Class Notes
Class Notes are displayed in the order that they are received. You may also view notes by decade, or by class year – simply click on the decade or click on the + symbol to expand the decade and display by year. If a given class year does not appear, notes do not exist for that particular year.
Austin Kaplan '08
(12/16/24)
Austin Kaplan received the 2025 David H. Walter Community Excellence award from the Austin Bar Association at the annual Austin Bar Foundation Gala.
Collin Delaney '08
(4/23/24)
Collin Delaney was selected for the U.S. Air Force's 2023 Donald C. Rasher Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to the JAG Corps' education and training programs. Collin is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve and serves as the Staff Judge Advocate for the 301st Fighter Wing. In his civilian capacity, Collin is a U.S. Administrative Law Judge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
James English '08
(1/24/24)
Clark Hill, an AmLaw200 law firm, has promoted James English to member. He practices out of the firm's Houston office with the Environmental & Natural Resources group.
Jeff Wakolbinger '08
(12/11/23)
Jeff Wakolbinger '08 joined Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP in Chicago as a partner in the Intellectual Property and Technology group, where he focuses on litigation involving trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and false advertising.
Benjamin M. Williams '08
(11/16/23)
Benjamin M. Williams has joined the Southfield office of Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC as a member of the litigation practice group, focusing on family law cases including divorce, child support and spousal support, and criminal defense. Prior to his arrival at Foster Swift, he was an Assistant State’s Attorney in Chicago, Illinois for almost 13 years.
Rob Beard '08
(8/21/23)
Mastercard announced the appointment of Rob Beard as chief legal officer, general counsel and head of Global Policy. He will oversee the company’s legal, public policy, regulatory affairs and litigation teams around the world
Michael Halpin '08
(2/24/23)
Michael Halpin was sworn in to the Illinois Senate in January 2023, representing the 36th District. Previously, Halpin had served in the House of Representatives for the 72nd District, serving parts of western Illinois near Rock Island.
Jonathan Ksiazek '08
(2/24/23)
Jonathan Ksiazek was elevated to shareholder/partner at Robbins DiMonte, Ltd. on January 1, 2023. He previously spent almost 10 years at a boutique employment/civil rights firm in Chicago. At Robbins DiMonte, Ltd. he focuses his legal practice on employment and litigation matters.
Omar Jafri '08
(1/24/23)
Pomerantz LLP attorney Omar Jafri has been promoted to Partner. A member of the Firm’s Securities Litigation Practice Group, Jafri has appeared in over two dozen securities cases, authored over 50 pleadings and briefs, taken and defended over two dozen depositions, and argued numerous substantive motions in the U.S. District Courts as well as multiple appeals in the U.S. Courts of Appeals.
Jospeh Bochenek '08
(5/24/22)
Joseph E. Bochenek has been elevated to Partner at Fox Rothschild LLP. Based in the firm’s Denver office, he represents clients in a variety of industries and emerging companies in connection with private debt and equity financing.
Meg Leta Jones '08
(1/31/22)
Meg Leta Jones delivered a presentation on "The Character of Consent: The History of Cookies and Future of Technology Policy" at the Toronto Innovation Workshop on February 1, 2022. She is an Associate Professor in the Communication, Culture & Technology program at Georgetown University where she researches rules and technological change with a focus on privacy, memory, innovation, and automation in digital information and computing technologies.
Jeffrey Ekeberg '08
(11/15/21)
Greenberg Traurig, LLP has added Jeffrey K. Ekeberg as a shareholder in its Chicago office, expanding its team of attorneys with specialized skills needed to handle a surge in M&A transactions. Ekeberg, a tax attorney, will focus his practice on advising clients on the tax aspects of complex business transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments and capital markets transactions. He joins Greenberg Traurig from Kirkland & Ellis where he was a tax partner in its Chicago office.
Monique (Nikki) Bhargava '08
(10/21/21)
Monique (Nikki) Bhargava has joined Reed Smith in the firm’s Entertainment & Media Industry Group as a partner. Bhargava brings her deep knowledge of digital media, advertising, and privacy compliance, including extensive experience in the AdTech and MarTech space. She counsels consumer brands, advertising agencies, and media and technology companies in a broad range of industries.
