Category: Class Notes

In recognition of his legal excellence, Thomas D. Berghman, a Shareholder with Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. (Munsch Hardt) in Dallas, was featured in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America directory in the Insurance Law category.

Chris Stetler was selected to join the Board of Directors for PEAK – Partnership to Educate and Advance Kids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering high school students in underserved communities through a combination of scholarships and dedicated mentors.

Chambers USA recognized Adam H. Fleischer ’94 as among the top 18 insurance coverage attorneys in the United States and named him to the highest ranking for Insurance: Dispute Resolution in the state of Illinois for its 2025 report. Adam is also a fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel and has been previously honored as a top insurance coverage attorney by Best Lawyers of America, Leading Lawyers, Crain’s Chicago Business, Who’s Who Legal and Illinois Super Lawyers.

Adam’s team at BatesCarey is ranked by Chambers USA in the top band of insurance coverage firms in Illinois, powered by University of Illinois College of Law alumni Samuel J. Head ‘22 and Justin K. Seigler ‘12, recently named to Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Gustavo A. Otalvora ‘09 and R. Patrick Bedell ‘04, a former recipient of Chicago Lawyer 40 Under Forty and Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star, as well as this summer’s clerks Parker C. Mee (J.D. 2026) and Rebekah L. Follis (J.D. 2026).

Charles Yordy was named the 2024 Employee of the Year for the Office of Finance and Operations of the U.S. Department of Education. He was subsequently appointed as the Alternate Designated Agency Ethics Official.

Paul Schmitt has joined the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy.

Michael Cabonargi was appointed a Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County by the Illinois Supreme Court on June 13. Cabonargi had previously served as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and prior to that as the Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Kirsten A. Milton has been recognized in the 2025 edition of Chambers USA, a prestigious annual guide ranking the leading law firms in the U.S., for her Labor & Employment practice. Kirsten is the managing principal in Jackson Lewis P.C.’s Chicago office. She represents and counsels management in a wide range of labor and employment issues with a particular focus on complex litigation.

Dominique J. Carroll was selected by the Garden State Bar Association as a recipient of the 2025 Professional Lawyer of the Year Award. Presented by the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law, the award recognizes attorneys who are respected by colleagues for their character, competence and exemplary professional behavior.

Professor Michael H. Brody was recently honored to receive two awards for his service at National Defense University, College of Information and Cyberspace, including:
– CIC Distinguished Professor Award, Awarded by the College of Information and Cyberspace Master’s Class of 2025 (June, 2025)
– Joint Civilian Service Achievement Medal for Co-Leading the CIC Strategic Plan Development Team (May, 2025)

Intellectual property boutique Friedland Cianfrani LLP recently announced that Matt Pham is joining the firm as an associate. Pham was most recently an associate at Knobbe Martens and previously worked for Mondelez International, the international food conglomerate that makes Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers, Halls cough drops, and many other brands.