Alumni Notes
This section reflects notifications received July 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024
Alumni Books
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Hubert Grissom ’67 published Flawed Good People: Civil Rights Era Plays from Alabama, a collection based in the racial politics and cultural climate of Alabama during the two terms of populist progressive governor James “Big Jim” Folsom. |
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Rodney Dillman ’78 published Flowers Are Better than Bullets, a novel set amid the Vietnam War protests at Kent State, where he earned two degrees before receiving his JD and working as an investment lawyer and corporate executive. |
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Steven Wasserman ’79 has published America’s Jewish Violin Sensation: The Life of Joyce Renée. Steven is a nephew of the late violin prodigy and daughter of Ukrainian and Belarussian immigrants whose talent transcended the prejudice of her time. |
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Robert Markowitz ’84 published his first novel, Clown Shoes (Heliotrope) based on his own career turn from attorney to professional musician and children’s entertainer. His children’s book Don’t Sneeze Choo Choo Train! will be released this fall. |
Alumni Books
Hubert Grissom ’67 published Flawed Good People: Civil Rights Era Plays from Alabama, a collection based in the racial politics and cultural climate of Alabama during the two terms of populist progressive governor James “Big Jim” Folsom.
Rodney Dillman ’78 published Flowers Are Better than Bullets, a novel set amid the Vietnam War protests at Kent State, where he earned two degrees before receiving his JD and working as an investment lawyer and corporate executive.
Steven Wasserman ’79 has published America’s Jewish Violin Sensation: The Life of Joyce Renée. Steven is a nephew of the late violin prodigy and daughter of Ukrainian and Belarussian immigrants whose talent transcended the prejudice of her time.
Robert Markowitz ’84 published his first novel, Clown Shoes (Heliotrope) based on his own career turn from attorney to professional musician and children’s entertainer. His children’s book Don’t Sneeze Choo Choo Train! will be released this fall.
1961
Llewelyn Pritchard, chair of the lifetime directors of the Seattle Symphony, was honored for his 40 years of service on October 7, 2023, when the symphony dedicated its masterworks concert to him. The Symphony celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2023 and is the oldest cultural institution in the city.
1962
David L. (Dusty) Maynard has been appointed to the board of ambassadors of High Point University Board of Trustees. Dusty practiced law at Robinson, Haworth and Reese in High Point for 50 years until his retirement in 2009. Also a Trinity College graduate (1959), he is a former member of the Trinity Board of Visitors.
1978
Douglas Ebenstein, president and CEO of Capital Commercial Properties, partnered with philanthropic initiative AASuccess to sponsor the Douglas Ebenstein and Norman Ebenstein scholarships for Vietnamese-American students in the AASuccess life skill and leadership programs.
1979
Nita L. Stormes, formerly with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, has joined Judicate West, a leading provider of dispute resolution services, as mediator, arbitrator, and private judge.
1981
John Yates has been appointed co-chairman of Morris, Manning & Martin. John has been with the firm for 37 years and founded its corporate technology practice that now represents more than 600 clients across 45 states and 11 countries. He is a philanthropic and civic leader in Atlanta and in 2023 was honored with the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Leaders in Corporate Citizenship Ann Cramer Lifetime Achievement Award.
1982
Thomas Logue was elected chief judge of the Third District Court of Appeals of Florida, where he will hear appeals from trial courts and administrative bodies located in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties.
Ben Fountain ’83 was selected as the recipient of the 2024 Joyce Carol Oates Prize. The annual award of $50,000 is given to a mid-career fiction author of major consequence. Ben has won numerous awards for his novels, short fiction, and non-fiction writing since leaving his real estate law practice in 1988 to focus on writing.
They include the National Book Critics Circle Award for his 2012 debut novel Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, which was made into a 2016 film directed by Ang Lee and starring Joe Alwyn, Vin Diesel, Garrett Hedlund, Steve Martin, Kristen Stewart, and Chris Tucker. His most recent novel, Devil Makes Three (Flatiron, 2023) was named one of Washington Post’s 50 notable books of the year and an Editors’ Choice selection by the New York Times Book Review. Photo: Thorne Anderson
1984
Wilson Adam Schooley was named pro bono manager and supervising attorney for San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, Inc., which works to provide equal access to justice for low-income, disadvantaged, and marginalized groups.
