Member Bios | The Texas International Law Journal

To access a specific TILJ member’s bio, please visit the Current Masthead and click on the member’s name.

Lynn Abell Article and Notes Editor	Lynn graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Italian and economics in 2008. She also has a master’s degree in Italian from The University of Texas and is interested in international arbitration and oil and gas law. Lynn is currently studying abroad at the Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi in Milan, Italy. This past summer, she interned for Winstead PC and Statoil in Houston. In her spare time, Lynn enjoys long-distance running.
Bradley Austin	Brad Austin is from Las Vegas, Nevada and graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. During his 1L year, Brad was involved in various Pro Bono programs, such as Street Law and Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans. Brad spent his 1L summer interning for the United States District Court in Las Vegas, Nevada. During his 2L summer, Brad returned to Las Vegas to work for Snell & Wilmer LLP. After law school, Brad will be taking the Nevada bar and will be working for Snell & Wilmer LLP in Las Vegas.
Julie Bayle	Julie is from Paris, France and attend British and French law school before coming to the University of Texas for her LLM. She had the opportunity to be an intern in the Caylon Bank, the European Central Bank and the UN in NY. After graduation, she plans to return to Luxemburg or Paris.
Rachel Bell	Rachel is a 3L and a graduate of Swarthmore College. This year, she is participating in the Legislative Lawyering Clinic and is a leader in UT Law’s American Constitution Society. She spent the past summer working at a law firm in New Orleans and the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department. Rachel is most interested in energy and environmental issues as they relate to international law. After graduation, Rachel will be clerking at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the Atomic Safety Licensing Board Panel.
Rebecca Bennie Article and Notes Editor	Becca Bennie is from Brentwood, Tennessee, and received her undergraduate from Lipscomb University. While in law school, she has been involved in the law school musical, and she is a member of the Student Recruitment and Orientation Committee, the Texas Performing Arts Student Advocacy Program, and the Legal Research Board. Becca worked for Alliance Defending Freedom as a Blackstone Legal Intern during her first summer. Outside law school, she enjoys geocaching, musical theater, Downton Abbey, and having her heart broken annually by the Tennessee Titans.
Avi Bhuiyan Articles and Notes Editor	Avi is a native of Atlanta, GA and received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan. In addition to being an avid river kayaker and world traveler, he is also working in UT’s National Security Clinic. He has spent his summers working at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Honorable Richard Roberts, Chief Judge of the District Court of the District of Columbia. He plans on pursuing a career in litigation following graduation.
John Bradley Editor-in-Chief	John Bradley is from Nacogdoches, Texas and received his undergraduate degree in Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin in 2007. Before law school, John ran a successful independent media company and toured with rock and roll bands. While in law school, he has been involved in the National Security Clinic and OUTLaw and worked as a Legal Research and Writing Teaching Assistant (a “TQ”) during his 2L year. During the past two summers, John has worked at various small Austin firms dealing with Employment Law, Family Law, and International Law issues. He became the Editor-in-Chief of the Texas International Law Journal, Volume 48, in the spring of 2012. After law school, John will be clerking for Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann.
Sarah Brechwald	Sarah earned a Bachelor of Arts from Oklahoma State University in 2008 and graduated in 2010 with a Master of Science in International Relations: National Security Affairs from Troy University. As a graduate student at Troy, Sarah completed U.S. Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) training and U.S. Army Airborne School, commissioning as an Army second lieutenant and a Distinguished Military Graduate in 2010. During the summer of 2011, she participated in the U.S. Army JAG Summer Intern Program at Fort Hood, Texas, and the Tikvah-Hertog Summer Institute on Law and National Security at Columbia University. Sarah is a member of the UT Law Legal Research Board, and she hopes to serve as an active duty officer in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps after graduation.
Paul (Nick) Buratto	Nick graduated from Trinity University with a degree in economics, religion and English. After his brief bid at the Great American Novel yielded only a Pretty Good American Short Story, Nick spent several years working in public relations before coming to law school. He has worked for the Texas Civil Rights Project in both their Austin and McAllen offices, and this fall he will be interning for the Hon. Lee Yeakel of the Western District of Texas. He enjoys the Dallas Cowboys and Mavericks to a fault.
