Shannon T. “Skip” Mason B.C.L. ’62 passed away June 19, 2021. He served as a law clerk to United States District Court Judge Walter E. Hoffman before going into private practice in Norfolk, Virginia. He and his family moved to Newport News, Virginia, where he practiced law with a number of firms before retiring from Mason, Mason, Walker & Hedrick in 2008. Skip served on the Board of Visitors of Old Dominion University from 1976 until 1984. He also served as president of the Newport News Bar Association, as a substitute judge in the Newport News District Court, and on the Disciplinary Board of the Virginia State Bar. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mary Louisa Fanshaw Mason, his three children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Lowell Coolidge B.C.L. ’65 passed away Sept. 3, 2021. He founded the law firm of Walrath & Coolidge in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, in 1972 and practiced law for 45 years. Lowell’s love of Tioga County and his dedication to his community led him to take up leadership positions in numerous local organizations throughout his life. Lowell was preceded in death by his wife, Lynne Watkins Coolidge, and is survived by his children and grandchildren.
Wayne O'Bryan ’64, J.D. ’67 passed away Sept. 6, 2021. Working his way through college and law school as a waiter, Wayne was the second in his family to get a college education and the first to become a lawyer. Wayne was president of the student body at William & Mary and went on to be president of the law alumni, where he pioneered its first fundraising program. After graduating, Wayne went into general practice on his own. In 1977, Wayne was elected to the House of Delegates, where he served four years on the Courts of Justice committee. In 1981, Wayne formed a partnership which evolved into the largest personal injury firm in Virginia. He is survived by his son, David Jr.; daughter-in-law, Kathy; and two grandchildren: Rose and Charles.
David J. Agatstein J.D. ’68 has retired after 30 years as a U.S. administrative law judge.
The Hon. Richard Larry Lewis J.D. ’73 passed away on June 2, 2021. A lifelong Southwest Virginia resident, Judge Lewis returned to Lee County after graduating and practiced for 12 years. Five of those years were spent serving as the Commonwealth's Attorney for Lee County. In March 1985, he was appointed general district judge for Lee, Wise and Scott Counties and served honorably in that position for 29 years. He also served on the Committee of District Courts for 16 years, the Advisory Board at Appalachian School of Law, and was president of the Association of District Courts for two years. Judge Lewis is survived by his wife of 40 years, Linda, their two daughters, and his extended family.
Glen E. Conrad ’71, J.D. ’74 passed away on May 20, 2021. In 1976, he was appointed magistrate judge; the year after he began his career as a probation officer and law clerk in Abingdon, Virginia. Conrad was the nation’s youngest magistrate judge at the time and went on to serve for 27 years in that role, presiding in Abingdon, Charlottesville and Roanoke. Appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in 2003, he was chief judge from 2010 to 2017, taking senior status at the end of 2017. Entitled to a reduced schedule, he continued to maintain a full civil caseload. He is survived by Mary Ann Steger Conrad, his wife of 39 years.
Bill Flynn J.D. ’77 reports: “I retired from law practice in April 2019, having been with Eckert, Seamans, Cherin & Mellott in Pittsburgh for my first three years, then 39 more years in the Raleigh, North Carolina, office of Hunton & Williams (with a name change to Hunton Andrews Kurth after a 2018 merger), so 42 years total. I worked with cooperative and talented colleagues at both firms, from whom I learned a lot and with whom many good friendships resulted. I started out primarily doing litigation, but after a year or so I switched into business/corporate/transactional work. I was fortunate to have had challenging work and good clients to work with and for. I also enjoyed becoming very involved in the North Carolina Bar Association (voluntary bar) for many years, and through that organization made many friendships with lawyers in the state I would not have met otherwise. Bar association involvement can be very rewarding (as it was for me on many levels), and I always encouraged new lawyers to give it a try. I consider myself lucky to have been able to go to Marshall-Wythe, to have obtained such a good education, and to have been with many great schoolmates at the Law School from 1974-77. And last but not least, I loved Wednesday Disco Night at the Rainbow’s End bar next to/underneath the Green Leaf Cafe (where I waited tables during law school). It was such a great mid-week break. Fond memories of those times and great music and dancing.”
The Hon. Robert A. Rapaport J.D. ’79 has been elected chairmen of the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission to serve a three-year term. Commissioners serve as appellate judges at the agency and also direct its operations and staff.
