Alumni Notes | August 2016
Alumni Notes are published based on the information we receive from our alumni. If you have been recognized or have other professional news to share, please e-mail Berkley_Knas@baylor.edu, for inclusion in the next issue of Rocket Docket.
Hon. D. Gordon Bryant, Jr., JD '86
Hon. D. Gordon Bryant was selected by the district judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas to serve as United States Magistrate Judge at the Lubbock Division. Hon. Bryant began his service as a magistrate judge August 1, 2016.
Upon graduation from Baylor Law, Hon. Bryant became an associate with Gibson, Ochsner and Adkins in Amarillo. In 1991, he was selected to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas at Amarillo, and was later appointed Senior Litigation Counsel within the U.S. Attorney's Office. He has frequently served as an instructor and faculty member at the Department of Justice's National Advocacy Center, working with Department and agency attorneys in the areas of trial advocacy and motion practice in federal court. Hon. Bryant is a member of the State Bar of Texas. He is admitted to practice in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Ninth Circuits and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Hon. T. John Ward, JD '67
Hon. T. John Ward of the East Texas law firm Ward, Smith & Hill, PLLC, was recognized by the legal publication Law360 as one of the nation's Top 25 Icons of Intellectual Property Law.
Hon. Penny Roberts, JD '89,
Hon. Penny Roberts of Tom Green County Court at Law #2 in San Angelo was elected Fellows Chair-Elect of the Texas Bar Foundation.
David Dickson, JD '76
David Dickson, JD '76 of Beard Kultgen Brophy Bostwick Dickson, LLP in Waco was appointed as board chair of the Texas Board of Legal Specializations (TBLS).
Dickson will lead the TBLS Board, which is responsible for overseeing the organization's finances, enhancing the value of Board Certification and increasing public awareness of TBLS. Dickson has been Board Certified in Commercial, Residential and Farm & Ranch Real Estate Law since 1983 and is one of only 57 attorneys in Texas to hold all three of these certifications. He previously served as director of the State Bar of Texas as well as two terms as Chairman of its Professionalism Committee. He serves as General Counsel for the Waco Association of Realtors and the Heart of Texas Apartment Owners Association. He's currently Chairman of the Waco Foundation and has served on the Board of Directors of the McLennan County Appraisal District and Tax Increment Financing District.
"David is an honorable individual having spent much of his legal career serving in various board appointments across the state. We're excited for him to now bring that wealth of organizational knowledge and experience as our Board Chair," said Leo Figueroa, Executive Director of TBLS. "Board Certified for more than three decades, David understands the importance of Board Certification in our legal communities and the value it provides to our state's citizens and businesses. He'll be a great leader in helping TBLS rollout new programs and tools."
Established by the Supreme Court of Texas, TBLS certifies attorneys in 22 specific areas of law. The Board Certification program is administered by a 12-member board appointed by the President of the State Bar of Texas. All members are appointed to three year staggered terms of office, and are eligible for reappointment for one additional term.
Shannon Dacus, JD '94
Shannon Dacus of The Dacus Firm, P.C. in Tyler was elected as 2016-2017 Fellows Chair for the Texas Bar Foundation.
Cindy Tisdale, JD '95
Cindy Tisdale of the Law Offices of Cindy Tisdale in Granbury, Texas was elected as Chair-Elect for the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees.
Julie Wade, JD '01
Julie Wade has joined Barnes Group Inc. as Corporate Counsel at its Bristol, Connecticut headquarters.
Chris R. Brasure, JD '02
Chris R. Brasure of Brasure Law Firm in Edinburg was elected to be a fellow in the Texas Bar Foundation.
Britta Stanton, JD '02
Britta Stanton of boutique Texas litigation firm Lynn Pinker Cox & Hurst has been listed as a "Texas Rising Star" by Super Lawyers and named a "Litigation Future Star" by Benchmark Litigation. Additionally, Stanton has served as this year's chair of the Dallas Bar Association's Trial Skills section and has been selected to serve on the Federal Court Advisory Committee.
Keisha Ware, JD '03
Keisha Ware was named the Director of the University of North Texas Student Legal Services.
Danielle V. Ahlrich, JD '09
Danielle V. Ahlrich has been elected President-Elect of the Travis County Women Lawyers' Association and selected as a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.
Alex J. Bell, JD '09
Alex J. Bell was appointed to a second three-year term on the State Bar of Texas' Committee on the Administration of the Rules of Evidence.
Nathan Cash, JD '10
Nathan Cash was named Associate General Counsel for the Boy Scouts of America.