Marc Calderaro Article and Notes Editor	Marc is from New Jersey and received a Bachelor of Arts in both English Literature and Creative Writing from Ithaca College. He has worked as a film critic, a reporter, an environmental inspector, a farmhand, and a short-film producer, among other adventures. During his first summer Marc worked as a judicial intern for the Honorable Peter G. Sheridan in the District of New Jersey. This summer, Marc will be a summer associate in Baker Botts’ New York office.
Jennifer Cannan Managing Editor	Jenny is originally from San Antonio and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science Degree and majored in International Politics She served as an aviation officer in the Army for eleven years and was stationed in Alabama, Germany, South Korea, and the Washington, D.C. area. Most recently, she worked as a summer associate at Baker & McKenzie in Dallas and looks forward to joining the firm after graduation.
Parker Carlisle	Parker is a native of Dripping Springs. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2005 with a degree in systems engineering. After graduation, he served as the Strike Officer in charge of the Tomahawk Missiles onboard USS CARNEY (DDG 64), and then as the Training Officer onboard USS HALYBURTON (FFG 40). He is currently in the Law Education Program, and will continue serving in the military as a U.S. Navy Sailor in the JAG Corps upon graduation.
Zachary Chittick	Zack is a transplant from Pennsylvania to Texas. He studied international relations and political science at Syracuse University before coming to law school at UT. Zack loves playing almost any type of sport as well as adopting animals, of which he currently has three. Zack recently got engaged, and he is looking forward to watching his fiancée plan for the wedding this summer as well as working for a law firm in Houston.
Brandon Chang	Brandon Chang is from Sugar Land, Texas. He received both an undergraduate and master’s degree in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. While in law school, he has been involved with the Asian Law Students Association and volunteers with Community Tax Centers. Brandon interned with the First Court of Appeals during this past summer. Brandon is interested in tax and corporate law, and their relation to international law issues. Outside of law school, he enjoys tennis and golf.
Jessica Cohagan	Jessica Cohagan is from Houston, Texas, and received her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University. She is now pursuing a JD and a Masters of Global Policy Studies as a dual degree student with the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Jessica worked for Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid during her first summer. Jessica is interested in international law issues and hopes to study international law abroad her 3L year. Outside of law school, she enjoys reading, running, and traveling.
Whitney Crayton	Whitney is a native Texan and received her undergraduate degree from Columbia University in 2008. After graduating she taught sixth grade English and History at a college prep program in Houston. Whitney is interested in tax and corporate transactions as well as constitutional law. Outside of law school, she enjoys Dallas Cowboys Football, trying new restaurants and visiting art museums.
Ryan Curtis	Originally from Thousand Oaks, California, Ryan graduated with a degree in history with honors from the University of California at Berkeley. He is currently a 3L at the University Of Texas School Of Law and assists UT students with legal issues at the university’s Legal Services for Students program. He spent last summer working as a law clerk for Mueller Law, PLLC, an Austin firm specializing in medical products liability cases and qui tam cases related to the healthcare industry. He currently works for the Lower Colorado River Authority as a law clerk and plans to continue this work because of his interest in water rights and property law.
Shuyang Dai	Shuyang Dai is an LLM student from China. She has an extensive background in China law with much experience in international law. She has participated in the Jessup International Moot Court and International Humanitarian Law Moot court competitions in 2010 and 2011. She is interested in history, movies and cooking.
Mark Dawson	Mark Dawson received his B.A. from John Brown University in 2007 and studied Community Development in Fiji and Uganda. After graduation, he traveled extensively in East Africa helping the underprivileged and has been the Director of Development of an orphanage in rural Kenya since 2007. He hopes to pursue international human rights law after graduation and focus on increasing access to justice in the developing world. He is a Rapoport Human Rights Scholar and is also currently a student attorney at the UT Human Rights Clinic.This past summer, he completed an internship with Human Rights Law Network, India’s largest human rights organization, where he contributed to the Center’s litigation work on issues pertaining to mental health, labor rights, food security, and women’s justice. Outside of law school, Mark enjoys hiking, playing ultimate frisbee, and making his wife laugh.
