Class notes

From the Alumni Board President

I know like us, many of you find yourselves practicing social distancing. Still, even in the midst of uncertainty, work and life must go on, as it does at Emory Law where current students are continuing to learn remotely from our school’s world-class educators. Kudos to the law school’s administrators and staff for launching such a comprehensive remote learning program in such short order.

As we all grapple with the many issues and implications of the current COVID- 19 pandemic, I know that you will find the enclosed article from Liza Vertinsky, Polly Price 86C 86G, and Dean Bobinski about what happens when public health concerns meet individual rights especially timely and relevant. It certainly is a great time to have a world-renowned health law scholar at the helm of our institution.

When you’re ready to take a break from the all-consuming, everchanging COVID-19 news, then take a moment to learn more about regulations over vaping and CBD products — a fascinating developing area of the law. In this issue we get to journey to New York to hear about how our alum Doug Nevin 05L uses his law degree to impact the theater world. We also celebrate this year’s winners of the EPIC Awards, an Emory Law tradition in which we should all take great pride. Finally, please join me in welcoming Carlissa Carson 08L, our new staff attorney for the Emory Law Volunteer Clinic for Veterans. Our nation’s veterans are certainly among the most worthy causes for us to lend the support of our legal skills.

Emory Law’s staff is as engaged as ever as they conduct their business from home. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Alumni Engagement and other members of the community with your questions and ideas. Now is the time to step up your support of our alma mater, not hold back.

With gratitude and appreciation for our many first responders and medical personnel on the front lines of this pandemic fight and wishes to each of you for good health.

Annalisa M. Bloodworth 04L is senior vice president and general counsel for Oglethorpe Power Corporation. She is president of the Emory Law Alumni Board.

Class Notes

1967:

Tom Carter 67L received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Planned Giving and Trust Services on August 8, 2019, at the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists Planned Giving and Trust Services Conference.

1968:

The late Harris P. Hines 65C 68L was the 2019 recipient of the Weltner Freedom of Information Award, given by the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.

1970:

Judge Clarence Seeliger 70L announced he will retire from the DeKalb County Superior Court on December 31, 2020.

1974:

In January, Luther J. Battiste III 74L was installed as national president of the American Board of Trial Advocates at the organization’s national board meeting. Battiste is a founding shareholder of Johnson, Toal & Battiste in Columbia, South Carolina.

1977:

In January, Nancy Scott Rogers 77L received the Trailblazer Award from the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She was elected president in 1988, the first female attorney to hold the job.

Kenneth Shigley 77L received the “Traditions of Excellence” award for lifetime achievement at the State Bar of Georgia Annual Meeting on June 7, 2019.

1979:

Brian Brown 79L joined Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton in August. He practices in the firm’s Raleigh offices, as part of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Team.

1982:

Jeffrey H. Kess 82L has joined MendenFreiman, as part of a firm expansion that creates a tax controversy and planning practice.

David Aughtry 82L was named “Lawyer of the Year” in the Litigation and Controversy-Tax practice area in the Atlanta market by Best Lawyers. Aughtry is a shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka.

1985:

After 10 years of coaching on the side, Ellen Cohen 85L of West Hollywood, California, has made it a full-time career. Her practice focuses on helping lawyers and corporate executives enhance their productivity, build leadership skills, and cultivate wellbeing and resilience.

Ross Fishman 85L recently published his fourth and fifth books on legal marketing: The Ultimate Law Student Get-A-Job Checklist and The Ultimate Women Associates’ Law Firm Marketing Checklist.

Michael Thorpe 74C 85L still practices insurance defense and serves as a Gwinnett County Magistrate Court judge, but also recently released A Broke Record, a four-song EP/CD of original songs recorded in Nashville.

1986:

Julie Fershtman 83C 86L has been selected for inclusion in the Michigan Super Lawyers 2019 edition. She is a shareholder at Foster Swift Collins & Smith in Detroit.

1988:

[!tanzer!] Michelle Tanzer 84C 88L has joined Nelson Mullins Broad and Cassel as a partner in Boca Raton. She will chair the firm’s Global Club and Branded Residences Group and co-chair the Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Team.

1989:

Alan S. Clarke 89L 89T, a partner at Taylor English in Atlanta, is among the “2019 Legal Elite” announced by Georgia Trend magazine in December.

