Willis Riccio (LL.M.’60) has joined the Boston law firm of Looney & Grossman as senior counsel in the litigation practice group.

Richard Abend (LL.M.) writes, “Following being blessed with two wonderful daughters (Jennifer and Meredith), they also wed attorneys, and each union has produced grandsons: Ben (3), Eli (6), Sam (8) and Griffin (1). Hopefully, some future Hoyas in the group!” Abend lives in New Hartford, N.Y.

Stanley J. Glod was honored as an honorary distinguished lecturer by the Columbus School of Law of the Catholic University of America. He was recognized as a member of the school’s board of visitors and for his years of service to the international law program as a visiting lecturer at the International Business and Trade Law Summer Program, conducted annually with the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland.

Richard Winfield is teaching media law at Columbia and Fordham law schools. In April 2008, he delivered a paper at Oxford University on hate speech.

Jacob N. “Jesse” Erlich writes, “This past year has been especially enjoyable for me as my wife and I shared the pleasure of seeing our son Adam marry Ms. Ellen Seitelman. I have kept active as a partner at Burns & Levinson in Boston and once again received the honor of being chosen as a Massachusetts ‘Super Lawyer.’” In 2008, he was awarded the Eastern Regional Outstanding Service Award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium and was also chosen as the 2009 recipient of the FLC Technology Transfer’s National Outstanding Service Award.

Edmund E. Lynch was named to the list of Top 100 Irish American Lawyers by Irish America magazine. He was selected for his human rights work in Northern Ireland as national coordinator of the Lawyers Alliance for Justice in Ireland. He has maintained his own law practice in Denville, N.J., since 1973.

Michael A. Pretl has completed 10 years as general counsel for the American Urological Association in Linthicum, Md.

M. Dean Jenkins was named a Maryland “Super Lawyer” for 2008 and 2009 in the area of criminal defense and was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1999. He practices in Ocean City, Md.

Joel Bennett received the President’s Award at the June 2008 annual luncheon of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia for his service as treasurer during 2007 and 2008. Bennett practices at his own firm, the Law Offices of Joel P. Bennett, in Washington, D.C.

Jeffrey M. Bower was elected president of the College of the Liberal Arts alumni board of directors of Penn State University, representing 90,000 Nittany Lions alumni. He is senior partner at Eisenstein & Bower in State College, Pa.

George Haas has been recognized in the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the area of intellectual property law. He practices at Quarles & Brady’s Milwaukee office.

Robert Ruyak was recognized by the Legal Times as one of its “30 Visionaries,” defined as “the lawyers who’ve helped turn Washington’s legal and lobbying community into an international powerhouse.” He is the managing partner, chairman and CEO at Howrey.

James Spoonhour was included in The Best Lawyers in America 2009 in the areas of real estate law, eminent domain and condemnation law. He is a partner at Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed in Orlando, Fla.

Mark Andrews worked for Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from September to December 2008, designing a curriculum for the legal clinic at Chiang Mai University. This volunteer effort was arranged through the International Senior Lawyers Project in New York City. Mark lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, with his wife, Cheryl Keepers.

Terence G. Connor (C’64, LL.M.) was selected for the fifth time as a leading attorney on labor and employment matters for business in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and for inclusion in the Who’s Who Legal. Terry practices employment law for management and is a partner in the Miami office of Hunton & Williams.

William P. Isele has been named a “Top Attorney” in southern New Jersey in the August 2008 issue of SJ (South Jersey) magazine. Isele, a partner in the Princeton, N.J., office of Archer & Greiner, was recognized in the practice area of elder law.

Steven Toll was a finalist in the Washington Business Journal’s fifth annual Top Washington Lawyer awards program. Toll, an attorney at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, was honored for his work in the corporate litigation field.