1985
J. Porter Durham Jr. was elected board chair of the National Humanities Center. Porter recently retired as managing partner of Global Endowment Management. He is a member of the Board of Visitors, most recently serving as chair. Porter also was honored at the 2023 Duke Alumni Awards for outstanding volunteerism and services to the university.
Mindy McNichols was selected as chair of the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. Mindy serves on the Florida Bar Education Law Certification Committee and works as a policy consultant for public school districts and state colleges.
Michael Rennock has joined Dentons as partner in its Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies practice in the New York Meatpacking District office.
Darrell VanDeusen, president of Kollman & Saucier in Timonium, was named one of Maryland’s most influential employment lawyers in Business Today. A labor and employment lawyer for more than 35 years, Darrell’s treatise on the Family and Medical Leave Act was published by LexisNexis last year and has been cited as authoritative by appellate courts.
1987
Rob Harrington was elected in June to serve as president-elect of the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) and the NCBA Foundation for the 2024-2025 term. He will be installed in June 2025 as the NCBA’s 131st president. As chair of the NCBA’s Task Force on Integration, Equity, and Equal Justice, Rob wrote an article for the Nov. 2023 issue of North Carolina Lawyer Magazine reporting on the bar’s efforts to advance equity and equal justice among its membership, and the work that remains. A shareholder at Robinson Bradshaw who co-chairs the firm’s litigation department, Rob is a member of the Duke Law Board of Visitors and serves on its executive committee. [See p. 16 for Rob’s essay “On Leadership.”]
Jocelyn Hunter was included in Briefcase Coach’s 2023 list of “50 Inspirational Leaders in Atlanta.” Jocelyn is currently serving as vice president and deputy counsel at The Home Depot.
Christopher J. Petrini was named a 2023 Lawyer of the Year by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in recognition of a $27 million judgment he secured as lead counsel for the Town of Holden, Mass. against the City of Worcester, Mass. in wastewater transport litigation that lasted more than a decade.
1988
Kirk Halpern, CEO of Farmers & Fishermen, was named a Most Admired CEO for 2023 in the Family-Owned Business category by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Michael Scharf has stepped down as co-dean of Case Western Reserve School of Law after serving in the position for ten years. He remains the Joseph C. Hostetler- BakerHostetler Professor of Law at the school and is managing director of the Public International Law & Policy Group, which he co-founded.
1989
Gary Pilnick was named chairman and CEO of WK Kellogg Co., an independent publicly-traded company spun off from Kellogg Co. in Oct. 2023 to focus on its cereal brands. Gary is a 23-year veteran of Kellogg, most recently serving for seven years as its chief legal counsel.
U.S. District Court Judge Robin L. Rosenberg was honored, along with fellow federal judge Beth Bloom, with the 2024 Florida Distinguished Federal Judicial Service Award for developing Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions, a program that brings high school, college, and law students into federal courthouses to experience mock legal proceedings.
1991
Caryn McNeill, an employee benefits lawyer at Smith Anderson, was named to North Carolina Lawyers Weekly’s Icons Class of 2024. Caryn leads Smith Anderson’s employee benefits and executive compensation practice group and is an elected member of The American Law Institute and a past president of the North Carolina Bar Association.
1992
Robert E. Kaelin has been elected to Murtha Cullina’s executive committee, the firm’s governing body. He is co-chair of the Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights practice and chairs the Retail & Hospitality practice.
Thomas George William Telfer, a professor of law at Western University in London, Ontario, was admitted to the International Academy of Commercial and Consumer Law.
1993
Charles Grandy was sworn in as the Berrien County (Mich.) Public Administrator in April. Previously, Charles was of counsel at Jennings Law Office in St. Joseph, Mich., and corporate counsel at Eli Lilly. Prior to practicing law, he was an engineer for GE Aircraft Engines.
Steven Sauro joined Barnes & Thornburg as of counsel in its Atlanta office. Steven concentrates his practice on transactional matters with a focus on real estate and finance.
1994
Christy Brown was named one of Wisconsin’s “Most Influential Black Leaders” by Madison 365. Christy became president of Alverno College last year. Prior to her appointment, she was CEO of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast and vice chancellor for finance and administrative affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Adam Safwat, a former deputy chief of the fraud section of the Department of Justice’s criminal division, has joined Foley Hoag as partner in the firm’s white collar crime and government investigations practice in Washington, D.C. Most recently, he was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Nelson Mullins.