Whitney Deason	Whitney Drake graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a BA in Spanish, Peace Studies and Latin American Studies. During college, she studied abroad in Santiago, Chile, and volunteered her summers at Iowa Legal Aid and the Attorney General of Iowa. After graduation, Drake worked as an AmeriCorps teacher in Florida, teaching eighth-grade Spanish and seventh-grade English. Last summer, Drake worked at American Gateways in Austin and assisted with asylum and U-visa cases. In her free time, Drake enjoys watching baseball games, visiting her family, and spending time outdoors in Austin’s sunshine.
Michael Downey	Michael Downey is from Sherman, Texas, and received his undergraduate degree from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. While in law school, he has been involved in Texas International Law Journal, as well as the Capital Punishment Clinic, and various Mock Trial events. Michael worked for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas during his first summer, and during this past summer he worked for Hohmann, Taube, & Summers LLP and Bertolino LLP. Outside of law school, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter and umpiring high school baseball.
Amber Dodds Article and Notes Editor	Amber grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, and completed her undergraduate work at Trinity University in San Antonio. Prior to attending law school, she completed a master’s degree at Boston University in theology, philosophy, and ethics. Amber also worked full-time as an immigration consultant. She has interned with Justice Keyes of the First Court of Appeals of Texas and Judge Yeakel of the Western District of Texas while in law school. Amber is interested in both energy production and regulation, and labor and employment law.
Whitney Drake	Whitney Drake graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a BA in Spanish, Peace Studies and Latin American Studies. During college, she studied abroad in Santiago, Chile, and volunteered her summers at Iowa Legal Aid and the Attorney General of Iowa. After graduation, Drake worked as an AmeriCorps teacher in Florida, teaching eighth-grade Spanish and seventh-grade English. Last summer, Drake worked at American Gateways in Austin and assisted with asylum and U-visa cases. In her free time, Drake enjoys watching baseball games, visiting her family, and spending time outdoors in Austin’s sunshine.
Katherine Draper Article and Notes Editor	Kate is from New Jersey and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in French. Before starting law school, she spent a year in France teaching at a public high school. Kate has worked for the Texas Legal Services Center providing legal assistance to low-income veterans and interned for Judge Cathy Cochran of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. This past summer Kate worked at White & Case LLP in New York, where she will return after graduation. Kate intends to pursue a career in international transactional law.
Masae Falcon	Masae Falcon is from San Antonio, Texas, and received her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University. Masae worked for a Bexar County District Court Judge her first summer, and as an intern for Bank General Counsel at USAA during her second. Masae currently works as a law clerk at Hay Compere PLLC in Austin and is interested in real estate and banking law.
Thor Fielland Article and Notes Editor	Thor Fielland is from Tampa, Florida, and received both a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Accounting at the University of Florida. While in law school, Thor has participated in The Texas Review of Law & Politics and The Texas International Law Journal. Thor intends to focus on energy, oil and gas, and tax classes as he finishes his legal education. This summer, Thor will be working in Houston for Baker Botts and Mayer Brown.
Lauren Fitte	Lauren grew up in Tehuacana, Texas, and majored in English at Rice University. Before law school, she worked in Business Development at Baker Botts and taught English in Argentina. She has interned with the Honorable Judge Bill Boyce of the 14th Court of Appeals of Texas and for U.S. Magistrate Frances H. Stacy of the Southern District of Texas. During 2L year she worked part-time as a clerk for the Texas Association of School Boards. She spent last summer clerking at Morgan Adler. She intends to pursue a career in estate planning and international tax.
Christopher Furlong	Chris grew up in Brazil and is a native speaker of Portuguese. He also spent several years in Boston, Massachusetts, before coming to Texas for law school. His long-term goal is to return to Boston after graduation to practice law. When not working or studying, Chris enjoys cycling in and around Austin and listening to music, including everything from jazz to metal, classical, country, and rock. He also spends some of his free time finishing a Ph.D. dissertation in philosophy that he started in a previous life.