Morton L. Bresenoff M.L.T. ’81 passed away on July 5, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Harriet, and son, Marc Bresenoff J.D. ’79.
Garen E. Dodge J.D. ’82 has rejoined national employment law firm Jackson Lewis P.C. as a principal in the firm’s Washington, D.C. region office, focusing his practice on labor and employment litigation. He represents clients before state and federal court on issues involving privacy, discrimination, background checks, harassment, wage and hour, and occupational safety and health.
Arthur E. Gary J.D. ’83 was appointed to the position of deputy assistant attorney general for policy, management and procurement in the U.S. Department of Justice. Art previously served as general counsel of the Justice Management Division since 2012, and also served as acting deputy assistant attorney general and chief human capital officer since January 2021.
Barbara L. Johnson J.D. ’84 was reappointed by former Gov. Ralph Northam to a second term on William & Mary's Board of Visitors, and currently serves as its secretary. Initially appointed in 2017, she has been a member of the Committee on Administration, Buildings and Grounds; vice chair of the Richard Bland College Committee; and Co-Chair of the Committee on Organizational Sustainability & Innovation.
The Hon. Junius P. Fulton III J.D. ’85 has been appointed to the newly expanded Court of Appeals of Virginia. Judge Fulton previously served as a judge of the Norfolk Circuit Court since 1996.
Thomas E. duBois “Ted” Fauls, ’83, J.D. ’86 is a partner at Troutman Pepper and was recognized in the 2022 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America” as Lawyer of the Year in Banking and Finance Law.
Michael J. Conroy LL.M. ’88 passed away on May 26, 2021. A United States Marine from 1967 to 1969, he served in Vietnam. He graduated from Madison College (now James Madison University) in 1973 and T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond in 1976, and was admitted to the Virginia Bar. He later earned his Master of Laws in taxation from William & Mary Law School. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen, and his extended family.
Michael F. McAuliffe J.D. ’89 published an opinion essay titled “Charting the Path Ahead in Trump Criminal Investigation” in the Florida Sun-Sentinel on July 25, 2021.
The Hon. W. Neal McBrayer J.D. ’89 has been elected vice president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference. He currently sits on the Court of Appeals Middle Section.
Lauren S. Drake J.D. ’93 was named to the “Lawdragon 100” for the second consecutive year and was recently profiled by the publication. Lauren specializes in representing and placing partners, groups and senior government lawyers into top law firms. She joined Macrae in 2019 from Major, Lindsey & Africa, prior to which she enjoyed a 16-year tenure at McKinsey & Company. Lauren is the founder and leader of the Female Law Firm Leaders Roundtable in D.C. and the Women Practice Group Leaders Roundtable in New York and is the D.C. co-chair of the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF).
Mark G. Capron J.D. ’94 passed away on Sept. 3, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Vikki, and was a father to Wesley, Jack, and Tobin.
Amy Allison J.D. ’94 is the chief administrative officer of Denver Film.
The Hon. Carla N. Archie J.D. ’95 assumed the role of senior resident superior court judge in North Carolina's 26th Judicial District.
Erica Swecker Beardsley J.D. ’95, who has served as a judge at the United States Civilian Board of Contract Appeals since 2016, was appointed as chair of the board in June 2021. The Civil Board of Contract Appeals hears contract disputes between private, government contractors, the General Services Administration, and other federal civilian agencies and entities.
Richard H. Ottinger J.D. ’95 is the new president of the Virginia Bar Association (VBA) for 2021. The VBA is dedicated to the improvement of law and the administration of justice in the Commonwealth through advocacy and volunteer service. He currently serves as a director of the Norfolk Economic Development Authority Director and a board member of the Downtown Norfolk Council. He is a highly accomplished attorney recently included in Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s list of “Leaders in the Law” for 2020 for his outstanding contributions to the practice of law in Virginia, significant achievements through the practice of law, leadership in improving the justice system, and significant contributions to Virginia’s legal community. He is also listed in Virginia Business’ “Virginia 500 – The Power List” for 2020.
The Hon. Lorrie Sinclair Taylor J.D. ’96 was elected in 2020 to the Loudoun County District Court by the Virginia General Assembly.
