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Class notes from 2024-2025 may be found here.
Class notes from 2023-2024 may be found here.
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2025-2026 Class Notes
'70s
Amy Jo Gittler (JD ’77) was recognized in the 2025 Chambers USA Guide for her labor and employment practice.
Carter G. Phillips (JD ’77) is a recipient of this year's Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Law Journal.
Gary M. Sumers (JD ’78) joined Raven Capital as president and principal.
Palma R. Yanni (JD ’79) joined Hinshaw's immigration team as senior counsel.
'80s
Julianne Frank (JD ’80) was awarded the Senior Specialist Certification in both consumer and bankruptcy law by the American Board of Certification.
Steven H. Hilfinger (JD ’87) has retired from Foley & Lardner LLP, where he helped found the firm’s Detroit office and its Automotive Industry Team and Manufacturing Sector. The firm is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Detroit: Foley in Spotlight for 25 Years of Client and Community Service in Detroit.
Jane McFetridge (JD ’89) was recognized in the 2025 edition of Chambers USA, a prestigious annual guide ranking the leading law firms in the U.S., for her Labor and Employment practice.
Marian W. Payson (JD ’84) retired from as a magistrate judge in the Western District of New York in Rochester where she served since 2003.
Bob C. Sterbank (JD ’89) was promoted to Principal in Foster Garvey's Seattle office.
James F. Stern (JD ’88) became the Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at A.O Smith.
Joseph E. Welsh (JD ’80) joined the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley's board of directors.
'90s
Theodore Blum (JD ’92) was named to Atlanta Magazine's '500 Most Powerful Professional Leaders in 2026' list.
Matthew M. Bronfman (JD ’91) was named to Atlanta Magazine's '500 Most Powerful Real Estate & Design Leaders in 2026' list.
Stacy A. Carpenter (JD ’96) was named to 5280 Magazine's 'Denver's Top Lawyers 2026' list.
Justin C. Choi (JD ’90) is joining Parts Town Unlimited as chief legal officer.
Michael P. Drescher (JD ’95) was appointed to the Vermont Supreme Court by Governor Phil Scott.
Timothy T. Finley (JD ’95) joined Baker McKenzie’s Washington, DC office as a partner in its Antitrust and Competition practice.
Gustavo P. Giay (LLM ’97) was appointed as the new chairman of the Marval O’Farrell Mairal's Management Committee.
Ernest LaMont Greer (JD ’91) was named to Atlanta Magazine's '500 Most Powerful Professional Leaders in 2026' list.
Robert M. Hayward (JD ’97) was featured in the 2025 “Directorship 100: Corporate Governance Professionals” list by The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
LaVon M. Johns (JD ’96) was appoined to SomerCor's board of directors.
Jason P. Klingensmith (JD ’98) was appointed to The Michigan State Bar Foundation board of directors.
Nicole L. Knox (JD ’99) was appointed to Youth on Course's 2026 board of directors.
Thomas P. Martin (JD ’97) joined Saul Ewing LLP's Pittsburgh office as a partner.
Julie L. Menin (JD ’92) was elected as New York City's council speaker.
William B. Silverstein (JD ’90) is the new chair of the board of trustees at The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Sherrese M. Smith (JD ’96) was named to Forbes' second-annual list of 'America’s Top Lawyers'.
Monica E. Vaca (JD ’97) is opening Vaca Daffan LLP.
Quentin Vaugh (JD ’95) named general counsel for Brookhaven Lab.
'00s
Jeeseon Ahn (JD ’08) joined Bracewell LLP’s New York office with the expansion of its global energy finance and infrastucture practices as a partner.
Steven Bierly (JD ’07) joined Levenfeld Pearlstein as a partner in the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.
Fred W. Blakeslee (JD ’02) was appointed executive vice president and general counsel at Galapagos NV.
Jeremy Buxbaum (JD ’08) joined Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP as Counsel on the Trademark, Copyright, & Advertising Team.
Milton Castro (JD ’09) joined Amundsen Davis LLC's Labor & Employment Service Group as senior counsel in the Chicago office.
Rodrigo Dominguez Sotomayor (LLM ’05) was appointed to co-lead the Latin American practice of White & Case.
Matt Fitzsimons (JD ’02) joined Sidley's M&A and Private Equity group as a partner.
Mike Frisch (JD ’08) was appointed as a director of Slam Corp.
Gabriel J. Greenbaum (JD-MBA ’06) joined the Salsano Group advisory board.
Amy Hughes (JD ’07) joined Eversheds Real Estate Team as counsel.
Frank Morrow Kumpuris (JD-MBA ’07) joined The Stephens Group, LLC as an Executive in Residence.
Kelly Begg Lawrence (JD ’02) is joining Nutter as a partner in its Government Enforcement group and Litigation Department in Boston.