Floyd Ciruli, president of Ciruli Associates, a Colorado polling and public affairs firm, organized and chaired a conference of pollsters in San Francisco in December. California’s Proposition 8 and Colorado’s presidential battleground status were major topics of interest. Ciruli, a Denver TV commentator, is president-elect of PAPOR, the Pacific chapter of the American Association of Public Opinion Research.

Jerome Grossman (C’74), a partner in the business and tax sections at Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor in Delaware, has been named one of the top 100 attorneys in the country by Worth magazine for the second consecutive year.

J. Jonathan Schraub was listed in The Best Lawyers in America for 2009 in the area of professional malpractice law and the Virginia Business Magazine’s 2008 Legal Elite in the area of civil litigation. He is a partner at Sands Anderson Marks & Miller.

E. Edwin Eck (LL.M.) was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2008 to a five-year term on the IRS Oversight Board, at the suggestion of Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. The Senate confirmed the nomination in October. Eck will continue to serve as dean of the University of Montana School of Law until June.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia L. Collins has retired from the bench after 20 years on the court in California. She is now affiliated with ADR Services, where she serves as a privately retained mediator, arbitrator and court referee.

Florence Prioleau has joined Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C., office as a partner in the firm’s public policy group.

Karl Belgum has joined Nixon Peabody as a partner in the firm’s business litigation practice. He works in the firm’s San Francisco office.

Neal S. Grabell, former general counsel of QVC, has joined Saul Ewing in Wayne, Pa., serving as of counsel in the business department. Grabell concentrates his practice on general corporate, commercial finance and international business matters.

Jim McNair (LL.M. ’85) was a finalist in the Washington Business Journal’s fifth annual “Top Washington Lawyer” awards program. McNair, a partner at Patton Boggs, was honored for his work in the trusts and estates field.

Peter Newman has joined the Indianapolis office of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart as a shareholder with the firm.

David H. Lichter, a partner with Higer Lichter & Givner, was included in the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for his practice in alternative dispute resolution.

Steven J. Fram was named a “Top Attorney” in southern New Jersey in the August 2008 issue of SJ (South Jersey) magazine. Fram, a partner in the Haddonfield, N.J., office of Archer & Greiner and chair of the firm’s commercial litigation practice group, was recognized in the trial practice area.

Joseph D. Early Jr. is serving his first term as the Worcester (Mass.) district attorney. After practicing law for 22 years, Early ran as a Democrat in the 2006 election and received 78 percent of the vote. Early works with law enforcement agencies in 60 communities and oversees more than 80 prosecutors as well as the operation of 11 district courts, superior court, juvenile court, three six-member jury sessions, the grand jury and an appeals division.

Louisa Barash, a technology lawyer and former partner with Heller Ehrman, has joined Davis Wright Tremaine. She is a partner in the Seattle, Wash., office.

Robert W. Kuhn was quoted extensively in an article entitled “Scorecards for Sustainability” in the October 2008 issue of Inside Supply Management. He is president of Kuhn Associates Management Advisors in New York.

Fritz Richter III (LL.M.) was among 17 new fellows inducted into the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel in September. He is a partner at Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville, Tenn.

Kathryn (Sisk) Tucker is director of legal affairs for Compassion & Choices, a national nonprofit organization protecting and expanding the rights of terminally ill patients. She was instrumental in the successful campaign to pass the Washington Death with Dignity Act. In December 2008, Tucker won a ruling from a Montana court that the state constitution protects the right of a terminally ill patient to choose aid in dying (Baxter et al. v. Montana). Tucker was the initial author of a recent California law ensuring that terminally ill patients have full information about end-of-life options. She currently lives with her spouse and children in Sun Valley, Idaho, where the kids train and race with the Sun Valley Ski Team.

Patricia Dilley, a professor at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law, was presented with a Rockefeller Foundation Innovation Award by the National Academy of Social Insurance for her innovative policy proposals to strengthen social security for vulnerable groups.

