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IN FOCUS

Business Professional Spotlight

Cassandra Gee was honored with the 2025 Woodward Award. The award, named in memory of our late colleague Peter Woodward, celebrates Cassandra’s exceptional excellence, dedication, and outstanding contributions to the firm.

Business Professional Shoutouts

Shani Durland, Austin, consistently submits an exceptional and flawless timecard each period. Her accurate use of various hour types, proper allocations, and thorough entries truly deserves a round of applause.

Gail Fenton, Austin, is AMAZING!! She is so helpful, and if she doesn’t know how to do something, she figures it out! She’s saved my (Christine Lowrey) sanity more than a few times.

Jesus Garcia, Austin, always greets everyone with a warm smile. He is patient and friendly while maintaining his professionalism. Jesus also takes the initiative to immediately solve issues that arise or direct them to the adequate person.

Joshua Mejia, Austin, has excelled during his brief time at JW. He consistently shows his expertise in IT, collaborates well with others, is prompt in his responses, and is always within reach when needed. He is proactive in recognizing early morning meetings and will arrive before 7:50 a.m. to offer his assistance.

Celebrating Women’s History Month

Mary Emma Karam’s was featured in The Texas Lawbook in honor of Women’s History Month. In the article, Mary Emma reflects on the progress and persistent challenges women face in the legal profession. Read the article »

In an interview with The Texas Lawbook, Suzan Kedron discusses how being a woman lawyer has changed during her career, the meaning of Women’s History Month and the elements that make diversity and inclusion programs effective. Read the interview »

Demi Williams Coles joined an all-women fireside chat hosted by SMU Dedman and Fisher Phillips to celebrate Women’s History Month, where panelists shared career insights and discussed advancing women in the sports law industry. Read more »

Celebrating Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, Dawn Holiday shared her journey in The Texas Lawbook, reflecting on the importance of representation, mentorship, and authenticity in the legal profession. From her early inspirations to her commitment to increasing diversity in law, Dawn’s story is a testament to the impact of visibility and inclusion. Read the article »

Ryan Watkins joined Jackson Walker’s Fast Takes podcast to share his personal journey to Jackson Walker, from growing up in Fort Worth to becoming a lawyer.
Listen to the episode »

NEWS & NOTES

Elevating Attorneys to Partnership

In February 2025, Jackson Walker announced the election of 12 attorneys to the Firm’s partnership. “This year’s class of partners consists of great lawyers and better people who will continue to drive our firm forward. Their commitment to excellence is truly commendable, and we are proud to welcome them into the partnership,” said Firmwide Managing Partner Wade Cooper.  Read more »

Appointing Our New Intellectual Property Chair

Congratulations to Nate St. Clair on his appointment as the firmwide chair of the Intellectual Property practice!

Maggie Lu Receives Pathfinder Program Atlas Award	Jennifer Freel Receives Attorney Award for Criminal Justice
Maggie Lu was a recipient of the 2024 Atlas Award, presented by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD). This award was received upon the successful completion of her LCLD Pathfinder Program experience. Read more »	On May 2, Jennifer Freel was presented with the 2025 Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association Attorney Award for Criminal Justice at the Annual Grants & Awards Luncheon. Read more »

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Developing Leaders

Jackson Walker selected Luke Gilman, Mahira Khan, and Miguel Ortiz to participate in two leadership training programs offered by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD). Read more »

Welcoming New Talent

As we continue to intensify our efforts to recruit talent, we are proud to have welcomed the following attorneys and business professionals from December 2024 through May 2025:

Our 2025 Summer Associates:

Recognizing Achievements

During the fourth quarter of 2024 through the first quarter of 2025, the Firm received the following recognitions:

• Jackson Walker was honored with the Joseph Hart Award at the VLS Judge Suzanne Covington Pro Bono Service Awards Reception held on October 24. This award honors a firm that demonstrates the integrity and commitment to providing legal assistance for the less fortunate. Read more »
• Jackson Walker ranked in the 2025 Leopard Law Firm Index (LLFI) Top 250. The firm is recognized for its consistent and stable growth, retention, and overall success throughout the past year. Since 2020, Leopard Solutions has used a dynamic rating system to objectively identify law firms that demonstrate legal success, profitability, growth, viability, and potential opportunity. Read more »
• Jackson Walker has been shortlisted in the 2025 Managing IP Americas Awards for Firm of the Year in the United States for Patent Disputes and Trademark Disputes. Introduced in 2006, the Managing IP Awards program is the premier annual awards event for intellectual property firms and professionals worldwide. Read more »
• Jackson Walker has been ranked the #1 Law Firm with the greatest number of attorneys in the Austin area by the Austin Business Journal’s Book of Lists.

