Class notes

1950s

Martin Rubin 59L finished his 37th Peachtree Road Race on July 4, 2016. He was among 35 contestants in the men’s 80–84 age group, and his time was 01:47:31.

1960s

P. Harris Hines 65C 68L was recently profiled in the Daily Report on the occasion of becoming Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice. Hines will have one year and eight months as justice before he reaches the state’s mandatory retirement age (75) for appellate judges.

1970s

M. Lane Morrison 70Lof HunterMaclean was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2017.

Denis Durkin 73L, a partner at BakerHostetler Orlando, has been recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, construction law, and litigation - construction.

Alan J. Perkins 78L, a partner with Gardere Wynne Sewell, was selected for inclusion in the 2017 edition of The Best Lawyers in America

David Johnston 76C 79L has been appointed to the Campaign General Committee for the Endowment Fund for Theological Education in the Central Conferences of the United Methodist Church.

1980s

Gordon Rapkin 80B 80Lhas been appointed CEO of Relayware, a partner relationship management software provider that accelerates channel revenue growth.

Judge Angela Roberts 80L was interviewed in December 2016 for a multimedia project, “Richmond Justice.” Roberts was the first African American woman elected to district court judgeship in Virginia, where she presided over the Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court for 26 years.

In May 2015, Georgia Syribeys 56G 80L published a book of poetry, Sea Seething At My Feet.

Bruce S. Sostek 81L has been recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America 2017 in the categories of litigation–intellectual property, litigation–patent, and technology law. He is a partner with Thompson & Knight and co-chairs the firm’s intellectual property section.

Claud “Lex” Eley 82L has joined Crowell & Moring as partner. He was formerly with Reed Smith in Washington, DC, where he was leader of the firm’s corporate and securities group.

Harold B. Yellin 82B 82L of HunterMaclean was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2017

Ross Fishman 85L has published The Ultimate Law Firm Associate’s Marketing Checklist, a 50-page checklist designed to help law firm associates position themselves for success.

Diana J. P. McKenzie 84B 85L of HunterMaclean was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2017.

Julie I. Fershtman 83C 86L, of Foster Swift Collins & Smith, has been named one of The Best Lawyers in America 2017 and was also named a 2016 Michigan “Super Lawyer.”

On August 17, 2016, Randall Kessler 88L celebrated the 25th anniversary of his family law firm, Kessler & Solomiany. “Twenty-five years is a long time to be helping people through such difficult circumstances,” he says. “But we are passionate about it and remain honored to be asked by so many to help.”

John Miles 88L was voted the No. 2 Mediator/ Arbitrator in this year’s Daily Report Annual Best Of Reader Rankings Survey. His firm, Miles Mediation, was also named the No. 1 Alternative Dispute Resolution Firm. This is the third consecutive year the firm was voted into the top spot; the individual award category was introduced this year.

Michael P. Saber 89L, a partner at Smith Anderson of Raleigh, North Carolina, was selected for inclusion in the 2017 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

1990s

Sarah H. Lamar 91L of HunterMaclean was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. 

Michelle Weisberg Cohen 92L, a member and chair of the e-commerce practice at Ifrah PLLC in Washington, DC, was appointed vice president–legal affairs of the Board of the National Woman’s Party. Cohen joined the NWP’s board in 2005.

Carter Stout 82C 92L of Stout Kaiser Matteson Peake & Hendrick in Atlanta, Georgia, has been named “Rotarian of the Year” by the Rotary Club of Dunwoody.

Ross Ginsberg 93L has been named one of The Best Lawyers in America 2017 for construction law. Ginsberg is a partner with Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial and practices in the firm’s Atlanta office.

Michael Silberman 95L was recently named vice president and deputy general counsel for Dallas-based Celanese Corporation. He serves as lead business counsel for the global Acetyl Chain core business and the Global Supply Chain.

Deepak “DJ” Jeyaram 97L has been appointed a magistrate judge for Gwinnett County. Jeyaram also has his own practice, Jeyaram & Associates, where he focuses on healthcare regulatory matters.

Shawn A. Kachmar 97L of HunterMaclean was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2017.

John Londot 97L, of Greenberg Traurig, has been certified by the McAfee Institute as a cyber threat forensic investigator and certified cyber investigative expert. He practices in the firm’s Tallahassee office.

During New Hope Enterprises’ recent graduation ceremonies, founder Tom Cook 98L and co-founder Angele Hawkins were honored for their vision in creating a successful job-readiness training program for those in hardship.

Donald Hayes 98L has joined the FedEx legal team as senior attorney - employment law at FedEx Freight.

Chad I. Michaelson 99L of Meyer Unkovic & Scott, has been named a “Super Lawyer” for Pennsylvania.

2000s

Marc Goncher 97C 00L joined The Coca-Cola Company’s Global Legal Function in August 2016 as an environmental, health and safety legal counsel.

David Chaiken 01L joined Troutman Sanders in Atlanta as a partner, where he will focus on white-collar criminal defense, internal investigations, and SEC enforcement actions. He joins the firm after nine years’ service as an assistant US attorney in the economic crimes section of the Northern District of Georgia.