1995
Frank Rudy Cooper was awarded the 2024 AALS Minority Section’s C. Clyde Ferguson, Jr. Award for his scholarship and service in the legal education sector. Frank is the William S. Boyd Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Connie Shoemaker was appointed to the board of directors of Anchorage Digital Bank. Connie is COO and CFO of Bridgewater Associates Holdings, Bridgewater’s parent company. Previously she was chief administrative officer for Goldman Sachs Bank USA and has also held a senior leadership role at Macquarie Asset Management.
1996
Reed Hollander has been appointed chair of the North Carolina Bar Association Tax Section for the 2024-2025 term. At Young Moore, Reed represents clients in matters involving tax strategy, administrative challenges and appeals, and contested cases before state agencies.
Arguing at the highest level
Several Duke Law alumni advocated before the Supreme Court in its October 2023 term. Michael R. Dreeben ’81 argued the government’s case in Trump v. United States. Dreeben, who served for 24 years as Deputy Solicitor General and has argued more than 100 cases in the Supreme Court, served as Counselor to Special Counsel Jack Smith, whose team also included Assistant Special Counsel James Pearce JD/LLM ’11.
Traci L. Lovitt ’97, Practice Leader Issues & Appeals at Jones Day, argued for the respondents in Bissonnette v. LePage Bakeries Park St. And Colorado Solicitor General Shannon W. Stevenson ’02 argued on behalf of Colorado’s secretary of state, a respondent in Trump v. Anderson.
1997
Teri Dobbins Baxter received the 2024 L. R. Hesler Award for Excellence in Teaching and Service from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Teri is the Williford Gragg Distinguished Professor of Law and interim associate dean for faculty development at UT College of Law, where she teaches secured transactions, a family and privacy seminar, constitutional law, and torts. She joined the faculty in 2013.
Matthew C. Gaudet was appointed vice chair of the intellectual property practice group at Duane Morris. Matthew, a partner in Atlanta, serves as co-chair of the Patent Litigation Division. He was recognized as one of the top five IP lawyers under 40 in the country by Law360.
1998
Bobby Sharma was appointed to the board of Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey. He is founder and managing partner of Bluestone Equity Partners, which launched last year and focuses on the sports, media, and entertainment industries, in which Bobby has long been involved.
2000
Gregg Behr, founder of Remake Learning, a peer network for educators and innovators in Pittsburgh, was honored as HundrED’s 2023 Champion of the Year.
David Szekeres was appointed president of Connect Biopharma Holdings Limited, a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for chronic inflammatory diseases. David was most recently executive vice president and chief operating officer of Heron Therapeutics.
2001
Collin Cox was named chair of the Duke Law Board of Visitors. A business trial lawyer who represents clients in high-stakes commercial cases, Collin is co-partner in charge of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Houston office. He has been a member of Duke Law’s board since 2017 and teaches Hearings Practice during Wintersession each year.
Gideon Moore was named chief legal officer of Clearwater-based AmeriLife in January. Moore worked in senior legal roles at AmeriLife for more than seven years and rejoins the company after serving as general counsel and secretary for two years at Apex Service Partners.
Ellie Steiner joined Clark Hill as a member of its intellectual property practice group in the firm’s San Diego office. Ellie is a life sciences litigator and has represented clients in complex patent disputes.
2002
Robert H. Bell has joined the trial practice group at Duane Morris in New York as special counsel. He advises global companies on government regulatory and enforcement matters brought by federal, state, and local agencies.
Nate Christensen has joined Norton Rose Fulbright’s Dallas office as a partner in its corporate, M&A, and securities practice. Nate represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, alternative asset managers, public and private companies, project developers, and entrepreneurs.
Aaron Futch has been appointed executive vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Redwire Corporation, a global space infrastructure company based in Jacksonville, Florida. Aaron is a longtime aerospace executive and corporate attorney in the space industry.
David Grenardo was awarded the national Warren E. Burger prize for his essay “Debunking the Major Myths Surrounding Mandatory Civility for Lawyers Plus Five Mandatory Civility Rules That Will Work,” which was published in the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics.
2003
Kendra Montgomery-Blinn was appointed district court judge for North Carolina Judicial District 14 by Governor Roy Cooper. She was formerly an assistant district attorney and the Special Victims Unit team lead in the Durham County District Attorney’s Office.