1990:

Steven Rosenberg 90L is city manager of Staunton, Virginia, as of July 1, 2019. He previously served as the city’s deputy manager and has 29 years of city, county, and state government experience.

1991:

John Ong 91L was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2020 in the area of Product Liability Litigation-Defendants. He is a partner with Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Jonathan R. Sigel 91L has been included among the 2019 Massachusetts Super Lawyers. He is a partner in the Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group and the Higher Education Group at Mirick O’Connell.

1992:

Tom James 92L started a a four-year term as a trustee of Sycamore Township, Ohio, in January 2020. The three-member trustee board governs the 20,000-population suburban Cincinnati community. James is a senior associate at Sanders & Associates in Cincinnati.

In September, Richard Warren 92L was named co-president of WarnerMedia Distribution, a new division that combines the Turner and HBO distribution teams.

1993:

Cubic Corporation has appointed Hilary Hageman 93L senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary. She will manage the legal department and oversee ethics, contracts, global trade compliance, and security.

1994:

Allyson Krause 94L is a member of the 2019 US General Counsel Powerlist, published by the Legal 500, which recognizes the most influential in-house attorneys. She is senior vice president and general counsel at Promethean.

1996:

Glenn Brown 96L joined Squire Patton Boggs in Atlanta as a member of its Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group.

1997:

Shawn A. Kachmar 97L was recently recognized as a member of Georgia Trend’s 2019 “Legal Elite.” He is a partner with HunterMaclean in Savannah.

This March, Michael A. Morse 97L presented “Preparing for the Fight of Your Life: Anatomy of a Health Care Fraud Prosecution,” at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Health Law Institute, and served as a panelist for “The False Claims Act Part 1” at the 24th Annual Compliance Institute in Nashville, Tennessee.

Christian Torgrimson 97L, a partner at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, has joined the advisory board of the Brigham- Kanner Property Rights Conference.

1998:

Jordan B. Forman 98L has joined Fox Rothschild in Atlanta as counsel in the Litigation Department.

1999:

Jason S. Lichtstein 99L is president of the Florida Brownfields Association, serving a 2019–2020 term. He is a partner at Akerman in Tallahassee, Florida, and practices environmental law. Chad Michaelson 99L was included in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the categories Construction Law and Litigation- Construction. He is a partner at Meyer, Unkovic & Scott and practices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Chad Michaelson 99L was included in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the categories Construction Law and Litigation- Construction. He is a partner at Meyer, Unkovic & Scott and practices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

2000:

Kristyne Seidenberg 00L is employed by Emory University in the Office of Equity and Inclusion, where she serves as a Title IX investigator and training specialist.

2002:

In November 2019, Christopher C. Bly 99C 02L celebrated a year on the bench as a United States District Court magistrate for Georgia’s Northern District.

2003:

Alison Elko Franklin 03L is a new shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, as part of the firm’s expansion of its global Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice.

Joiya Morrison-Efemini 03L expects to publish Petrified Flowers, a novel in verse, this year.

2005:

Ali Arain 05L is one of eight new partners at Jenner & Block, effective January 1, 2020. He is a litigator in New York City.

Kristin Goran 05L joined the board of directors of Goodwill Industries International in September 2019. She is general counsel of Primrose Schools and also chair of the Franchise and Distribution Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia.

Matthew Robert Rosenkoff 05L, a partner at Taylor English in Atlanta, is among the “2019 Legal Elite” announced by Georgia Trend magazine in December.

2006:

In September 2019, Kurt Kastorf 02C 06L co-founded the Georgia Legal Accelerator, a oneyear incubator program for lawyers who want to start their own firms or become shareholders.

2007:

Woojin Shin 07L was recently elected to partnership at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough in Washington, DC.

2008:

Britt-Marie Cole-Johnson 03C 08L was selected as one of the Lawyers of Color’s inaugural “Nation’s Best” in the Eastern Region.

As of July 2019, Mark Galvez 08L is senior intellectual property counsel at FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation, which is headquartered in New York.

In May 2019, Michael Phillips 08L was appointed head of Cyber, Media & Technology Claims for North America at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, in New York City.

Justin R. Pollak 08B 08L has joined Davis & Gilbert in New York City as a partner in the Corporate Practice Group.tion Practice Group in both the Philadelphia and New York offices.