In addition, the following individuals received notable achievements:

• In EB5 Investors Magazine’s list of the Top EB-5 Professionals of 2024, Catharine Yen earned recognition as one of the “Top 10 Rising Stars.” Read more »
• Genevieve Tarlton obtained Board Certification in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS).
• 27 Fort Worth-based attorneys to Fort Worth Magazine’s “Top Attorneys” list for 2024. Allison Allman, Heidi Angel, Lauren Azopardi, Taylor Cummins, Brittani Rollen, Ginger Webber, and Chelsea Wood were recognized. Read more »
• Dallas attorneys Vienna Flores Anaya, David Schlottman and Ashley Withers were included in D Magazine’s 2025 “Best Lawyers Under 40” list recognizing outstanding young attorneys in the North Texas area. Read more »
• Ali Abazari and Lindsey Moorhead were recognized in Lawdragon‘s fourth annual guide to the nation’s leading environmental lawyers. Read more »
• Amy Baird, Jennifer Bencken, Linda Donohoe, Meghan Griffiths, and Jesse Lotay were recognized among Lawdragon‘s lists of the 500 leading practitioners in energy law. Read more »
• Nate St. Clair and Shannon Zmud Teicher were recognized among Lawdragon’s inaugural list of the 500 leading lawyers in entertainment, sports & media. Read more »
• Denise Rose was ranked among the “Hired Guns” list of the top lobbyists in the state in the 2024 “Texas Lobby Power Rankings” from Capitol Inside. Read more »

Achieving Results for Clients

Attorneys across various practices and backgrounds come together to serve the needs of our clients. From the pitch to the end result, our teams include an array of JW attorneys who are involved at every stage of the representation:

• April Vasquez Leibman and Taylor Lamb advised Houston-based Hines in negotiating a lease agreement at Texas Tower for international law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Read more »
• Jackson Walker represented Trammell Crow Co. in the sale of the iconic Sail Tower, located at 601 West 2nd Street in downtown Austin. The transaction, valued at $521.8 million, marks the largest office property acquisition in Austin in 2024. The team included Mahira Khan. Read more »
• Wasif Qureshi co-led the successful effort to prevent the institution of an inter partes review (IPR) of Germany-based AS-Schneider’s U.S. Patent No. 9,851,030, which pertains to its innovative stabilized connector assembly designed to interface between a gas pipeline and a flow measurement instrument. Read more »
• Jackson Walker represented Healthcare Finance Direct (“HFD”) in the successful closing of a forward-flow credit fund with aggregate equity and debt commitments of up to $500 million. The team included Kathryn Nordick, Jennifer Wertz, Lisa Peterson, Rachel Saunders, and Mica Beckmann-White. Read more »
• Jackson Walker represented Newton Financial Corporation, LP and Concord Oil Company, LP in their acquisition by Elk Range Royalties LP. The transaction involved the sale of 100% equity of both entities, which collectively hold about 13,500 net royalty acres across the Permian and Eagle Ford basins. The team included Richard Garza, Graeme Hawkins, and Daniel Maldonado. Read more »
• Novaria Group recently completed its acquisition of California-based Bandy Manufacturing, LLC, which supplies high-precision aerospace hinges and pins. This is the latest transaction in a series of acquisitions that Jackson Walker has handled for Novaria. The multidisciplinary team included Lauren Azopardi, Sara Borrelli, Sara Harris, Jessica Palvino, Robert Soza, and Sara Thornton. Read more »
• Jesse Lotay, Pamela Madere, and Amy Baird represented CloudBurst Data Centers, Inc. in a significant long-term agreement with Energy Transfer LP (NYSE: ET) to supply natural gas for an AI-focused data center development in Central Texas. Read more »
• Jackson Walker represented Concentra Group Holdings Parent, Inc. in its acquisition of U.S. Occmed Holdings, the parent company of Nova Medical Centers. The transaction marks a significant milestone in Concentra’s strategic expansion in the occupational health services sector. The team included Sara Borrelli, Greta Cowart, Sami Landon, Emily Norman, and David Schlottman. Read more »

COMMUNITY IMPACT

• Abby Wilkinson has been selection to The Real Estate Council (TREC) Associate Leadership Council (ALC) Class of 2025. Read more »
• Shayan Gaziani has been appointed to the City of Richardson’s Charter Review Commission. Read more »
• Greta Cowart has been appointed to the Board of Visitors of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