Bhargava has been an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois College of Law where she has taught advertising and promotions law. She is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and earned a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Bhargava serves on the board of directors of Chicago Volunteer Legal Services as vice president of affiliate relations, and she is on the executive committee of the South Asian Bar Association of North America. In 2020, she was named to the Chicago Lawyer’s list of 40 Lawyers Under 40, and in 2018, she was honored by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of Chicago’s Notable Minority Lawyers.
Collin Delaney '08
(10/14/21)
Collin Delaney was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve. Collin serves as the Staff Judge Advocate for the 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas. In his civilian capacity, Collin is an U.S. Administrative Law Judge for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in Denver, Colorado.
Omar Jafri '08
(5/13/21)
Omar Jafri has been selected for the National Law Journal's inaugural list of Rising Stars of the Plaintiffs’ Bar under the age of 40 in 2021, a new category in the Elite Trial Lawyers competition.
Amir Ovcina '08
(1/7/21)
Amir Ovcina has been named a partner in the Business Group at Ice Miller LLP.
Gray Mateo-Harris '08
(11/26/19)
Gray Mateo-Harris joined Barnes & Thornburg LLP as a Partner in their Labor & Employment practice group in April of 2018. She was recently honored with the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin's 40 Under Forty award and the National Bar Association's 40 Under 40 award. She was also selected to serve as a board member for the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation.
Collin Delaney '08
(8/23/19)
Collin Delaney ’08 was appointed an U.S. Administrative Law Judge for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in Denver, CO. A reservist in the Air Force JAG Corps, he was named Air Force Special Operations Command’s 2018 Outstanding Reserve Judge Advocate.
Kristopher Davis '08
(6/12/19)
Kristopher Davis has accepted a position as partner at Russ August & Kabat, where he focuses on intellectual property and litigation.
Andrew Tessman '08
(3/25/19)
Andrew Tessman has joined the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia as an assistant U.S. attorney. Most recently, he was a judicial law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Fresno.
Samuel Bernstein '08
Samuel C. Bernstein has been elected partner at McGuireWoods, effective January 1, 2019. He represents pharmaceutical and medical device companies regarding FDA approval pathways, fraud and abuse issues, off-label promotion, adverse event reporting, developing and implementing compliance programs, and other regulatory and compliance matters.
Wade Iverstine '08
(1/8/18)
Wade Iverstine is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller and practices in the business, corporate, real estate, and bankruptcy groups. He advises investors and lenders in all aspects of real estate transactions, including acquisition and project financing, leasing, land use, site inspection, and survey and title insurance issues. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Patrick M. Flatley of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Jessica John Bowman '08
(1/8/18)
The shareholders of McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma’s largest law firm, have elected Jessica John Bowman a shareholder. John Bowman is a patent attorney and trial lawyer whose practice is primarily focused on intellectual property, environmental, and appellate litigation. She also maintains an active practice before the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board, assisting numerous retailers, manufacturers, and banking institutions in opposition and cancellation proceedings.
Collin Delaney '08
(9/19/17)
Collin Delaney was appointed as a federal Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration. Collin served previously with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, and the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
Austin Kaplan '08
(9/18/17)
Austin Kaplan is the 2017 President of the Austin Young Lawyers Association (www.ayla.org), which serves more than 1,200 young lawyers across Central Texas. Kaplan practices employment and civil rights law. He is a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow, Austin Bar Foundation Fellow, 2016 Austinite of the Year, and the 2016 Austin Under 40 Lawyer of the Year.
Chris Minelli '08
(6/14/2017)
Ottawa, Illinois attorney and Democrat Chris Minelli plans to run against U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger for the 16th Congressional District seat in 2018.
Bina Joshi '08
(3/2/2017)
Bina Joshi has been promoted to partner at Schiff Hardin LLP in the firm’s Chicago office. Bina’s practice is centered on environmental litigation, including issues arising under the Clean Air Act, CERCLA, and related state laws. She regularly helps clients with compliance matters, both in dealing with compliance issues and in the development of compliance programs and plans.