Class Notes – Spring 2021
Below are the Class Notes as they appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of The Advocate. If you would like to submit a class note for the next magazine, please email editor@wcl.american.edu.
1970s
Dov Apfel ’79 became partner at Levin & Perconti in Chicago, marking an expansion of the firm’s practice in birth trauma and obstetrical malpractice claims. Apfel is a nationally recognized advocate for children with cerebral palsy and other neurological and intellectual disabilities, having litigated these matters throughout the nation for more than three decades. He is also the author of a landmark law review article that helped set the standard for how cases involving cerebral palsy are handled by lawyers representing families in birth trauma cases across the United States.
1980s
Gene Rossi ’82 was elected to shareholder at Carlton Fields. He is a member of the firm’s White Collar and Government Investigations practice, where he leverages the skills he honed in nearly three decades as a federal prosecutor to concentrate on matters related to white collar criminal defense and government investigations.
Mark Mandel ’87 has joined globally recognized litigation boutique Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss as a partner. Mandel is a prominent securities litigator and a former chief of the Division of Broker-Dealer Enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission in New York.
1990s
Glenn Lammi ’91 was named executive director of the Washington Legal Foundation in Washington, D.C. Lammi continues to lead WLF’s publishing and programs activities as vice president of legal studies. In this capacity, Lammi is the lead editor of WLF’s blog, The WLF Legal Pulse, and writes several columns a month for WLF’s contributor site on Forbes.com.
Thomas J. Conte ’93, a partner at Mirick O’Connell, has been selected to the 2020 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list. Conte has tried over 30 jury and bench trials and is an aggressive advocate with substantial trial and dispute resolution experience in the areas of business, real estate, construction, and tort-defense litigation.
Holly A. Roth ’95 joined Polsinelli as a shareholder in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. Roth brings over 30 years of experience to Polsinelli’s national Government Contracts practice, where she advises clients on compliance programs, protests, claims, disputes, Office of Inspector General audit and investigation responses, and proposed suspensions and debarments. In addition, she advises clients on regulations that govern civilian and Department of Defense agencies’ acquisition of technology and the application of the Bayh-Dole Act.
2000s
Robin L. Gary ’03 is serving as the chief of party for the Institute for International Law & Human Rights’ (IILHR) Iraq program on strengthening protections for vulnerable groups in Iraq. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of State, the project supports the Iraqi Council of Representatives in Baghdad as well as the Kurdish Parliament in Erbil.
Mehreen N. Butt ’05 was re-elected to the Wakefield Town Council in 2020 for a second three-year term. In 2017, Butt made history by being the first Muslim woman elected to a Massachusetts municipality board.
Katie Bond ’06 was named partner at Lathrop GPM’s Washington, D.C., office. Bond’s practice focuses on advertising law and food and drug law. She brings Federal Trade Commission and Food and Drug Administration regulatory counseling, risk analysis, and litigation support to clients in a variety of industries and for numerous consumer products, including foods, over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements, weight loss products, cosmetics, sports equipment, and CBD products.
Ben Clapp ’08 has been named a shareholder in Babst Calland. Clapp is a member of the Environmental, Energy and Natural Resources, and Emerging Technologies groups and is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office.
Eugene H. Ho ’08 was honored as a “Go To Business Lawyer” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. The inaugural list showcases leaders in the Massachusetts legal community who practice business law. Ho is a partner at Verrill Dana LLP, where he counsels companies in all stages of their development from startup through acquisition.
Alex Saiz ’09 founded a criminal and immigration law firm in Miami, Florida, The Law Office of Alex John Saiz PLLC.
2010s
James T. Adams ’10 has been promoted to counsel at Hogan Lovells. Serving in the firm’s Corporate and Finance practice group in Washington, D.C., Adams assists his clients through complex debt financing transactions. He regularly represents both borrowers and lenders in a variety of domestic and cross-border, secured and unsecured finance transactions, including acquisition financings, asset-based, and cash flow deals.
Mary J. Bortscheller ’10 was named partner at Cohen Milstein. Bortscheller is a member of the firm’s Employee Benefits practice group, representing employees in complex breach of fiduciary duty litigation under ERISA involving employer-sponsored defined benefit plans, 401(k) plans, and Employee Stock Ownership Plans. In 2019, she was named a Law360 “Rising Star,” recognizing lawyers under the age of 40 whose professional accomplishments transcend their age.
Diana C. Mendez ’10 was named partner in the Shutts & Bowen LLP Miami, Florida, office, serving in the firm’s Government Contract practice, where she focuses her practice on administrative, procurement and transactional law. Mendez serves as secretary of the Miami-Dade Florida Association for Women Lawyers, is a member of the Administrative Law Section and the City, County and Local Government Law Section of the Florida Bar, and is a past member of the Miami-Dade County Commission for Women.
Michael J. Scheimer ’10 has been promoted to counsel at Hogan Lovells. Serving in the firm’s Global Regulatory practice group in Washington, D.C., Scheimer advises clients on government contracts with a particular focus on national security, cybersecurity, and IT contracting. As a former defense contractor, Scheimer leverages his aerospace and defense industry network to maximize opportunities for clients.
Amy E. Speros ’11 was promoted to counsel in Latham & Watkins LLP’s San Diego office. Speros is a member of the Corporate Department who advises clients on regulatory, compliance, and transactional matters in industries overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other federal health agencies, including the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, food, dietary supplement, cosmetic, and tobacco industries.
Christopher A. Araujo ’12 was promoted to partner at Troutman Pepper. Working in the firm’s San Diego office, Araujo represents institutional clients in commercial financing transactions with a broad range of borrowers including public and private corporations, life science and technology companies, real estate investment funds, venture capital funds, and other private equity funding entities.
Jeff J. Wurzburg LL.M. ’12 was appointed by the San Antonio Bar Foundation (SABF) to the SABF Fellows Program’s class of 2021. Fellows must demonstrate professional achievement, an exemplary reputation, and commitment to the legal community. Wurzburg serves as senior counsel at Norton Rose Fulbright.
2020s
Margaret Strouse ’20 joined Ballard Spahr LLP as a media and entertainment associate in the firm’s Litigation Department.