Brenda J. Oliver J.D. ’97 has joined Jackson Lewis' Washington, D.C. region office. She will focus her practice on business-related immigration matters. Her experience in obtaining nonimmigrant visas, immigrant visas, and I-9 compliance will be of tremendous value to the firm’s domestic and multinational clients.
Krista Newkirk J.D. ’98 has been appointed president of the University of Redlands.
Gurbir Grewal J.D. ’99 has been appointed director of the Division of Enforcement at U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. Grewal served as Attorney General for the State of New Jersey, a role he has held since January 2018, when he was confirmed by the New Jersey State Senate after being nominated by Governor Phil Murphy. As New Jersey's attorney general, Grewal headed the Department of Law & Public Safety, which employs more than 3,700 uniformed officers, 750 lawyers, and thousands of additional public servants, including investigators, regulators and administrative staff. Before becoming attorney general, Grewal served as Bergen County prosecutor, the chief law enforcement office of New Jersey's most populous county.
Tim M. Dunham M.B.A. ’00, J.D. ’00 was named the assistant director of the Training Division at the FBI. Tim joined the FBI as a special agent in 2002 and worked counterintelligence cases in the Chicago Field Office. He moved to the Washington Field Office in 2018, where he first served as the special agent in charge of the Counterintelligence Division. In 2019, he was appointed the special agent in charge of Washington’s Criminal Division. Tim was promoted in 2020 to deputy assistant director of the Criminal Investigative Division at Headquarters, where he was in charge of programs dealing with transnational organized crime, violent crime and operational support.
Carrie Hunt J.D. ’00 is the next president of the Virginia Credit Union League, the state trade association for not-for-profit, member-owned credit unions.
Henry D.W. Burt II J.D. ’02 will take over responsibilities as Troutman Pepper's chief operating officer. Firm leaders are counting on Burt, who is based in Richmond, Virginia, to support firmwide governance functions, lead interdepartmental projects and oversee the firm’s real estate as it continues to grow its footprint from 23 offices. He will also serve as the primary administrative contact for the firm’s consulting subsidiaries, Troutman Pepper Strategies and Troutman Pepper eMerge.
Ward P. Griffin J.D. ’03 was promoted to deputy general counsel in the Office of the General Counsel of the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), where he assists the general counsel in providing legal services to the FCA board and the agency. Griffin previously worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, served a detail with the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and worked with the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board.
Col. Shane Reeves J.D. ’03 was appointed the next dean of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
David Massaron J.D. ’04 is joining Wayne State University as chief business officer, CFO/senior vice president for finance and business operations, and treasurer.
The Hon. Dominique Callins J.D. ’05 was appointed to the Virginia Court of Appeals. Dominique was a clerk for Henrico County Circuit Court and the Virginia Court of Appeals. Before her appointment, she practiced family law at Simms Showers, LLP in Fairfax.
Kristine Kippins J.D. ’05 has joined Lambda Legal as its deputy director for legal policy.
Mark Ohrenberger J.D. ’05 is now senior associate general counsel for the Arkansas State University System.
Kimberly M. Urbanchuk J.D. ’05 was mentioned as one of the “Top 15 General Counsels to Watch in 2021” by WashingtonExec.com. Kim is proud of Parsons’ designation as one of Ethisphere World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 12th consecutive year in 2020. In 2020, she supported Parsons’ CARE initiative, was heavily focused on acquisition diligence and support and noted achievements in digital transformation of Parsons’ internal processes and procedures. In 2021, Kim and her team are focused on continued efforts in digital transformation and automation, training and data analytics to inform continuous program improvements. She’ll also continue to support Parsons’ CARE initiatives.
Jessica D. Aber J.D. ’06 was confirmed as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. With more than a dozen years of criminal justice experience, Jessica has worked both as an assistant U.S. attorney handling complex financial fraud, violent crime and child exploitation cases and as the deputy criminal chief, supervising operations across the District’s four divisions.
John D. Owens III M.B.A. ’06, J.D. ’06 joined Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder from K&L Gates, LLP in Miami. Owens focuses his practice on representing venture capital funds, hedge funds, angel investors and family offices seeking investment opportunities in emerging and established industries. Owens also represents entrepreneurs and start-ups in numerous industries, including technology, telecommunications, media, international shipping/logistics, e-sports, e-commerce, cybersecurity, manufacturing and consumer products. He advises these companies on formation, initial-and later-stage public or private financing, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and ongoing corporate governance and regulatory compliance.
