David Calvillo, senior counsel in the Houston and San Antonio offices of Chamberlain Hrdlicka, has been invited into the Houston chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). Calvillo was formally welcomed into the Houston chapter during its annual Dinner and New Member Induction on Oct. 26 at the Briar Club in Houston. ABOTA is a national association of experienced trial lawyers and judges dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the civil jury trial right provided by the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. As a board-certified civil trial lawyer, professional neutral, certified public accountant and certified valuation analyst, Calvillo brings a variety of skill sets and focused passion to his practice. He has successfully tried, litigated and arbitrated matters in diverse practice areas, including breach of contract, business separation, commercial liability, construction, shareholder rights, professional malpractice, personal injury and wrongful death, employment, debt collection, and intellectual property matters. Calvillo received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from The University of Texas–Pan American and a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. He is currently enrolled in the executive LL.M. tax program at Georgetown University Law Center with an anticipated graduation date in 2019.

Energy and Technology Firm Elects New Partners

Baker Botts, a leading international energy and technology law firm, has elevated several Texas attorneys to partner at the firm, as of Jan.1, 2020. Kristin Cope, litigation, Dallas, is a recognized first-chair trial lawyer and business litigator in the technology, energy and financial services sectors. She was one of the three trial lawyers in one of the largest trade secrets cases in Texas history, and she is known for her significant experience in trade secret disputes. Following graduation from law school, Cope served as a law clerk to Judge David W. McKeague of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She has been appointed by the Sixth Circuit to represent pro bono clients and successfully argued for habeas relief for a client in 2018 in the Sixth Circuit. Stephen Fitzgerald, litigation, Dallas, is a nationally known environmental lawyer who advises clients on a wide variety of environmental matters. He is frequently called upon to use his considerable in-house experience and technical background to provide practical guidance to clients navigating complex environmental issues. Fitzgerald provided onsite representation to clients that were the genesis of the Superfund program. John Kaercher, corporate, Austin, is a member of the firm’s technology and energy M&A teams and represents clients on a wide range of corporate matters, including domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and divestitures. Richard Ramirez, tax, Houston, handles all aspects of estate planning and estate administration for high-net-worth individuals, representation of fiduciaries and beneficiaries in estate and trust administration, and representation of charities. Ramirez was a 2015 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow. Brett Thompsen, intellectual property, Austin, works on a wide range of intellectual property matters, including patent post-grant trials, patent litigation and patent prosecution. He has experience in electrical engineering and analog/mixed-signal circuit design. He has argued at multiple inter partes review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeals Board. He has also been part of multiple patent infringement lawsuits relating to analog/mixed-signal circuitry, power-management technology and telecommunications. Thompsen served as a judicial clerk to Judge Timothy B. Dyk of the Federal Circuit. Prior to law school, he worked for seven years as an analog/mixed-signal circuit designer at Motorola and Texas Instruments. He was the lead design engineer on multiple projects at Texas Instruments and is an inventor on seven issued patents.

Attorney Joins Energy Practice at Houston Firm as Partner