James S. Rosenfeld, an attorney and shareholder with Butzel Long in Detroit, Mich., has been ranked as one of the leading labor and employment lawyers by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2008.

Anita Josey-Herring was elected to the board of trustees of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges during the organization’s annual conference in July. She is an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and is currently the presiding judge of the family court division.

Peter Robertson has joined the Washington, D.C., office of Crowell & Moring as a partner in the firm’s public policy group, representing corporations, governmental entities and nonprofit organizations before Congress and the executive branch on a wide range of issues, including climate change.

Joseph Schmelter was a finalist in the Washington Business Journal’s fifth annual Top Washington Lawyer awards program. Schmelter, a partner at Venable and a co-chair of the firm’s government contractor services industry group, was honored for his work in the corporate mergers and acquisitions field.

Joseph R. Fleming (LL.M.) has been named co-chair of the investment companies and advisers committee of the business law section of the Boston Bar Association. Fleming is a partner at Dechert.

E. Scott Johnson, who chairs the intellectual property practice at Ober Kaler in Baltimore, was elected chair of the Maryland State Arts Council for a one-year term beginning July 1, 2008. Johnson received a gubernatorial appointment to the Arts Council in 2004 and was reappointed in 2007 by Gov. Martin O’Malley.

David Wilson has joined Thompson Hine as a partner in the firm’s business litigation and competition, antitrust and white collar crime practice groups, working in the Washington, D.C., office. He was formerly a partner with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.

Sina Amarell (C’85) is the owner and founding member of a recruiting company, TR Grace. The company, which specializes in the placement of attorneys and paralegals, was named the Best Legal Recruiter in Connecticut for the second year in a row.

Amy (Friedman) Hartman (C’86) announces the formation of Hartman Employment Law Practice (www. hartmanhrlaw.com) in Boulder, Colo. Hartman practiced as an associate and partner at Seyfarth Shaw from 1989 to 2000 and as an employment partner at Cooley Godward Kronish from 2000 to 2008. She lives in Boulder with her husband Andy Hartman (L’89), an intellectual property partner at Cooley, and two children, Jess, 15, and Mica, 14.

Maria Lazar currently serves as president of the Milwaukee Bar Association. She practices at Galanis, Pollack, Jacobs and Johnson in Milwaukee.

Shortly before his death as this issue went to press, Joe Sonneman established a photography prize at Claremont Graduate University, the first such award in the university’s fine arts program. The award will help documentary and fine art filmmakers publish their first books. Sonneman, who had a distinguished career in law, government and education, was a dedicated photographer.

John Washlick (LL.M.) delivered lectures at the Healthcare Financial Management Association’s Healthcare Finance Conference in Las Vegas, Nev.; at the American Health Lawyers Association annual meeting in San Francisco; and at a meeting of the Health Law Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Washlick is co-chair of the health law practice group at Cozen O’Connor in Philadelphia.

Pamela A. (White) Jarrett has retired from solo practice in criminal and juvenile law. She and her husband, James, are preparing to renew their vows on June 26.

John (“Jack”) Lavoie was named a “Top Washington Lawyer” by the Washington Business Journal in September. Lavoie, a partner at Cooley Godward Kronish, was the individual winner in the real estate transactions field. He lives in Alexandria, Va., with his wife, Theresa (Terry) O’Hara Lavoie, their 10-year-old daughter, Maggie, and their 8-year-old son, Frank.

Mimi Samuel (C’84) is an associate professor of lawyering skills at Seattle University School of Law. Over the past five years, she has become involved in conducting training sessions for lawyers, judges and academics abroad, primarily in East and South Africa. She recently conducted a two-day workshop on teaching methodology in Kabul for Afghan legal educators through USAID’s Afghanistan Rule of Law Project.

Myung Lee has been named executive director of the mid-Atlantic region of Jumpstart, a national nonprofit organization focusing on early education for young children in low-income communities.

