled to be joining McGinnis Lochridge," said Axe, an environmental partner, in a statement by the firm. "The firm provides a strong platform, with shared clients and a diverse group of legal expertise."

Courtney has more than 32 years of experience representing clients on various environmental matters, with an emphasis on air quality. Those matters include permitting, enforcement, counseling, environmental auditing, air emissions events and litigation. He has worked with clients in numerous industries, including chemical manufacturing, aggregate mining and processing, midstream and upstream oil and gas operations, and electricity generation.

Dyar has been practicing environmental law for more than 20 years, representing clients in a wide range of industries with regard to permitting, compliance and enforcement, legislative and rulemaking objectives. She served as a senior enforcement attorney in the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's litigation division, where she was lead counsel on some of the agency's most complex and high-profile enforcement cases.

Seal brings almost three decades of regulatory and legislative experience to the firm. Before entering private practice, Seal served in numerous senior administrative and legislative positions, including as general counsel of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and general counsel in the Texas Legislature for the House Committee on Environmental Regulation. Seal has significant administrative law experience with water supply and on contested case hearings for air, waste and water quality permits. He also focuses on permitting and enforcement.

Clarke previously served as an assistant attorney general in the Environmental Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. She has also worked with the air quality, air monitoring and air permitting teams at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

"This year—and the next decade—is going to be one of thoughtful growth focused on the needs of our clients," said managing partner Doug Dodds, in a statement by the firm. "We're excited about the addition of this impressive group of environmental attorneys. Not only do they have significant environmental expertise and a strong reputation in the marketplace, they are also wonderful people who will fit with the culture of our firm." 

Houston Firm Adds New Associate

Josh Ling recently joined the Houston office of Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry as an associate in the tax planning and business transactions group. Prior to joining Chamberlain Hrdlicka, Ling worked in Grant Thornton's mergers and acquisitions tax practice, where he focused on tax planning for businesses throughout various stages of the transaction life cycle. He earned his bachelor's degree from University of Texas at Austin and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, tax section and the State Bar of Texas, tax section.