Tim Giordano 01L has been selected as a Lead New Jersey (LNJ) fellow. LNJ works to educate, empower, and engage talented leaders across New Jersey to create systemic change around the state’s most challenging policy issues.

Daren Garcia 02L has been named managing partner in the Pittsburgh office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease.

Alison Elko Franklin 03L, a senior managing associate with Dentons, has been recognized by the Daily Report as “On the Rise”— a selection of 25 Georgia lawyers under the age of 40 who have achieved a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

Brooke M. French 03L has joined Kessler & Solomiany as an associate. She also was certified in 2016 as a family law and civil matters mediator by the Georgia Commission of Dispute Resolution.

Quinton G. Washington 04L is now a Fulton County magistrate. He is a founding partner of Bell & Washington, with offices in Atlanta, Gainesville, and Jonesboro, Georgia.

“Legal Writing in the Digital Age,” by Sarah T. Weitz 04L, was published in the July 2016 edition of the Broward County Bar Association’s Barrister. She is an associate at Weitz & Schwartz in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Amol Naik 05L has been named Google Fiber’s head of external affairs for the Southeast region.

Iruka Ndubuizu 06L 14G has joined LifeNet Health in Virginia Beach, Virginia, as a contracts manager.

Joseph Becker 07L has written and released Annabelle & Aiden: The Story of Life, a children’s book on evolution.

Aaron Andrew Miller 07B 07L was named senior counsel at Assurant Inc.

Matt Simpson 07L, a partner at Fisher Phillips, has been elected to the executive committee of the Georgia State Bar’s labor and employment law section. Members serve a five-year term, culminating with each member serving as the committee chair during their fourth year.

Britt-Marie Cole-Johnson 03C 08L, a partner at Robinson+Cole in Hartford, Connecticut, received her firm’s 2016 Diversity and Inclusion Award. She was also selected by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to join its newly formed board of ambassadors.

Kevin J. Rubin 08L has been named a partner at Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle.

2010s

Benjamin Farley 11L has been temporarily assigned as special assistant US attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, after serving three years as senior adviser to the special envoy for Guantanamo Closure at the US Department of State.

The Young Lawyers Division of the Philadelphia Bar Association has honored Meghan E. Claiborne 13L with the Sean Peretta Service Award. Claiborne, an associate at Duane Morris, was recognized for her efforts as co-chair of the YLD’s expungement project, which helps former convicts restart their lives and careers with unblemished criminal records.

K. Jeanette Holmes 13L, an associate, was the first hire by Connell & Cummings, a new Atlanta firm launched in February 2016.

David Alexander Tucker 13L has joined Cantor Colburn as an associate in the firm’s Atlanta office.

Nirouz Elhammali 14L, an associate with Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs, was recently honored as a “40 Under 40 Georgia Muslim” by the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta.

Michael Webb 14L has returned to private practice with Webb & Webb in Decatur, Georgia. Webb is currently an adjunct professor for the Department of Communication at Georgia State University.

Ariel Fenster 15L has joined the Cohan Law Group as an associate in the firm’s Atlanta office.

Chanhee Han 15L is an associate at Frost Brown Todd in Lexington, Kentucky. He focuses his corporate practice in the area of international trade and regulations.

Doriet Fischer 16L has joined Kessler & Solomiany as an associate.

Kate Hawley 16L has joined Bradley Arant Coult Cummings as an associate in the firm’s Birmingham, Alabama, office. She is a member of the real estate practice team.

Lee M. Paris 16L has joined Davis, Matthews & Quigley as an associate in the firm’s domestic relations and family law section.

Nathan Wood 16L has joined Weitz & Schwartz as an associate.

In Memoriam

Thomas Van Houten 47C 49L, of Decatur, Georgia, on October 9, 2016.

Jack Paul Etheridge Sr. 55L, of Atlanta, Georgia, on November 18, 2016.

Forrest Leslie Smith Jr. 50C 56L, of Marietta, Georgia, on November 10, 2016.

Albert G. Norman 58L, of Atlanta, Georgia, on July 13, 2016.

Thomas A. Brown 60L, of Hartford City, Indiana, on June 21, 2016.

Robert Lutz Fine 61L, of Atlanta, Georgia, on October 28, 2016.

David W. G. MacIntyre Jr. 62L, of Atlanta, Georgia, on July 21, 2016.

Michael L. Russo 64C 65L, of Roswell, Georgia, on October 5, 2016.

Hal Stephen Castillo Sr. 74L, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on August 24, 2016.

Charles H. Walker 76L, of Columbus, Ohio, on November 26, 2016.

Judge Stephanie Manis 77L, of Atlanta, Georgia, on December 17, 2016.

Edward J. Harrell 78L, of Macon, Georgia, on September 5, 2016.

Robert Michel Wolf 79L, of Harrisburg, Illinois, on November 30, 2016.

Charles Walker “Chip” Ingraham 80L, of Atlanta, Georgia, on July 23, 2016.

James C. Welsh 84L, of Logansport, Indiana, on June 3, 2016.

Anedra S. Williams 03L, of Lithonia, Georgia, on July 23, 2016.

 

Email the Editor