Louisa Gambrill	Louisa grew up in Austin and was excited to return for law school. She double majored in international studies and political science at the University of Chicago, earning honors in both. Louisa enjoys seeing the world and spent a year teaching English at an elementary school in Shenzhen, China, after college. She is also an avid artist, especially oil paints, and likes to garden. Last summer Louisa worked at Disability Rights Texas, advocating for Texans with disabilities. This summer she is excited to be working at an employment law firm in Austin.
Ya Gao	Ya Gao is an LLM student from China where she graduated from Dalian Maritime University with a Bachelor of Law degree. Ya was Vice-president of the Maritime University Legal Clinic and worked as a judicial intern in the Dalian Maritime Commercial Court. After college, Yao severed as in-house counsel for an energy company in China and worked as a part-time maritime lawyer in a local law firm. Yao is interested in a career in corporate or commercial law after she finishes her LLM. Outside of law school, Yao likes travelling, diving and reading.
Camille George	Camille George is from Houston, Texas, and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia. While in law school she has been involved in Street Law and the Women’s Law Caucus. This past summer Camille worked for Baker Botts and Haynes and Boone. After graduation, Camille plans on returning to Baker Botts in Houston. She is interested in corporate, energy, and international law. Outside of law school Camille enjoys traveling, cooking, and hiking.
Christopher Gessner Article and Notes Editor	Chris was born and raised in Bel Air, Maryland. He graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland with Bachelor of Arts degrees in history and economics. Last summer Chris worked as a Consular Section intern at the United States Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic. In addition to his work with TILJ, he is also a staff editor on The Review of Litigation. Chris would like to practice commercial litigation upon graduation. His interests include playing squash, solving crossword puzzles, and studying military history.
Gregory Goldberg	Greg is from Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Georgetown University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in American studies. Before law school, Greg worked as a legal analyst at Barclays Capital in New York. After his first year at law school, he worked with the commercial legal team at Google in Mountain View, CA. This past summer, Greg was a summer analyst in the Silicon Valley office of Goodwin Procter. After law school, he intends to return to Goodwin Procter and pursue a career in corporate law.
Brett Goodman	Brett Goodman is from Dallas, Texas, and received his undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University. While in law school, he has attempted to expose himself to a wide array of different coursework and types of practice areas, and he will participate in the Mental Health Clinic in the Spring of 2013. Brett worked for Austin-based dispute resolution expert Karl Bayer in his first summer, and during this past summer he worked in the legal department for AmerisourceBergen, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Outside of law school, he enjoys music and weight lifting.
Jennifer Goodwillie	Jenn graduated summa cum laude from Bard College where she studied environmental studies and geography. In addition to her work with TILJ, she is also the incoming Chief Articles Editor for the Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law. Jenn has competed as an oral advocate and a brief writer for the Law School’s William C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot team in Vienna. She would like to pursue a career in international arbitration.
Erik Grostic New Media Editor	Erik is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and minors in computer science, zoology, chemistry, and psychology. Before law school, Erik worked as a Senior Systems Analyst at the University of Texas Libraries. During law school, Erik was a member of the Supreme Court Clinic and the Austin Intellectual Property Inn of Court, and was a summer law clerk at the Texas Office of the Solicitor General. After graduation, Erik will be working at the Austin firm of DiNovo, Price, Ellwanger & Hardy practicing intellectual property and civil rights law.
John Heinemann	John Heinemann is from Twin Falls, Idaho and received his undergraduate degree in History and Political Economy from the College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho in 2011. John took a leave of absence in his fall semester of his Junior year in college to intern for Rep. Walt Minnick (D-ID) in Washington D.C. John is highly active in various progressive and diversity student organization. Before law school, he was founder and president of AFRO Club, and during law school, he has served as Vice President of Publicity for the UT Chapter of the American Constitution Society and as Publicist for the Thurgood Marshall Legal Society, where he hosted a banquet at the Driskill Hotel for Gloria Bradford, the first Black woman to graduate UT Law. He spent his first summer in law school clerking for Judge Lora J. Livingston and Armbrust & Brown, both in Austin, TX. He will be working at the Texas Attorney General’s office this summer.