2004
Krista Barnes was named chief corporate compliance and privacy officer of UVA Health. She was formerly the associate vice president and deputy chief compliance officer at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Carrie Michaelis has joined the Private Client & Trust Group at Goulston & Storrs in New York as director. She was previously partner at a boutique trusts and estates law firm in New York and spent more than a decade in the private client groups of large law firms.
Jennifer M. Tenney was awarded Affiliate of the Year by the Marco Island Area Board of Realtors. Jennifer started her law career at Woodward, Pires & Lombardo and in 2020 opened her own practice, Tenney Law, focusing on real estate, estate planning and probate, and elder law.
Terry Tucker has been named president and CEO of Frontline Response International, an Atlanta-based nonprofit. Prior to his appointment, Terry was the CEO of Families First, chief strategy officer for the City of Refuge, and COO and general counsel for the Georgia Center for Opportunity.
2005
Brandon Long was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, which encompasses 13 parishes and is based in New Orleans. Prior to his appointment, Brandon was an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
2006
Michelle Chiu was honored at the 2023 Duke Alumni Awards for outstanding volunteerism and services to the university. Michelle is an antitrust litigator at Morgan Lewis in San Francisco.
Mark Chorazak has joined Skadden’s New York office as a partner and co-head of its financial institutions regulatory group. Chorazak advises U.S. and international banks, nonbank financial institutions and fintech companies on regulatory, governance, enforcement, and compliance issues.
Anna Rips moved from Skadden to Paul Hastings, where she is a partner in the Investment Funds and Private Capital Practice of the firm’s New York office.
Sara Trickett has been elevated to chief legal officer and corporate secretary at Portland, Maine-based WEX, overseeing legal functions and managing a team of in-house counsel across multiple office locations in the U.S. and globally. Prior to joining WEX in 2021, she was senior managing counsel at Visa.
2007
Venroy K. July has been appointed to the Baltimore City Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commission by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Venroy is a member of Dickinson Wright in Washington, D.C., and serves on the board of directors of Sinai Hospital, Grace Medical Center, and the Green Street Academy in Baltimore.
Christian Dysart has sold the Raleigh boutique firm he co-founded with Ryan Willis to Maynard Nexsen and joined the larger firm as a shareholder. Christian, who served as Dysart Willis’ managing partner since its launch in 2010, practices white collar criminal defense and government investigations throughout North Carolina and in federal courts across the country.
Jared Manse was recognized by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with a 2023 Patent Pro Bono Achievement Certificate for his work in assisting under-resourced inventors and small businesses with the protection of their ideas. Jared is a molecular microbiologist and patent attorney in the intellectual property group at UB Greensfelder.
2009
Meredith French Reedy was named one of Charlotte Business Journal’s “Women in Business” honorees for her career accomplishments and community involvement. Meredith is a member of the Financial Services group at Moore & Van Allen and is co-head of the Farm Credit Lending group.
Margot Laporte joined Dorsey & Whitney LLP as a partner in the Government Solutions & Investigations group in Washington, D.C. A French citizen, Margot advises global clients on cross-border internal and regulatory investigations, white collar criminal defense, securities enforcement matters, and regulatory compliance.
Mike Dowling ’10 is serving as plaintiffs’ co-lead counsel in the Camp Lejeune Justice Act water litigation in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Mike is one of seven attorneys managing settlement talks, discovery, case selection, and communication with the public regarding claims by veterans, their dependents, and civilians injured as a result of exposure to contaminated water at the Marine Corps base between 1953 and 1987. Two other alumni, Janet Ward Black ’85 and Gary Jackson ’79, were selected to serve on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee.
2010
Emily Johnson, partner in Restructuring and Finance at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York, was named in Bloomberg Law’s “They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40” list.
Katherine Shea Dowling was elected to the American Law Institute. Katherine is a federal public defender in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
2011
Kristin Bacchus has joined Holland & Knight’s Financial Services team as a partner, moving from Loeb & Loeb. Kristin represents financial institutions in connection with secured and unsecured loans to private equity sponsors and principals, corporate entities, investment vehicles and individuals.
Andrea Dinamarco has joined Squire Patton Boggs as a partner in its Atlanta Financial Services practice, moving from Reed Smith. Previously, she was corporate counsel at Tesla and lead counsel for international treasury operations at GM Financial.