EVENTS & SPONSORSHIPS

Holiday Giving

Our Austin office collected Squishmallows for children at Helping Hand Home in Austin and hosted a cookie decorating event where children could choose their Squishmallow. In Dallas, JW participated in the Angel Tree program organized by St. Paul United Methodist Church by providing holiday gifts to children with incarcerated parents. The Houston office participated in its local Adopt-an-Angel program. Our San Antonio office organized a Diaper Drive to donated to the Texas Diaper Bank. JW2 hosted a gift-wrapping party, collecting gift cards and essential items for the young adults of Roy Maas Youth Alternatives. Jackson Walker also conducted a canned food drive in collaboration with the North Texas Food Bank to support community members facing food insecurity, collected toys to benefit Fort Worth’s WFAA’s Santa’s Helpers. Read the article »

The Houston JW Recruiting Team participated in their annual volunteer day at Vogel, sorting and organizing holiday gifts for families in need.

Women’s Resource Power of the Purse Event

On November 6, Priya Coffey, Kelly Cobb, Courtney White, and Courtney Wade attended The Women’s Resource Power of the Purse Event at The Revaire. This organization raises funds to help women and girls take charge of their financial independence and future success.

South Texas College of Law of Houston Panel

Jackson Walker sponsored a panel at the South Texas College of Law of Houston, hosted by the Muslim Legal Society (MLS) and Asian Pacific Law Students Association (APALSA). Panelists Jeremy Sheng, Maggie Lu, Sang Shin, and Tim Dominguez shared insights, advice, and real-world experiences that inspired the students.

Tiger Ball Gala 

Christian Triantaphyllis, Catharine Yen, Yenmi Tang, and Phillip Pullig attended the Asia Society Texas Center Tiger Ball Gala on March 7 where guests celebrated global engagement, cultural interconnectedness, and international diversity.

“Bad Pants Open” Golf Tournament

Jackson Walker’s Houston team participated at the 2024 RBC Wealth Management “Bad Pants Open” Golf Tournament at Champions Golf Course. Mike Bernick, David Parker, Lindsey Moorhead and Javier Gonzalez rocked their wildest, wackiest pants for a great cause—supporting the Newborn Center at Texas Children’s Hospital.

APIS Annual Conference

The Asian Pacific Interest Section (APIS) of the State Bar of Texas held its annual conference in Dallas. This year’s Chair, Sang Shin, had the honor of presenting the Trailblazer Award to Priya Coffey. The conference also featured Suzan Kedron as a CLE speaker. JW was represented at the event by Chevazz Brown, Tim Dominguez, Kendahl Lee, Maggie Lu, Shari Mao, and Yenmi Tang.

Covenant House Texas

Jackson Walker sponsored the annual Covenant House Executive Edition “Sleep Out” on November 21. Priya Coffey and Marisela Gonzalez participated by spending the night meeting with homeless youth, hearing the personal stories of Covenant House residents, and sleeping on the ground to support Covenant House Texas.

“Mix and Mingle Lunch”

Our Houston office hosted the Houston Bar Association (HBA) Veteran’s Committee “Mix and Mingle Lunch” on November 22 that brought together students from all three Houston law schools. Students sat down with attorneys from different practice areas to learn about “a day in the life” of a practicing attorney.

Poppy’s Run for Life

Jackson Walker participated in the third annual Poppy’s Run for Life on March 9. Founded by Scott Schepps’ wife, Caryn Honig, this event advocates for suicide prevention, awareness, and education. Scott Schepps serves as Vice President and Race Director of this non-profit organization.

Gender Fairness Committee

Yenmi Tang attended a speed mentoring event hosted by the Houston Bar Association (HBA) Gender Fairness Committee on February 19. Discussions covered career, business, mentorship, and breaking stereotypes, while also seizing the opportunity to connect with legal experts.

JW B&I Retreat

On February 7, Jackson Walker hosted our 2025 Belonging & Inclusion Retreat. Our event included meaningful dialogue, education, and action planning to foster a culture of inclusion, understanding, and belonging for a more inclusive workplace.

These materials are made available by Jackson Walker for informational purposes only, do not constitute legal advice, and are not a substitute for legal advice from qualified counsel. The laws of other states and nations may be entirely different from what is described. Your use of these materials does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and Jackson Walker. The facts and results of each case will vary, and no particular result can be guaranteed.

© 2025 Jackson Walker