Rebecca Price J.D. ’07 has been appointed solicitor to the Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Board of Assessment Appeals. As solicitor, Price will review applications, attend hearings, and provide her legal opinion to the board when requested.
Brian K. McNamara J.D. ’08 has joined Tulane University School of Professional Advancement as professor of practice in the public administration program. McNamara brings experience from a 21-year active-duty military career with the United States Coast Guard. As a judge advocate, he led the Coast Guard’s marine safety law practice group, advising field legal offices and senior leaders on all aspects of foreign-flag and domestic vessel inspections and casualty investigations and participating in U.S. delegations to the International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Safety Committee. As the deputy regional counsel for the largest field legal office in the Coast Guard, he managed a court-martial prosecution docket and oversaw the delivery of all administrative law, operational law and agency law services for Coast Guard missions along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri River systems.
The Hon. Reneta Green-Streett ’03, J.D. ’09 was sworn in as a Judge of the Superior Court of the State of Delaware. Prior to joining the court, Judge Green-Streett was a partner at Morris James, LLP, where she managed the firm’s Dover office. Her practice focused on representing plaintiffs in personal injury and workers’ compensation cases. She began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert B. Young of the Superior Court of Delaware, Kent County.
Stanimir Kostov J.D. ’09 joined Allen & Overy as a partner. Stan will work in the firm's debt finance and private credit & direct lending practices. He brings over a decade of experience representing credit funds, alternative capital providers, banks, corporate borrowers and private equity sponsors in a variety of debt financing transactions.
Austin W. Musser J.D. ’09 has joined Bricker & Eckler, LLP as a partner. His practice focuses on land use planning and zoning, real estate leasing and purchasing, development and redevelopment projects, eminent domain, public bidding and construction contracting, and dispute resolution. Additionally, Austin helps clients representing financial institutions in loan workouts, foreclosures and asset liquidation.
Mark A. Pike J.D. ’09 was invited as a SIPS (Student Intellectual Property Society) guest speaker at William & Mary Law School. Mark currently serves as director, legal (product counsel) at Slack, and previously worked on the IP and privacy teams at Facebook. Mark discussed his experience working in IP and related fields and covered the current challenges of remote lawyering and how Slack is working to overcome them.
Christia “Chris” Rey J.D. ’10 was recently elected as the International President for Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Chris led the effort to charter the undergraduate Sigma Chapter at William & Mary. He is also a nominee for the W&M Alumni Association Board.
Shengyang Wu LL.M. ’12 has been named a “Rising Star” by the New York Law Journal. Wu, whose practice focuses on personal injury actions, is an active member of the Community Legal Advocates of New York and an active member of the AABANY pro bono service. Wu is of counsel at Caesar and Napoli, P.C., and advises young lawyers to “inherit the spirit as a citizen lawyer of William & Mary.”
Mia Bowler J.D. ’13 has been named a recipient of the North Bay Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Award. She is a partner at Friedemann Goldberg Wargo Hess LLP.
Brett Herbert J.D. ’13 married Mallory Taylor Brennan in Midlothian, Virginia, on July 24, 2021.
Rakesh J. Parikh M.B.A. ’13, J.D. ’13 joins Hirschler’s M&A, finance and capital markets group. He represents businesses in mergers and acquisitions and other complex corporate transactions, counseling clients on general corporate matters including formation, restructuring and governance. He also has experience advising on intellectual property, technology, finance, and state and federal regulatory matters, including regulations by state departments of insurance and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Jessica Arena ’11, J.D. ’14 joined the Leesburg, Virginia, Town Attorney's Office as an assistant town attorney. Her primary responsibilities will be collection actions, risk management regarding claims against the town, procurement and contracting.
Taylor L. Connolly J.D. ’14 was elected principal at Brown & James in Kansas City, Missouri. Taylor practices in the areas of business and commercial litigation, construction law, insurance law, premises and retail liability, as well as product liability. Since 2018, Taylor has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers.
The Hon. Chace Craig J.D. ’14 was appointed associate municipal judge in Abilene, Texas.