Barry J. Pollack has been selected as a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is a member of the white collar and internal investigations group at Miller & Chevalier.

Gary Davidson (LL.M.) was selected as a “Most Effective Lawyer” finalist in the international law category by the Miami Daily Business Review. Davidson was recognized for his work on behalf of the Honduran national soccer federation in a media rights contract dispute. He is a partner at Diaz Reus.

Carlos Aiza (LL.M.) is a partner at the Mexico City law firm of Creel, Garcìa-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enríquez.

John M. Ryan was appointed counsel with Weil Gotshal’s international trade practice in Washington, D.C.

Amy Whitcomb Slemmer was appointed executive director of Health Care for All, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit dedicated to making affordable and quality health care available to everyone. Slemmer was previously the executive officer of biomedical services for the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C.

Sharlene Amitay is a managing director in the tax practice of KPMG. She is a CPA and resides in Bethesda, Md.

William M. Katz Jr. (C’91) has been named to the Who’s Who Legal: Texas 2008 list and also to The Best Lawyers in America 2009 . He is a partner at Thompson & Knight, practicing antitrust law in the firm’s Dallas and New York offices.

William O’Brien (F’88) has joined Nixon Peabody as a partner in the firm’s global finance practice. He works in the New York City office.

Laura E. Krabill has joined the litigation department of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll as a partner in the Philadelphia office.

John Anzalone has been selected as one of the New Jersey Law Journal’s 2008 “40 Under 40,” recognizing the top 40 attorneys in New Jersey under 40 years of age. Anzalone, a shareholder at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, concentrates his practice in personal injury litigation.

Larissa C. Dean was elected a member at Spilman Thomas & Battle. She focuses her practice on labor and employment law.

David A. Jones (LL.M.) has acquired a 50-percent stake in the Great Place to Work Institute, a research and management consultancy based in the United States with international affiliate offices throughout the world. He has served on the board of that organization for the past three years. Jones also serves as “second-incommand” of human resources at Stanford University.

Douglas K. Chia, senior counsel and assistant corporate secretary at Johnson & Johnson, received the “Rising Star” award from Corporate Secretary magazine. He was also named one of this year’s “Best Lawyers Under 40” by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

Philip D. Mogen (LL.M.) has been elected to the partnership of KPMG, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, and provides tax services to clients in the San Francisco area. He resides in Piedmont, Calif., with his family.

Natalie Reed has joined Stites & Harbison, working in the firm’s Lexington, Ky., office. Reed is counsel with the firm and is a member of the real estate and banking service group.

Daniel Farrington was a finalist in the Washington Business Journal’s fifth annual “Top Washington Lawyer” awards program. Farrington is a founding principal at the Farrington Law Firm in Bethesda.

David A. O’Connor (LL.M.) has joined Wilkinson Barker Knauer in Washington, D.C., as a partner. He was previously a partner in the telecommunications practice group of the Washington, D.C., office of Holland & Knight.

The District of Columbia Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys awarded Jenifer Wicks its 2008 R. Kenneth Mundy Lawyer of the Year Award for her work in trial and appellate advocacy.

Sara Kropf (C’95, G’02) was recently admitted to the partnership at Baker Botts. She practices in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, focusing on white collar criminal defense work, complex civil litigation and corporate investigations.

Nathan Oleson has been elected to the partnership at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. He is a member of the firm’s labor and employment practice in Washington, D.C.

Denise Schwieger (LL.M.) is a principal in the Washington national tax practice of KPMG, representing some of the firm’s top New York banking clients. She resides in Bronxville, N.Y.

Jeremy Suiter is a shareholder at Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth. He practices in the firm’s securities litigation group in Newport Beach, Calif.

Alexandra Steinberg Barrage was recently promoted to of counsel at Morrison & Foerster. She works in the Washington, D.C., office.