Laura Hoffmann Articles and Notes Editor	Laura was raised in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, where she was a part of the law and theatre magnet programs at Richardson High School. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and a minor in French from the University of Texas. As an undergraduate student, Laura served as an AmeriCorps member for Communities in Schools (CIS) of Central Texas, where she mentored and tutored third- through fifth-graders at a local Austin elementary school. She continues to serve as a volunteer mentor with CIS. During her first summer, Laura was a judicial intern for the Honorable Sam A. Lindsay of the Northern District of Texas. During her second year she served as a member of the Human Rights Clinic and as Assistant Director for the law school’s musical theatre group, Assault & Flattery. This past summer she returned to Dallas to clerk for a private firm. Outside of law school, Laura enjoys traveling, college football, and musical theatre.
Gregory Isham	Greg Isham is originally from Bend, Oregon. After high school he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science. Over the next five years he served as an Air Defense Artillery officer and Logistics officer in the United States Army. He has remained on active duty during law school and will return to the Army after graduation as a member of the JAG Corps.
Rachael Jones Article and Notes Editor	Rachael is from Tennessee. She graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts degree in linguistics & psychology and a minor in Spanish. Before law school, she worked as a paralegal and as a legal assistant at the legal access center of the Superior Court of Los Angeles in Inglewood. Rachael is currently working as a law clerk for Mueller Law Offices in Austin. She has studied seven foreign languages, spent a year in Barcelona, and is interested in both international environmental law and public interest law.
Jonathon Junig	Jon is from Fond du Lac, WI. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and French. Last summer Jon worked for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, and this summer he plans to work for the New York District Attorney’s Office. Jon hopes to work in criminal prosecution. In addition to his work with TILJ, Jon is the society coordinator for Hodges Society, is a teaching assistant for Constitutional Law I, and is involved in the interscholastic mock trial team.
Kim Kauffman	Kim is from Katy, Texas and graduated from UT with a B.B.A. in marketing. During undergraduate years, she studied abroad in Bath, England and was an officer in an international student organization at UT. She currently is a Teaching Quizmaster (teaching assistant) for the first-year Legal Research and Writing classes. This past summer, Kim spent the first half of the summer interning for Judge Bland on the First Court of Appeals in Houston. During the second half of the summer, she clerked for a solo practitioner in Austin. Outside of law school, Kim enjoys traveling, watching movies/TV, and exploring Austin.
Roseann Keeler	Roseann Keeler received her undergraduate degree from St. Edward’s University in Austin. During this past summer, Roseann interned in the legal department at Energy Transfer and is currently clerking at McElroy, Sullivan, Miller, Weber & Olmstead. She has an interest in the energy industry as well as international law issues. Outside of law school, Roseann enjoys attending live music shows, cooking, and trying new restaurants.
Nishi Kothari Executive Editor	Nishi is from Houston, TX and an avid Longhorn and Texans fan. She received a Bachelor of Science in communications from New York University, graduating magna cum laude. After NYU, Nishi worked at Macy’s Merchandising Group and later went on to become the Communications Director for the Harris County Democratic Party during the 2010 elections. She is currently the head mentor for the society program at UT Law, but has a special place in her heart for the Bradford Society. This past summer, Nishi worked at the Immigration Court in Dallas, helping to draft substantial decisions for the judges. Outside of law school, Nishi enjoys going to local concerts around Austin, traveling, and tasting queso dips.Upon graduation, she plans to pursue a career in commercial litigation in Texas.
Jun Ki Lee	Jun Ki Lee is from the Republic of Korea, and received his undergraduate degree from University of Victoria in Canada. Jun worked for the Office of the Attorney General of Iowa during his first summer, and he is currently on the 2012-2013 Second-Year Mock Trial Interscholastic team. Jun is interested in business litigation and international law issues.