Sean P. Bevil J.D. ’15 joined Shumaker Loop & Kendrick as an associate. Sean comes to Shumaker from the State Attorney’s Office for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, where he was no stranger to the courtroom. As an assistant state attorney, Sean was responsible for prosecuting thousands of cases, including felony crimes involving murder, armed robbery, traffic homicide, schemes to defraud and drug trafficking. Sean represents clients on a wide variety of issues and disputes. As a former prosecutor with significant trial experience, Sean takes a very practical approach to litigation when it comes to efficiently managing a case and tenaciously arguing his client’s issues.
William “Scott” Daisley III ’13, J.D. ’16 has joined Sands Anderson as an associate. He provides proactive legal advice to healthcare providers on regulatory and administrative law matters and will be based in Sands Anderson’s Williamsburg office.
Ambria Armstrong J.D. ’16 joined Barley Snyder as counsel in their Business Practice Group. She is an experienced M&A attorney as lead counsel for sellers, buyers, and investors. She assists clients with every level of a deal, from drafting the letter of intent, to conducting due diligence, negotiating the purchase agreement and handling all related matters specific to each transaction — including financing, related real estate sales or leases and employee contracts.
Graham K. Bryant ’13, J.D. ’16 has been named by Virginia Lawyers Media as one of the “Up & Coming Lawyers” for 2021. Graham holds leadership positions in the Virginia State Bar, Virginia Bar Association and John Marshall Inn of Court, and his practice focuses on appellate law, the future of law practice and the mentorship of new attorneys.
Jeff Breit HON J.D. ’17 was invited to join the Inner Circle of Advocates, a group of the top plaintiffs’ lawyers in the country. The exclusive organization, founded in 1972, has only 100 members, and works to foster “courtroom competence and mutual fellowship” among trial lawyers. Breit is a founding partner at the firm of Briet, Cantor, Grana, Buckner, which has offices in Norfolk and Richmond. Breit was also the St. George Tucker Adjunct Professor of Law in 2008 at the law school and coaches William & Mary’s Trial Team.
Samuel Y. Lee J.D. ’18 recently joined Williams Mullen in its Richmond office. Lee will be focusing his practice in the firm’s Financial Services and Real Estate section. During law school Sam was a judicial intern for the Hon. Christopher C. Conner of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. At Williams Mullen, Sam will be focusing on national, regional and local clients in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions.
Alyson M. Brown J.D. ’19 was recently named to The National Black Lawyers “Top 40 Under 40 in Virginia, Class of 2021.” The professional honorary association recognizes attorneys under 40 from each state who demonstrate superior leadership, reputation, influence, stature and profile as a Black lawyer. Brown focuses her practice on representing and advising employers on all aspects of labor and employment law. She represents employers in administrative proceedings before federal and state agencies, counsels employers on compliance with federal and state labor and employment laws, and represents clients in employment litigation.
Evan X. Tucker J.D. ’19 was named among the “Top 40 Under 40” Black Lawyers in Virginia by The National Black Lawyers. The National Black Lawyers is a professional, honorary organization composed of lawyers who represent individuals and businesses in the American legal system. Membership in the NBL’s “Top 40 Under 40” is by invitation only and is limited to the top 40 black attorneys under the age of 40 in each state who have demonstrated excellence and have achieved outstanding results in their careers. The selection process for this elite honor is based on a multi-phase process which includes peer nominations combined with third party research. Evan is an associate at Williams Mullen in Richmond and focuses his practice on general civil litigations matters.
Gabrielle Pelura J.D. ’20 was named a 2021 Professional Excellence Honoree in the “Unsung Hero” category of the New Jersey Law Journal’s Legal Awards. The “Unsung Hero” award recognizes individuals who are indispensable to a firm’s daily operations, often work long hours behind the scenes, and are crucial to the success of their respective firms. Gabrielle was recognized for her demonstrated exemplary commitment to pro bono work. She was selected for her consistent efforts and dedication to advocating for the rights and safety of those who cannot afford legal representation. Gabrielle is an associate at Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C.
Gabrielle B. Shea J.D. ’20 was named the 2021 recipient of the SIA Industry Advocate Award, which recognizes leadership in public policy. In her role at NEC Corporation of America, Shea helps develop internal initiatives to promote data privacy, artificial intelligence ethics and broader digital trust and helps manage related external engagements with federal, state and local governments.