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Staying Connected

While we miss having you as part of the Jackson Walker team, we look forward to staying connected through our biannual Alumni Newsletter and our Jackson Walker Attorney Alumni group on LinkedIn. In this newsletter, we spotlight former JW attorneys, review pro bono opportunities and success stories, share the latest news, insights, and events from around JW, and provide helpful resources like free CLE programs.

Share Your News

Have you received an award, participated in community organizations, or been hired or promoted? We want to hear about anything new and noteworthy happening to our alumni. To share your news, you can fill out this form.

You can also keep current and past Jackson Walker attorneys updated through our LinkedIn group, Jackson Walker Attorney Alumni.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

Meet Danielle

Former Jackson Walker partner Danielle Needham is the current Deputy General Counsel of Global Labor & Employment at Bell Textron. In this Q&A, Danielle discusses her role, her time at the firm, and where she sees her career heading. View the Q&A »

JW Alumni News

• Theresa Terrell was named the 2022 Houston Senior Counsel of the Year by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook. View Theresa’s profile featured in the Lawbook »
• Chris Cravey has joined Chemex Global as VP, Commercial and Legal.
• Nicole Metcalf was appointed Senior Director – Associate General Counsel at Capital One Financial Services.
• Gabby Rawlings has joined the legal department of DHI Communities.
• Elena Villasenor Sullivan is serving as the Outreach & Program Recognition Coordinator and Immediate Past Director of the Bexar County LEAD Academy, a women’s leadership academy focused on developing the talents of women lawyers in and around Bexar County. Elena is General Counsel at Massage Heights.

KEY INSIGHTS

Hiring Foreign Professionals Could Help Alleviate U.S. Labor Shortage

By Kelly Cobb | There are visa categories that can help alleviate the worker shortages for many industries by enabling the hiring of legal nonimmigrant workers.

Five Challenges and Remedies for Effective Implementation of Employee Resource Groups

By Jamila Brinson | The introduction and ongoing implementation of employee resource groups (ERGs) is vital for companies of all sizes and all backgrounds. This article addresses best practices for effectively introducing and sustaining ERGs.

Overview of the DOJ’s New Priorities to Combat Corporate Crime

By Jennifer Freel, Erica Giese, and Bethany Pickett | As Department of Justice officials outline new steps the department will be taking in its ongoing efforts to police corporate crime, this article covers key areas the DOJ is focusing its efforts in the coming months.

Three Key Provisions in New “Weatherization” Rules

By Taylor Holcomb | The Railroad Commission of Texas intends to begin inspecting facilities for compliance with new Statewide Rule 66 soon after December 1, 2022, with possible penalties of up to $1 million for violations. View this article for a high-level summary of key provisions in the newly adopted “weatherization” rules.

PRO BONO UPDATE

Jackson Walker Secures Stay of Execution of Death Row Inmate

On August 16, 2022, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt issued a 60-day stay, effective September 2022, of the impending execution for death row inmate Richard Glossip in the State v. Glossip case. Christina Vitale and Michael Drab, supported by Jackson Walker’s Houston research services team, assisted Reed Smith LLP in its continuing investigation of this case. Read more »

Mississippi Man Gets Second Chance at Post-Conviction Review

Jennifer Freel and Emily Rhine won an appeal at the Fifth Circuit for a Mississippi inmate who was fighting to have his habeas corpus petition heard. The Fifth Circuit held that the lower court had miscalculated the deadline for filing his petition by failing to include a 90-day period during which the client could have sought U.S. Supreme Court review of the underlying conviction. The opinion gives certainty to other Mississippi inmates who are trying to figure out when to file their habeas petitions and to the courts who are deciding those petitions. Jennifer and Emily represented Mr. Wallace pro bono, along with Bryan Gividen, who is an attorney working in-house. Jennifer argued the case on behalf of Mr. Wallace. Read more »

JW NEWS

Jackson Walker Welcomes New Partners

Nicholas Diamond
Healthcare | Houston

Jeff Frost
Healthcare | Austin

Marc Fuller
Litigation | Dallas

Andy Keetch
Litigation | Fort Worth

Christina Vitale
Litigation | Houston

Client Results

• The Texas Supreme Court ruled in June 2022 that Texas Central Railroad & Infrastructure Inc. has eminent domain authority, greenlighting its proposed high-speed rail project. Robert Neblett and Jennifer Caughey led Jackson Walker’s representation of Texas Central in this major appellate victory. The team included Brad Anderson, Danica Milios, and Adam Aston. JW served as co-counsel with Vinson & Elkins LLP. Read more »
• Novaria Group, a leading manufacturer of specialty hardware, components, and coatings for the aerospace and defense industries, recently completed its acquisition of STROCO Manufacturing, Inc. This deal marks the sixth acquisition Novaria has announced from December of 2021 through July of 2022. Evan Malloy led the JW team handling each transaction for Novaria. Read more »
• The Court of Appeals of North Carolina has ordered the dismissal of Safran Helicopter Engines from a case resulting from a 2017 helicopter accident in North Carolina for lack of personal jurisdiction. Brad Brown and Justin Lee represented Safran Helicopter Engines in the case alongside co-counsel Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. Read more »
• As part of its commitment to sustainability, the Dallas Zoo in collaboration with Fort Worth-based composting facility Silver Creek Materials has created Zoo Poo, a compost product made with manure from the Zoo’s elephants, giraffes, and other herbivores. Justin Shipley, as General Counsel of the Dallas Zoo, and Shannon Zmud Teicher assisted the Zoo in the agreement with Silver Creek Materials that allowed for the creation of the product. Read more »
• Chip Babcock and Joel Glover represented Megalomedia, the production company behind TLC’s “My 600-lb Life,” in a case brought by a group of past subjects of the reality show. In its opinion, the Texas Thirteenth Court of Appeals reversed the trial court’s denial by operation of law of Megalomedia’s motion to dismiss the plaintiffs’ claims pursuant to the Texas Citizen’s Participation Act and Megalomedia’s established affirmative defenses. Read more »
• Manny Schoenhuber and Dawn Holiday led the representation of a client in an employment arbitration tribunal by the American Arbitration Association. On May 20, 2022, the arbitrator awarded the client, who was the respondent in the counterclaim, every single dollar presented in the damages model, including pre- and post-judgment interest and attorneys’ fees. The team included Scott Fiddler with assistance from Denise Chatham and Miguel Villalpando. Read more »

Firm Announcements

JW Participates in Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certification Process

Jackson Walker proudly announces the Firm’s participation in the Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certification process! the Mansfield Rule has become the standard for firms to track and measure their success in growing the diversity of their management committees, promoting attorneys from underrepresented communities to partnership, and ensuring diverse representation in client pitch meetings. Read more »

Giving a Voice Through The Tiny Talker

As the mother of a once-nonverbal son, Brittani Rollen and her husband, Ryan, developed an alternative speaking device, named The Tiny Talker, to help their son and other nonverbal children learn to communicate their needs. Recently, Brittani, Ryan, and their son, Lucas, shared the story behind the simple, low-cost push button speech tablet. View the interview »

Texas Medical Association Foundation Award

Barron Bogatto accepted the Corporate Leadership Circle Award presented to Jackson Walker by Texas Medical Association Foundation. We are grateful for this recognition and are proud to support the TMA Foundation, which helps Texans improve their health through science-based education, access, and community activities.

Mike Nasi Briefs United Nations on CCUS