Corey Lewis	Corey is from Stoughton, Massachusetts. He attended the University of Michigan where he majored in political science and minored in history. During his 1L summer, he interned at the State Bar of Texas. During the 2011 fall semester, he interned at Texas Legal Services Center.
Ji Nin Loh	Ji Nin is from Singapore and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia. While in law school, she has volunteered with the Texas Civil Rights Project and participated in the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration moot in Vienna. She is currently studying abroad in Switzerland for the fall of her 3L year. After graduation, Ji Nin will be joining the Global Transactions practice group of King & Spalding.
Tianyu Ma	Tianyu Ma graduated from China University of Political Science and Law with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During her first summer, she interned for Judge Humrickhouse in the Bankruptcy Court of the Eastern District of North Carolina and Judge Montalvo in the Western District of Texas. Tianyu is interested in international trade. She plans to do cross-border transactions upon her graduation.
Austin March Managing Editor	Austin is from the DFW Metroplex, but has lived throughout Texas and the Midwest. He graduated from UT Austin where he received his BA in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. During his first summer Austin worked at a firm in Iowa City, Iowa; this past summer he worked in Houston at Vinson & Elkins LLP. Austin will be returning to Vinson & Elkins after graduation to pursue a career in energy transactions. Outside of law school, Austin enjoys spending time with his wife, exercising, and taking advantage of his Netflix subscription.
Grant Margeson Article and Notes Editor	Grant Margeson is from Grants Pass, Oregon and received his undergraduate degree from Whitman College (WA). He is attending law school while concurrently pursuing a Master of Public Affairs at the LBJ School. Grant is primarily interested in international trade and commercial litigation. After his first year, Grant worked for the United States Court of Federal Claims. This summer, Grant will be working for Quinn Emanuel in San Francisco. Outside of law school, Grant enjoys reading, soccer, basketball, and travel.
Garrett Martin Article and Notes Editor	Garrett Martin is from Granbury, Texas. He double majored in Economics and French at the University of Texas at Austin. Before beginning law school, Garrett taught English for a year in Tours, France, while also attending the University of Francois Rabelais. While in law school, Garrett’s activities in addition to the Texas International Law Journal have included competing in the Thad T. Hutcheson Moot Court Competition and membership with the Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law. Garrett was employed during his first summer as an intern with Judge Marcia Crone of the United States Eastern District of Texas and as a summer associate for Wilson Calhoun in Corpus Christi. Garrett is interested in litigation with a specific focus on energy or admiralty law. In addition to his activities associated with the law school, Garrett enjoys fishing, baseball, and gardening.
Evan McCurdy Research Editor	Evan received a Bachelor of Science in architecture from Texas Tech University. After graduation and before attending law school, he worked as a project designer for an international architecture firm in Dallas. Evan’s summer plans include internships at the Dallas firms of Munsch, Hardt, Kopf & Harr and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. He enjoys playing the guitar and chess, in addition to golfing poorly.
Sarah McDermand Executive Editor	Sarah graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in English. Since starting at UT Law, she has participated in the Women’s Law Caucus and the Pro Bono in January Winter Trip, which allows law students to perform pro bono work for residents in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. Sarah has interned in Houston both with a private law firm and with the Honorable Justice Laura Carter Higley of the First Court of Appeals of Texas. Sarah wishes to work in Houston and pursue a career in energy transactions.
Joanna McDonald	Joanna McDonald is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and a current 3L at The University of Texas School of Law. After college, McDonald was a paralegal for Deutsche Bank, the sole paralegal for their Global Banking Division. McDonald frequently worked on large-scale, international transactions and advised counsel in Deutsche Bank offices abroad on contracts governed by New York law. McDonald is a member of the submissions board of the Texas International Law Journal and the Thurgood Marshall Legal Society. She is also Head Choreographer of the Assault and Flattery musical theatre troupe and Editor-in-Chief of the National Women Law Students’ Organization. She is interested in practicing within the corporate or restructuring fields.