Anthony Del Rio was named a Law360 Health Care MVP for his work as the lead attorney advising Oak Street Health in its $10.6 billion sale to CVS and for advising Envision Healthcare on its Chapter 11 bankruptcy. He is a corporate partner in Kirkland & Ellis’s Chicago office and previously was president and executive director of Rush Health.
Ryan Stoa joined the faculty of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University at the start of the fall 2024 semester. Stoa, an environmental, natural resources, and cannabis law scholar, moves to LSU Law from Southern University Law Center, where he has been a faculty member since 2020. Stoa, the author of Craft Weed: Family Farming and the Future of the Marijuana Industry (MIT Press, 2018), is frequently quoted in consumer media on cannabis regulation and environmental issues.
Andrew Thurmond was named partner at Troutman Pepper. He is in the Capital Projects and Infrastructure Practice Group in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office.
2012
Justin Becker, a trade disputes attorney, joined Baker McKenzie as a partner in its trade secrets practice in Washington, D.C. He has extensive experience with trade remedy proceedings and has led major investigations and reviews before the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission. Justin previously worked at the DOC as an attorney within its Office of Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement & Compliance.
Col. Stephen Strickey (LLM) was appointed military judge by Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair. He is one of five judges who preside at courts martial and other judicial proceedings as part of a federal organization that acts independently of the Canadian government. Steve joined the Office of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) in 2002 and was the first Vice JAG in the history of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Philip Weissman has joined the board of directors of the Advanced Air Mobility Institute. He is the founder of Advanced Air Mobility Professionals, serves as co-chair of the New York City Bar Aviation and Space Law Committee, and is on the Leadership Board of the International Bar Association Aviation Committee.
Morgan Whitworth was elected partner at Latham & Watkins. Morgan is a member of the Securities Litigation & Professional Liability Practice and Litigation & Trial Department in the Bay Area.
2013
Brandon Myers was named to Modern Counsel’s 35 Under 35 list for 2024. Brandon was promoted to Legal Director, Mobility & Marketplace Product Counsel Team at Uber. He has been with the ride-share company for more than five years and is based in Washington, D.C.
Serena Agaba Rwejuna was honored at the 2023 Duke Alumni Awards for outstanding volunteerism and services to the university, and at Corporate Counsel’s 2024 Women, Influence and Power in Law Awards for her sponsorship, allyship and mentorship of young diverse professionals. Serena is a partner in the Energy, Infrastructure, Project and Asset Finance Group at White & Case and is on the Board of Advisors of the Nicholas Institute.
Daniel Tola joined O’Melveny’s Los Angeles and Century City offices as a partner in its corporate finance practice. He is experienced in representing alternative lenders, commercial banks, investment banks, finance companies, equity groups, hedge funds, and private companies in US and cross-border working capital facilities, acquisition financings, subscription line financings, and other leveraged finance transactions.
2015
Taylor Bartholomew was promoted to partner at Troutman Pepper and is based in its Wilmington office, where he works with private equity clients.
Erin Bergey was elected partner at Latham & Watkins. Erin is a member of the Investment Funds Practice and Corporate Department at the firm’s New York office.
Tessa Bernhardt was elected partner at Latham & Watkins. She is a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice and Corporate Department in the firm’s Bay Area office.
Alissa Kelso has joined Bodman’s Detroit office as a conflicts attorney and a member of the firm’s loss prevention team. Previously, Alissa was in-house compliance counsel to a health services organization and worked in complex commercial litigation.
Jana Kovich was elected partner at Latham & Watkins. Kovich is a member of the Emerging Companies & Growth Practice and Corporate Department in Chicago.
William E. Leister has been promoted to partner at Mayer Brown. He is a member of the Banking and Finance Practice in the firm’s Charlotte office, where he focuses his practice on fund finance.
Edward Tang was promoted to counsel at Latham & Watkins. He is a member of the Emerging Companies & Growth Practice and Corporate Department in the firm’s Hong Kong office.
Paulina Stanfel has been named partner at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York. Paulina is a member of the firm’s financial institutions group, where her practice focuses on advising on mergers and acquisitions, reinsurance transactions and other complex transactions in the insurance industry.
Nathan Yang was promoted to partner in the Finance, Real Estate, and Corporate Department at Cades Schutte. He is based in the firm’s Honolulu office.
2016
H. Hunter Bruton has joined Smith Anderson as a litigation partner in its Raleigh office, moving from Robinson Bradshaw. Hunter was a Bristow Fellow in the DOJ’s Office of the Solicitor General and clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in the 2019-2020 term.