2009:

Lynsey Barron 09L has joined Miller & Martin in Atlanta as a member of its litigation department. Barron previously served as a federal prosecutor with the US Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, assigned to the Economic Fraud and Public Corruption sections.

Judd Treeman 09L 09T has been selected as an “Up & Coming” attorney for 2019 by Missouri Lawyers Weekly. He is a partner with Stinson in Kansas City.

Shaina Stahl 09B 09L was recently elected to partnership at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough in Orlando.

Priya B. Vivian 04C 09L has been elected a shareholder at Lane Powell’s Seattle offices, where she is an employment advisor and litigator.

2011:

Elliotte Quinn 11L has been named as one of Charleston Business Magazine’s 2019 “Best and Brightest Under 35.” He is with the Steinberg Law Firm and focuses on construction law.

2012:

Ben Katz 12L has been named to Super Lawyers’ 2019 Mid-South Rising Star list. He is a senior associate in the Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group at Frost Brown Todd in Nashville.

Ivie Guobadia Serioux 12L is a 2019 “Rising Star” in the metro New York area, according to Super Lawyers. She is a labor and employment associate with Littler Mendelson in New York.

2013:

In December, Tarpley Ashworth 13L was named one of the state’s “Legal Elite” for 2019 by Virginia Business magazine in the category of real estate land use. He recently joined Williams Mullen in Richmond as a senior associate in its Corporate Section.

Barret Broussard 13L began his term as president of the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia on November 1, 2019.

Emily Quan 13L has been elected partner at Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial in Atlanta.

2014:

Taylor P. Fish 14L has joined Blank Rome’s Matrimonial and Family Law group and practices in the firm’s New York City offices.

Gabriel S. Gladstone 11C 14L has been recognized as a 2019 “Rising Star” in Massachusetts by Super Lawyers.

2017:

In August, Casey R. McGowan 17L joined Carlton Fields as an associate in the firm’s West Palm Beach office, where she is a member of the Mass Tort and Product Liability Practice Group.

Nicholas Hager 17L is a magistrate at the Supreme Court of Virginia, in its 26th district, Shenandoah County.

Samantha L. Skolnick 17L has joined Bloom Parham as an associate in the firm’s Atlanta offices. She will focus on complex real estate disputes.

2018:

In July, Nicole Schladt 18L joined Nichols Kaster as an associate. She works on the Civil Rights and Impact Litigation Team in Minneapolis.

2019:

In July 2019, Jessica Linse 19L published “Proving the Retail Transaction: Ascertainability in Food and Cosmetic Mislabeling Class Actions,” in Mealey’s Litigation Report: Class Actions, along with colleague and co-author, Charlotte E. Thomas. Linse is an associate with Duane Morris in Philadelphia.

You did what? Send your updates to lawcommunications@ emory.edu. Class notes are submitted by alumni and are not verified by the editor. Read more about Emory Law alumni at law. emory.edu/alumni.

 

In memoriam

Kenneth Martin Worthy 41C 47L on August 11, 2019.

Fred Douglas Bentley Sr. 49L on October 3, 2019.

The Honorable G. Conley Ingram 49C 51L on November 11, 2019.

Thomas Bryant Buck III 59C 62L on January 2, 2020.

Robert A. Elsner 62L on August 13, 2019.

William P. Smith III 60Ox 62C 64L on January 23, 2020.

Glenn Zell 65L on November 24, 2019.

William N. Pettys Jr. 66L on January 26, 2020.

Fred F. Filsoof 67L on November 26, 2019.

Michael David Barber Sr. 70L on July 12, 2019.

McKenzie “Mac” Perry Jr. 72L on September 2, 2019.

Martha Wayne Henson 74L on October 1, 2019.

Paul Edmund Willingham Jr. 74L on October 27, 2019.

Samuel Bearman 76L on December 6, 2019.

John F. Eichorn 76L on October 22, 2019.

Steven I. Holm 77L on October 17, 2019.

Mallory Phillips III 79L on December 10, 2019.

John Newton “Jack” Kaspers 85L on January 3, 2020.

Linda Rae Allen 90L on September 4, 2019.

Anderson B. Scott 93L on January 11, 2020.

 

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