Liam McElhiney	Liam is a native of Massachusetts. Liam graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science. Prior to coming to Texas, Liam worked in development for a defense contractor in Massachusetts. During his first summer, Liam worked for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid in Laredo, TX. After graduation, Liam is interested in pursuing a career in international transaction or commercial litigation.
Ryan Meyer Director of Development	Ryan is from Dallas and received a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and a Bachelor of Arts in history from Southern Methodist University. He has worked as a judicial intern with the Honorable A. Joe Fish in the Northern District of Texas and in the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office. This past summer, Ryan worked for K&L Gates in Dallas and the Federal Trade Commission’s Southwest Regional Office. After graduation, he plans to return to K&L Gates in Dallas.
Emil Mikkelsen	Emil Melchior Mikkelsen is from the proud kingdom of Denmark. He received his law degree, with a strong focus on administrative law from Aarhus University in 2012. During Law School Emil was chairman of the conservative student organization and involved in various political and lobbying activities. The final years of Law School and up till the move to Texas, Emil worked at an environmental law firm in Aarhus, where he primarily dealt with utility companies and property. Emil has done non-degree seeking studies at Baylor Law School in Waco and is now working on his LLM in Global Energy, International Arbitration and Environmental law at University of Texas. This summer, Emil permanently settled in Texas and now lives with his wife in Georgetown.
Brandan Montminy	Brandan received his B.A. in business administration and political science from Austin College in 2010. He worked for a local Austin firm doing patent litigation for his 1L summer and during the fall semester of his 2L year. He will be spending his summer working for firms in both Beaumont and Houston focusing primarily on litigation.
Mallory Owen Article and Notes Editor	Mallory is from Dallas and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in urban studies and history, and from Oxford University with a master’s degree in global governance and diplomacy. During her 1L summer, Mallory received a Rappoport Fellowship to work for Protimos, a London-based organization dedicated to building the legal capacity of indigenous and marginalized communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. She was also a judicial intern for the Honorable Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn of the Northern District of Texas. This summer Mallory will be working for Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York. She is interested in a career in international arbitration.
Danielle Oxford	Danielle Oxford is from Beaumont, Texas, and received her undergraduate degree in Plan II Honors from the University of Texas at Austin, completing a thesis on domestic human trafficking. This past summer Danielle interned with Bridges Across Borders South East Asia Community Legal Education Initiative in Chaing Mai, Thailand, and during the summer of 2013 will be riding her bike from Austin, TX to Anchorage, AK as a member of Livestrong Texas 4000 for Cancer in order to raise funds for cancer research. Danielle is interested in international human rights law, criminal law, and non-profit law issues. She is a member of the Human Rights Law Society and is currently enrolled in the Capital Punishment Clinic. Outside of law school, Danielle enjoys traveling and serving as a mentor to youth in West Austin.
Puja Parekh	Puja graduated from UT Austin with a degree in Plan II Honors and History. While in law school, she has been a board member of both Assault & Flattery and the Domestic Violence Survivor Support Network. In the past, she has interned for the Honorable Judge Nancy F. Atlas for the Federal District Court in Houston. She spent the last summer working for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Houston and Figari & Davenport in Dallas. Upon graduation, she plans to practice corporate, energy, and transactional law. Her interests outside the law include writing, dancing, and theater.
Cynthia Perez	Cynthia Perez is from Comfort, Texas, and graduated from Baylor University with a major in International Studies and a minor in Spanish. While a student at UT Law, she has served as secretary for the Chicano/Hispanic Law Student Association and is a member of the Texas Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy, Streetlaw, and the Christian Legal Society. She has worked for Akin Gump Hauer & Feld for the past two summers, with Appleseed during her first summer, and is currently working for the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). She enjoys watching professional soccer, reading, and salsa dancing. After graduation she will be returning to Akin Gump in Houston.
Alexander Petak	Alex Petak is from Meyerland, Texas, and received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin. While in law school, he has helped form a new organization bridging the gap between business and law students, been a part of the Domestic Violence Survivor Support Network, and has thoroughly enjoyed being a part of Assault and Flattery. Alex worked in the Houston Federal Courthouse during his 1L summer, and worked at a criminal tax defense firm his 2L summer. Alex is interested in international business and energy law. Outside of law school, he enjoys racquetball, beach volleyball, and volunteering at Scare for the Cure.
