November 2019
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 law_alumni@baylor.edu, for inclusion in the next issue of Rocket Docket.
Hon. Molly Francis, JD '81
Hon. Molly Francis was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. Judge Francis is a retired senior judge with 28 years of judicial service, most recently on the Fifth Court of Appeals. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and served as chair of the Judicial Selection Committee, former board member and current member of the Dallas Bar Association, and former chair of the Texas Center for the Judiciary. She is board certified in Criminal Law and Criminal Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Hon. Bill Sowder, JD '84
Hon. Bill Sowder announced his retirement from the 99th District Court in Lubbock County at the end of his term in December 2020 after 15 years on the bench.
Aaron Burkes, JD '93
Aaron Burkes, CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority, has joined the local board of directors for Arvest Bank in Benton County in northwest Arkansas.
Joel Hoelscher, JD '06
Joel Hoelscher, with Hoelscher Gebbia Cepeda PLLC in San Antonio, authored the book LexisNexis Practice Guide: Texas Drunk Driving Law. The 2019 edition was recently released.
L. Caroleene Hardee Dobson, JD '12
L. Caroleene Hardee Dobson has joined the real estate practice of Maynard Cooper & Gale LLP in Birmingham, Alabama.
Charlie Ginn, JD '13
Charlie Ginn, with The McCraw Law Group in McKinney, was awarded the 2019 Texas Trial Lawyers Association Outstanding Advocate Award recognizing a member of the TTLA Board of Advocates who embodies the qualities of balance, tradition and professionalism and demonstrates a deeply held belief in justice and family.Kyle Knas, JD '14
Kyle Knas was recently named partner with Naman Howell Smith & Lee, PLLC, practicing estate planning, probate, and business law in the Waco office.
Erin Toolan, JD '15
Erin Toolan is the new assistant attorney general for the Office of Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
Stephen Burbank, JD '18
Stephen Burbank joined Scott Douglass & McConnico’s trial practice as an Associate following his federal judicial clerkship with the Honorable Alan Albright. Burbank has a background in land and mineral interest issues.