John Klinedinst ’71, ’78L Takes Chairman Emeritus Status at Firm

For the first time in the nearly 40 years since the firm’s founding, someone other than JOHN KLINEDINST ’71, ’78L will be at the helm of San Diego-based Klinedinst PC after he became chairman emeritus earlier this year. The original office opened in 1983 and has since expanded to five locations on the West Coast.

While Klinedinst assumes his newly created role, he will continue to focus on litigation, including professional liability, business litigation and intellectual property disputes. Heather Rosing will take over as CEO and president of the firm, where she has been chief financial officer for the past 15 years and is chairperson of the professional liability and ethics practice group.

“John has successfully led the firm for 37 years, and we are thankful for all the opportunities he has created,” said Rosing. “His focus on cultivating top-caliber attorneys who excel in client service has been a winning formula for many years. Klinedinst is well-positioned to meet the diverse legal needs of our clients now and in the future, thanks to John’s vision.”

Klinedinst served as a trustee of the university from 2001-10.

1997l

Francis M. “Trey” Hamilton

III received the Claudia J. Flynn Award for Professional Responsibility from the Department of Justice in November. The award recognizes his contributions to the rule of law and the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. An assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Hamilton also serves as deputy chief of the criminal division. He lives in Knoxville.

Timothy Moore was promoted to president, Allegacy Services LLC, at the Allegacy Federal Credit Union in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

1999l

Chrissy Clarke-Peckham opened The Law Office of Chrissy Clarke-Peckham in Charlotte, North Carolina. She focuses on indigent appointment cases, juvenile delinquency, adult criminal, and parent representation in abuse/neglect/dependency.

Charles James Jr. was elected to Williams Mullen’s board of directors. He is a partner in the firm’s litigation section and serves as co-chair of the white collar and investigations practice and the firearms industry group.

David Leshner received the John Marshall Award in the Trial of Litigation from the Department of Justice in November. The John Marshall Awards are the highest DOJ awards offered to attorneys, recognizing extraordinary contributions and excellence in specialized areas of legal performance. Leshner received the award for his work in the prosecution of multiple individuals who murdered a U.S. Border Patrol agent. An assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern

District of California, Leshner also serves as chief of the criminal division. He lives in Solana Beach, California, with his wife Shannon Kearns ’96L and their two sons.

Gamble T. Parks (’95) will join Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s corporate and business department as a shareholder in its Santa Barbara office. Parks is a certified specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

Whitney Goodwin Bouknight joined the National Board of Examiners in Optometry in Charlotte as general counsel. David Freed joined Mayer Brown in New York City as a partner in the capital markets practice. He represents issuers and underwriters in public and private offerings of equity and debt securities in a number of industries, with a focus on real estate and REITs.

2005L

April Ballou was promoted to general counsel and VP of state regulatory affairs at the National Association of Water Companies in Philadelphia.

Ashley Everhart Pearson joined Tryon Management Group in Charlotte as general counsel.

2008L

Teddie Arnold (’03) was elected partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, where he practices government contracts and construction in the Washington, D.C., office. He is also pursuing his LL.M. in government procurement from The George Washington University Law School. He and his wife, Maia, reside in Baltimore with their kids Emmy, 3, and Alex, 1.

Karah Gunther was promoted to vice president of external affairs and health policy at VCU and VCU Health System in Richmond.

Russell Kruse joined Premium Service Brands in Charlottesville as chief legal officer.

Srikanth Vadakapurapu was promoted to vice president, legal, at IKS Health in Mumbai, India. 10s

2010L

2000L

David D. Brown has written

“The Art of Business Wars,” featuring stories and lessons from history’s greatest business rivalries uncovered through hundreds of episodes of Wondery’s podcast ”Business Wars.”

Devon Munro opened Munro Law PC in Roanoke. The firm focuses on helping individuals and businesses succeed in disputes that require skilled negotiation or litigation in Virginia state and federal courts.

2001L

Spencer Cox was sworn in Jan. 4 as governor of Utah following his victory in the general election held in November. He is the state’s 18th governor.

2004L

Bridget Blinn-Spears was named member at Nexsen Pruet in Raleigh, North Carolina. She focuses on employment-related litigation.

Olubunmi Kusimo-Frazier was promoted to manager of magistrate services at the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia in Charleston, West Virginia. She was also recognized as a member of the 2020 Class of Generation Next: Top 40 under 40 by The State Journal.

Trenya Futrell Mason was inducted into W&L’s Alpha Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the national leadership honor society, in May.

2006L

Janssen Evelyn was named one of the Maryland Daily Record’s 2021 Leadership in Law honorees. Evelyn currently works as an assistant chief administrative officer for Howard County, where he provides administrative oversight to agencies including the Office of Human Rights and Equity, the Office of Procurement and Central Fleet. Evelyn’s civic involvement includes board positions with the Howard County NAACP and the Howard County Conservancy, and he is a governor-appointed commissioner with the Maryland Commission of Civil Rights.

Chace Daley joined Sage Natural Resources in Tulsa as general counsel.

David Klass was promoted to partner at Fisher Phillips in Charlotte, North Carolina. He represents employers in a variety of employment matters in state and federal courts, as well as matters prosecuted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Lindsay Wise Wikle was promoted to partner at Hedrick Gardner in Charlotte. She focuses on workers’ compensation.

2009L

Katie Blaszak joined Winston & Strawn’s Washington, D.C., office as a partner. She focuses on mergers and acquisitions, new venture formations, joint ventures, investments, strategic partnerships and complex commercial transactions.

Ryan Decker was promoted to associate general counsel, payments, at Airbnb in San Francisco.

Berit Everhart has joined Asante in Eugene, Oregon, as senior corporate counsel.

Stewart Crosland was promoted to partner at Jones Day. He joined the Washington, D.C., office in 2017 and focuses on counseling clients engaged in the political process, elections and government investigations.

Erica Haggard Crosland joined Robinhood in December 2020 as principal counsel, litigation and investigations, from WilmerHale LLP, where she focused on securities enforcement matters and internal investigations. She and her husband, Stewart Crosland ’10L, live in Bethesda, Maryland, and have one son, Edward.

George Davis was promoted to counsel at McGuireWoods in Richmond. He focuses on intellectual property litigation, specifically patent litigation.

Courtney Gahm-Oldham joined the law firm Frost Brown Todd LLC as a member in Houston and was selected by her colleagues as a Houstonia Magazine Top Lawyer for Construction Law in 2020.

H. Scott Kelly was named partner at Troutman Pepper in Richmond. He focuses on complex litigation and business disputes, financial