Lisa Hedrick ’08L Named 2022 Mergers and Acquisitions Legal Advisor of the Year

Lisa J. Hedrick, a member of the law class of 2008 and a partner in the firm of Hirschler Fleischer, was named the 2022 Mergers and Acquisitions Legal Advisor of the Year by the M&A Advisor, an industry publication and professional network.

Hedrick, a summa cum laude graduate of the law school, developed an interest in business law while at W&L Law thanks to classes with Professor Lyman Johnson. But she was several years into her practice career before she began working in M&A.

“About two years into my career, I sat down and reflected about what type of projects I liked and what I wanted to do and M&A was the answer,” said Hedrick. “So I took a deep dive and really became intentional about pursuing M&A as a career path.”

In 2014, she founded Richmond Women in M&A, a networking organization for women deal professionals, including lawyers, bankers, private equity investors, and accountants. In 2016, she was named Young Lawyer of the Year by the Richmond Bar Association. She is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Mergers and Acquisi-

2016

Trevor Becton joined personal injury firm Miller & Miller in Atlanta as an attorney.

Paul Judge joined the U.S. Department of Commerce as an employment and labor law attorney.

Claire Leonard joined Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Washington, D.C., as a senior associate.

2018

Alan Carrillo joined Brown Fox PLLC, a business boutique law firm in Dallas and Frisco, Texas, as a civil litigation and corporate bankruptcy associate in Dallas.

Mark Dewyea joined Shield AI in Washington, D.C., as assistant to the president.

Ali Hakusui was named business development manager at Capital One where she will help grow the reach of Capital One’s Trade Credit and Strategic Card Partnership divisions.

Katie Sheild joined Brooklyn Defender Services in New York as an immigration staff attorney.

Kit Thomas joined the Federal Public Defender Office, Middle District of Tennessee, in Nashville, as an assistant federal public defender, Capital Habeas Unit.

2019

Timur Dikec joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough in Pittsburgh as an associate.

Arman Nikkhoo joined Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons in Houston as an associate.

2000

Jacqueline Bontjes joined Slayton Law, PLC in Charlottesville as an attorney.

Natey Ndlovu joined Blankingship & Keith in Fredericksburg, Virginia, as a litigation associate.

Mary Kate Nicholson joined Holland & Knight in Washington, D.C., as an associate.

Kat Phillips joined the U.S. Department of Justice as an attorney advisor.

2021

Harper Lanier joined Butler Snow in Huntsville, Alabama, as an associate.

2022

Evanthea Hammer was admitted to the Deleware Bar.

Katie Turk joined Harrison, Turk & Turk in Blacksburg, Virginia, as an attorney.

Weddings

Claire (Flowers) Healy ’19L to Daniel Healy on October 22, 2022, in Raleigh, North Carolina. W&L alumni in attendance (pictured from left to right) were Michael Lehr ’19L, Trav Clark 19L, Thomas Griffin 18L, Sally Griffin ’19L, Dory Rigney ’19L, Michael Brown ’19L, Quentin Becker ’19L, Danielle Novelly ’19L, Michael Cruz ’19L, Pierce Rigney ’19L, Matthew Bass ’19L, Michael DiBiagio ’19L, Katie Beaver ’19L, Hugh Brown ’19L. The couple resides in Raleigh.

tions Committee.

Hedrick is the chair of Hirschler’s M&A and Finance practices and handles transaction sizes ranging from $1 million to over $1 billion. In a recent interview with Virginia Lawyer magazine, she said she has made a name for herself with the number of transactions she is able to close — often three to four a month.

“Really, I think my number one role is to get the deal done,” Hedrick said. “And the thing I like about mergers and acquisitions as opposed to, say, litigation, is although there’s a counterparty, and there can be points that are adversarial where I certainly negotiate and advocate on behalf of my clients, at the end of the day, the goal is the same for both sides, which is: let’s get this transaction completed.”

Hedrick added that her attraction to M&A was rooted in the complexity of bringing two sides together, showing them the pros and the cons of the deal, and then negotiating the transaction so that the parties still like each other when the negotiation is closed.

Births And Adoptions

James F. “Jim” Douthat ’67L of Roanoke, Virginia, died Jan. 12, 2023.

Robert W. “Bob” Spessard Jr. ’66, ’69L of Floyd, Virginia, died on Oct. 5, 2022. He served in the United States Army during Vietnam and held a successful career as the only attorney in Floyd. He belonged to Delta Tau Delta.

Kat Phillips ’20L and her husband, Luke Nicastro, a daughter, Beatrice Noelle Nicastro, on July 11, 2022.

Deaths

Frederick Mahan ’57L of San Fransisco, California, died Aug. 13, 2021.

Harold C. Craig Jr. ’58L of Emmitsburg, Maryland, died on March 6, 2021. Harold served in the U.S. Army, Company “B” 759th Military Police Battalion in Germany. He worked for the IRS for 42 years until his retirement.

Lawson “Brother” W. Turner ’72L of Little Rock, Arkansas, died on Sept. 2, 2022. Along with practicing law in both Lynchburg, Virginia, and Arkansas, he worked as a life skills teacher for prisoners at the Arkansas Department of Corrections, helping to prepare them for life after incarceration. He belonged to Sigma Chi.

Gregory W. Smith ’73, ’76L of Madison Heights, Virginia, died Dec. 7, 2022. He was in partnership with the law firm of Smith and Mays.

Eric M. Sevdy ’81L of Lexington, Kentucky, died Nov. 21, 2022.

Anna Moir ’18L to Mitchell Diles ’17L on April 30, 2022, in Richmond, Virginia. W&L alumni in attendance included Leanna Minix ’17L, Elizabeth Ellington Kemp ’18L, Jake Bolinger ’17L, Mason Williams ’17L, Abby Mulugeta ’17L, and John P. Fishwick, Jr. ’83L. The couple resides in Richmond.

Leilani Bartell ’20L to Chris Messersmith in Round Hill, Virginia, on Aug. 15, 2020. The couple resides in Richmond.

Frank W. “Bill” Ling ’53, ’60L of Springfield, Mississippi, died on Feb. 11, 2022. He belonged to Pi Kappa Phi.

Francis “Frank” Bell Blackmore ’63L of Staunton, Virginia, died on January 19, 2023.

Bruce R. Walker ’81L of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, died Jan. 21, 2023.

Megan A. Fairlie ’96L of Weston, Florida, died Dec. 29, 2022. She worked as a professor of law specializing in human rights.

Katie Ferguson ’23L to Blair Corbin on September 17 in Charlottesville. Katie Ferguson is shown with her parents Jim Ferguson ’88L, Alisa Hurley ’88L, and her husband Blair Corbin

The Honorable James “Jim” Sebrell Farmer Sr. ’65L of Lynchburg, Virginia, died on June 12, 2022. He served in the United States Air Force and was elected by the Virginia General Assembly to the General District Court Bench, where he served for 15 years. Following his retirement, he was awarded the Liberty Bell Award by the Lynchburg Bar Association.

Phillip H. Miller ’66L of Staunton, Virginia, died on Dec. 1, 2022.