Dr. Georg Manten (LL.M.) and Rilana Schwill were married at Aachen Cathedral, Germany, on September 16, 2006, and their daughter Josefine Annemarie was born on November 18, 2008. They live in Berlin, Germany, where Georg works as an associate in the public law/real estate and renewable energies department of Nörr Stiefenhofer Lutz and Rilana is working on her Ph.D. in Spanish philology. Manten recently earned his doctorate from Trier University. His doctoral thesis on the history of church-state relations in 18th-century Prussia has been published by Duncker & Humblot.

Bronwyn Pollock has been named a partner at Mayer Brown. She is a member of the litigation department in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Her practice is focused on complex civil litigation, particularly class-action defense, employment counseling and litigation, and real estate and insurance matters. Pollock joined Mayer Brown in 2000.

Richard Watkins has been appointed to the associate board of the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms. Watkins, whose practice includes litigation in the chemical, electrical and biotech fields, is an attorney with Brinks Hofer Gilson & Leone.

Alexander Dobrev recently wrote an article entitled “Fractured Condos — Avoiding the Broken Deal,” which was published in the July issue of Florida Real Estate Journal, a commercial real estate news publication. He is a partner with Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed in Orlando, Fla.

Michael S. Day of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo is one of 15 new members of the Boston Bar Association’s prestigious Public Interest Leadership Program. The leadership program trains lawyers who have practiced law for less than 10 years.

Theodore P. “Jack” Metzler, an associate at Covington & Burling, argued his first case — Pearson v. Callahan — before the Supreme Court on October 14 and was featured in an article in the Legal Times. He is married to Shelley Finlayson (L’03).

Nilam Sanghvi has joined Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis as an associate in the litigation department, working in the firm’s Philadelphia office.

Alisha C. Smith (LL.M.), a New York State assistant attorney general in the Investor Protection Bureau, has been appointed by the president of the North American Securities Administrators Association to serve as a member of its corporate accountability project group. The group is comprised of five securities regulators from five different states.

Alan J. Arville has been selected by Nightingale’s Healthcare News for its 2008 ranking of “Outstanding Young Healthcare Lawyers.” He is an associate in the health law group of Ober Kaler in Washington, D.C.

Jacquelyn M. Gray, an associate in the employee benefits and executive compensation group at Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, was named Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program’s volunteer of the month. Gray was recognized for her work as a volunteer at a tax clinic.

Joy Jankunas was honored by the New York State nonprofit Sanctuary for Families for her contributions to pro bono legal work related to battered women. She is an associate in the New York office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

Wendy Klein Keane, an associate in the construction practice group of Pepper Hamilton, has been elected to the board of directors of Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, a nonprofit organization focusing on preserving affordable home ownership.

Abigail E. Gordon was honored by the New York State nonprofit Sanctuary for Families for her contributions to pro bono legal work related to battered women. Gordon is an associate in the Paris office of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.

Danica Noble joined the Federal Trade Commission’s honors attorneys program in 2006. She practices in all aspects of government investigations of mergers and acquisitions, including multi-billion-dollar international deals. She recently joined the FTC’s northwest regional office in Seattle. Noble received the 2008 Stephen Nye Award, the FTC’s highest award given to a junior attorney who has shown outstanding performance.

Lynn Olesen Rosenstock has joined Semanoff Ormsby Greenberg & Torchia as an associate. She concentrates her practice in commercial litigation and corporate matters.

Kevin T. Burns (LL.M.) has joined Tucker Ellis & West as an associate in the firm’s Cleveland office. He is a member of the business department.

Michael Viano Jr. (C’02) has joined Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin as an associate in the litigation practice. He works in the firm’s Philadelphia office.

James P. Bickford has joined the real estate department of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll as an associate in the firm’s Denver office.

Brendon Durkin (B’04) has joined the Atlanta office of Jones Day as an associate.

Jason S. Jeskey (LL.M.) has joined the Las Vegas office of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. He works in the firm’s ERISA and employee benefits group.