Jeb Dennis received the Kentucky Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer’s 2023 Clarence Darrow Prodigy” Award. Jeb is an assistant public defender in Bowling Green.
Nathaniel Jones was promoted to counsel at Hunton Andrews Kurth in Charlotte, where he focuses his corporate practice on transactional, securities, and corporate governance matters involving banks, bank holding companies and other financial institutions.
2017
Cpt. Gabrielle Lucero was named Outstanding Young Military Lawyer by the American Bar Association. Gabrielle entered active duty in the U.S. Army JAG Corps in May 2017 and currently serves as Special Trial Counsel at Fort Liberty
2018
Former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court Cheri Beasley joined Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd in Raleigh as a shareholder. Cheri joined the court in 2012 and served as chief justice from March 2019 to December 2020. She was previously a resident fellow of the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Asghar Leghari has been appointed Assistant Advocates General at the Office of the Advocate General, Punjab, where he represents the government in environmental cases. Asghar is a founding partner at PrimeLegalCo., Advocates and Corporate Counsel in Lahore, Pakistan. His practice encompasses constitutional and environmental law, and he has served as an independent director on the board of a state-owned power distribution company.
2019
Zachary S. Buckheit has joined Williams Mullen’s litigation section in the firm’s Raleigh office. Zach focuses his practice on complex commercial disputes and represents clients in cases involving fraud, misrepresentation, unfair and deceptive trade practices, and misappropriation of trade secrets.
Andrew Lane has joined Maynard Nexsen’s Complex & Commercial Litigation practice group in its Austin office. Andrew previously served as a defense attorney with the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, the legal arm of the U.S. Army. Andrew has experience representing clients in a wide variety of actions, supporting federal criminal litigation and administrative law issues and writing and arguing complex legal motions. He also advises on contract and fiscal law, cyber warfare, military justice and national security law issues.
2020
Samuel A. Thumma has been elected trustee of the National Judicial College. Judge Thumma has served on the Arizona Court of Appeals in Phoenix since 2012 and was chief judge from 2017-19.
2021
Caitlan Carberry joined Robinson Bradshaw as an associate in its Research Triangle office. Catie clerked for Judge Louise Flanagan, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. While at Duke Law, Catie was senior notes editor for Duke Law Journal. An essay she co-wrote with Joseph Blocher, “Historical Gun Laws Targeting ‘Dangerous’ Groups and Outsiders,” was cited in a Fifth Circuit decision last year.
2022
Shrayan Shetty is serving as a Leslie J. Winner Public Interest and Civil Rights Fellow at the North Carolina Justice Center in Raleigh. Previously, Shrayan was an Ervin Fellow at the Morganton office of Legal Aid of North Carolina.
2023
C. Reed Cowart joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings as an associate in the firm’s corporate and securities practice group. At Duke Law, Reed was a student-attorney in the Community Enterprise Clinic and was articles editor for Law & Contemporary Problems.
Peter (Tae) Hong has joined Fish & Richardson’s litigation practice group in the Atlanta office. At Duke Law, Tae was staff editor for Duke Law & Technology Review and won first place in the Law School’s Transactional Law competition. He is also co-founder of a renewable energy startup and the co-inventor on three patents for energy storage technologies.
Nicholas Langford has joined Lightfoot, Franklin & White as an associate in its Birmingham office. At Duke Law, Nick served as articles editor for Law & Contemporary Problems and worked as a research assistant for the Duke Center for Firearms Law.
Clara Nieman has joined Robinson Bradshaw as an associate in its Research Triangle office. While at Duke Law, Clara was Year-in-Review editor of the Alaska Law Review and was elected a member of the Order of the Coif. Clara is also a classical mezzo-soprano who performed with opera companies and orchestras throughout the United States prior to entering law school.
Caleb V. Strawn has joined Robinson Bradshaw as an associate in its Charlotte office. While at Duke Law, Caleb was senior research editor of Law & Contemporary Problems and a student-attorney with the school’s Community Enterprise Clinic. Caleb simultaneously earned a master’s degree in theological studies from Duke Divinity School.
James Ennis Street joined Robinson Bradshaw as an associate in its Charlotte office. While at Duke Law, James was executive editor of the Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law and content editor of the Duke Law & Technology Review, and also founded the Native American Law Students Association at Duke Law.
Centennial Issue 2024
Volume 43 No. 1