Thomas Lee (JD ’09) joined Latham & Watkins LLP's Bay Area offices as a partner in the Environment, Land & Resources Practice.
JoAnna McFadden (JD ’06) was appointed a magistrate judge in the Middle District of North Carolina.
Susanne E. Mombelli (JD ’01) joined Ogletree Deakins as Of Counsel focusing on immigration law.
Charles Mulaney (JD ’06) joined Goldberg Kohn as principal.
Malte Richter (LLM ’01) was promoted to partner in the Mayer Brown Frankfurt office.
Ferlillia Roberson (JD ’08) joined Blank Rome LLP as a partner in its Chicago office.
Reiko Saito (LLM ’08) joined Greenberg Traurig LLP's Asia Real Estate Practice as counsel in its Tokyo office.
Matthew A. Scherb (JD ’04) was appointed to serve as an Associate Justice in the Second District Court of Appeal, Division 8.
Jorge Masia Tejedor (LLM ’09) was appointed as partner in the Litigation department at Think Legal.
Paul Heshel Tzur (JD ’05) was announced as a Deputy Director of the Division of Enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Katherine Carlson Wax (JD ’09) was added to Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP as partner.
Paula Whitten (JD ’07) was appointed as general counsel at Deep Isolation Nuclear, Inc.
'10s
DeJohn E. Allen (JD ’12) was appointed as chief administrative officer and general counsel at Visio Lending, the largest independent rental property lender in the country.
Joshua Altman (JD-MBA ’15) joined Neal Gerber Eisenberg as a partner in its Restructuring & Insolvency practice group.
Ryan Aprill (LLM ’11) was promoted to partner at Rotunda Capital Partners.
Robert Burch (JD ’13) joined Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres as a partner.
Deborah Bone (JD ’11) joined Womble Bond's Las Vegas office.
Matthew Caldwell (JD-MBA ’10) accepted a 10 year deal to be CEO of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA's Minnesota Lynx.
Francesco Castaldi (JD ’18) was added to Greenberg Traurig, LLP as a shareholder in its Chicago office.
Daniel Xi Chen (JD ’17) became a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
Sadie Concepcion (JD ’18) is a Founding Member of the Tilikum Choir Board of Director.
Gwen Grecia De Vera (LLM ’10) is the new dean of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law.
Lauren A. Ferrante (LLM ’10) joined Kilpatrick's prominent State and Local Tax Team in Chicago as counsel.
Jeffrey Glickman (JD ’15) joined Neal Gerber Eisenberg as a partner in its Private Wealth practice group.
Lauren Gorsche (JD ’14) was elected to partner at international law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
Richard Guiltinan (JD ’10) joined the Dallas office of Vartabedian Hester & Haynes LLP as the latest addition to the law firm’s white collar and investigations practice group.
Benjamin Daniel Hernandez (JD-MBA ’13) is the CEO of NuMat Technologies which was named as one of 'Chicago's Most Innovative Companies for 2025' by Crain's Chicago Business.
Charissa Huang (JD ’11) the nominee of the Senate Majority Leader to the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission by Governor Whitmer.
Andres Lankenau Martinez (LLM ’12) was awarded the distinction as Exemplary Citizen by Selider, Mexicos most important Leadership Association.
Elizabeth Massaro (LLM ’12) joined Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC as a partner in its Real Estate Group.
Lisa Mazzone (JD ’10) was elected to partner at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
Laura McJilton (JD ’18) joined Greenberg Traurig as an associate in the firm’s Boston office.
Patrick O'Meara (JD ’14) was elected to the McDonald Hopkins' membership.
Takayuki Ono (JD ’15) was promoted to partner at Sidley Austin LLP.
Injune Park (JD ’16) was added as a partner at Honigman on their Private Equity Practice Group of its Corporate Department.
Kyle Roche (JD ’16) joined the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation Board.
Yana Rusovski (JD ’11) joined Spencer Fane LLP.
Peter Siegal (JD ’12) is joining Bracewell LLP as partner in the Washington, DC office.
Maximiliano Silvestre (JD ’15) was promoted to a council member of Litigation, Arbitration and Employment at Hogan Lovells.
Erin Snyder (JD ’18) was elected to the partnership of Maslon LLP in Minneapolis.
Sam Trimbach (JD ’17) is a partner at Winston & Strawn LLP.
'20s
Samara Haapala (JD ’20) was elevated to firm partnership at Olson Grimsley.
Audrey Merkel (JD ’21) is joining the Milwaukee office of Ogletree Deakins as an Associate.
Topher Zahn (JD ’25) joined Marshall Gerstein as an associate in the firm’s Industrial & Mechanical Technologies Practice Group.