“Award/Recognition” Class Notes

Christopher D’Angelo (Col ’75, Law ’78 L/M) was a speaker at the 2017 spring technical meeting of the International Alliance of Asbestos & Pollution Reinsurers (IntAP) in Munich in June 2017. IntAP is made up of the major players in the reinsurance world facing pollution and asbestos issues, primarily in the U.S. and Europe. His presentation and seminar included providing the U.S. experience, exposures and prognosis, giving insights to assist the companies in writing risks and handling claims. Mr. D’Angelo, who was a contributing author to the Defense Counsel Training Manual, published in 2016 by the International Association of Defense Counsel, was also the moderator and a speaker on “Data Privacy – No More Safe Harbour: Cross-Border Discovery and Compliance with Data Protection Laws” at the International Corporate Counsel College (ICCC) in October 2016. Mr. D’Angelo is on the faculty of the ICCC, of which he is a founder and a former director. The ICCC, which is held in Europe each fall, draws participants from around the world. Finally, Mr. D’Angelo was elected to a second term on the board of directors of Citizens Diplomacy International of Philadelphia, a public/private partnership with the U.S. Department of State and the City of Philadelphia. CDI’s mission is to promote mutual understanding among nations and prevent wars by bringing people face to face and creating a dialogue between Americans and guests from abroad. Mr. D’Angelo is chairman of the international practice and co-chairman of the products liability, mass claims and risk management section at Montgomery, McCracken, Walker and Rhoads in Philadelphia and New York.

Lee Roberts (Col ’83 L/M) was named a 2018  “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America for his work in construction litigation in Las Vegas.

Anthony M. “Tony” Russell (Col ’96, Law ’99 L/M) was named a “Lawyer of the Year” in medical malpractice law by The Best Lawyers in America for Roanoke, Virginia. Mr. Russell is a lawyer with Gentry Locke in Roanoke.

Howard Gordon (Col ’69, Law ’72 L/M) was one of 30 people named to the 2017 class of “Leaders in the Law” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. His practice focuses on commercial and multi-family real estate, commercial leases, ground leases, land use planning and permits. He has also been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America and Virginia Super Lawyers. He practices with Williams Mullen.

M. Dawes Cooke Jr. (Col 76 L/M) has been recognized as the Charleston, South Carolina, 2018 Mediation “Lawyer of the Year” by the 2018 Best Lawyers in America list. This is the seventh “Lawyer of the Year” title for Mr. Cooke, who works for Barnwell Whaley.

Jill Tietjen (Engr 76 L/M) was recognized as a 20th anniversary Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of Colorado. Ms. Tietjen was honored for her advocacy for women and girls. She is the president and CEO of Technically Speaking, Inc.

John M. Hewson III (Col ’65 L/M) a partner at business law firm HunterMaclean was recently selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2018 under the category of Corporate Law. He was also recognized by Best Lawyers as “Lawyer of the Year” for corporate law within his region. Best Lawyers, which is published annually in almost 70 countries, recognizes attorneys for significant achievements in their area of practice.

Frank S. Macgill (Com ’91), a partner at business law firm HunterMaclean, was recently selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2018 under the category of tax law and trust and estates. Mr. Macgill was also recognized by Best Lawyers as “Lawyer of the Year” for his region, also under trusts and estates. He was also recognized by the 2018 Georgia Super Lawyers for his work in corporate law.

Christine Bachas (Col ’95) has been named vice president of the UVA Entertainment Club of Los Angeles (UVAELA.) She is also the co-chair of UVAELA’s Outreach Initiative, a program to connect students and alumni with UVA alumni working in entertainment. Ms. Bachas is an Emmy-nominated producer and currently works at Saatchi & Saatchi, an advertising agency. She lives with her husband and son in Los Angeles.

Jamie Dreher (Col ’96), a partner at Downey Brand, was recognized as a 2017 Top Lawyer by Sacramento Magazine. The list of Top Lawyers was compiled from votes from licensed attorneys throughout the region recommending colleagues in more than 50 legal disciplines. He was also named Best of the Bar 2017 and included in Best Lawyers in America 2018.

Cheryl Brown Davis (Educ ’90 L/M) was crowned Ms. Virginia Senior America in June, 2017. She will compete in the Ms. Senior America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey in October, 2017.

Monica Dell’Osso (Grad ’89) has been selected as a 2017 Super Lawyer by Northern California Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters rating service and publication. She has also been selected to the 2018 edition of Best Lawyers in America. Ms. Dell’Osso is a partner with Oakland, California-based law firm Wendel Rosen Black & Dean LLP, focusing her practice on sophisticated estate and gift tax planning, estate and trust administration and contested matters in estates and trusts. 

John “Johnny” Johnson (Col ’79 L/M) has been named a National Law Journal Energy & Environmental Trailblazer for 2017. Each year, the publication recognizes lawyers who have had a career-long impact in energy and environmental law. After extensive vetting and interviewing, the National Law Journal selected a handful of attorneys out of hundreds of nominations. Mr. Johnson is profiled alongside the other honorees in the June 6 issue.

Mr. Johnson was one of the first lawyers in the Southeast to focus on environmental litigation. For decades, his book, The Pesticide Litigation Manual, has been a go-to reference for defense and plaintiffs’ lawyers across the country handling environmental cases. It is still in print today as Defending Pesticides in Litigation.

Mr. Johnson is a founding partner of Lightfoot, Franklin & White, LLC in Birmingham, Alabama. 

When the firm was founded, Mr. Johnson handled all of Monsanto’s pesticide cases in the Southeast — setting precedents that shaped future litigation around the country. He was also the lead lawyer for the state of Alabama in its groundbreaking and headline-grabbing water rights dispute with Georgia,State of Alabama v. United States Army Corps of Engineers. His efforts led to an historic agreement between Alabama, Georgia and Florida to study and manage their shared water resources.

Kerry E. Notestine (Law ’83, Grad ’85 L/M) was one of five attorneys from Littler, an employment and labor law practice where Mr. Notestine is a shareholder and co-chair of the business restructuring practice group, to be elected as fellows of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Election as a fellow is the highest recognition by one’s colleagues of sustained outstanding performance in the profession, demonstrating integrity, dedication and excellence. Mr. Notestine has also written a book on trials of employment law cases, Employment Law Trials: A Practical Guide. He lives in Houston.

Marvin Heinze (Arch ’79 L/M) has been selected as the Pacific Fleet Federal Leader, Supervisor and Manager of the Year. Mr. Heinze is the Deputy Director, Operations and Plans for the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center, Mine Warfare Task Force in San Diego. He focuses on facilitating interagency cooperation to defend ports, harbors and waterways of the United States. The Honolulu-Pacific Federal Executive Board sponsored the May 6, 2017 award ceremony in Honolulu to recognize top performers in multiple categories. Mileka Lincoln of Hawaii News Now congratulated the recipients.