Salima Pirmohamed	Salima is originally from New York City but now calls Houston home. Before law school, Salima was a Teach for America corps member (NYC ’03), and she also worked as a policy analyst in the Mayor’s Office for the City of Houston. She is actively pursuing a legal career in international and domestic human rights. Salima has been a clinical student with the UT Capital Punishment Center for the last year. This summer she will intern at the Texas Defender Service as a Whitehurst Public Interest Fellow. Salima is also the recipient of a Rapaport Center Human Rights Internship, and in the fall of 2012 expects to intern at the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania.
Christopher Plummer	Chris is a San Antonio native who graduated from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. Intensely focused on business law, contracts, and transactions of all types, Chris has been researching secured financing systems in India. Chris has previously worked for the Supreme Court of Texas and for the Federal Trade Comission. Outside of law school, Chris is an avid traveler and scuba diver, having recently visited New Zealand and Australia and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Stephen Pulsipher Articles and Notes Editor	Stephen Pulsipher is from Simi Valley, California, and received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University. While in law school, he has been involved in the Action Committee for Career Services, the Health Law and Bioethics Society and the J. Reuben Clark Law Society. During his first summer, Stephen worked for the State Office of Administrative Hearings. Stephen is interested in health law and international law issues. In his free time, Stephen enjoys rock climbing and swimming..
Brian Quillen	Brian Quillen graduated cum laude from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he was awarded the Outstanding Leader of a Student Organization as President of Georgetown’s Mock Trial program. He is a second-year student at the University of Texas School of Law. Brian is the current President of OUTLaw (UT Law’s LGBTQ group) and an active member in the Chicano/Hispanic Law Student Association. He is a William Wayne Justice Center Public Service Scholar and serves on the Justice Center Student Advisory Board. Since May of 2012, Brian has been the law clerk for Texas Legal Services: Criminal Victims Unit, a non-profit that provides free legal services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. This summer, Brian will be interning for the United Nations at the International Labor Office in Geneva, Switzerland where he will be researching national legislation and evaluating those laws against international labor standards.
Rachel Ratcliffe	Rachel Ratcliffe is originally from Norman, Oklahoma. She received her B. AD. in 2011 from the University of Oklahoma with a major in International Business and Finance and a minor in French. During law school, she has served as Staff Editor for the Texas International Law Journal, Vice President of Speakers for the Texas Federalist Society, and Sutton Society Coordinator through the UT Law Society Program. Last summer, she worked for a law firm in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. During the summer of 2013, she will be working as a summer associate for King & Spalding in Atlanta and Mayer Brown of Houston. She will also serve as Chief Articles Editor of the Review of Litigation in the coming year.
Renee Rayne	Renee is originally from Tennessee and graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Arts in European Studies. Her interest in international relations led her to study abroad in Edinburgh where she interned for John Lamont in the Scottish Parliament. Last summer, Renee interned for Magistrate Judge E. Clifton Knowles of the Middle District of Tennessee. This summer, she will be staying in Austin to work in health law with Gjerset & Lorenz.
Ramon Rodriguez Articles and Notes Editor	Ramon was born in El Paso. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with minors in philosophy and business. Ramon was a member of the Immigration Clinic and worked on a Mexican asylum case. The case is set for a full hearing in November, where Ramon and co-counsel will represent the asylum claimant. Ramon would like to practice commercial litigation and immigration upon graduation. His interests include playing racquetball, white-water rafting, and spending time with friends and family.
Timothy Roy	Timothy graduated with a degree in history from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, and then came straight to the University of Texas. After his first year of law school, he took a break (or “dropped out” as his brothers like to say) and joined the US Army, serving as a paratrooper in Alaska and Afghanistan. Before returning to Texas, he motorcycled from Alaska to Argentina. In law school, he has participated in the Mock Trial Team, Street Law, RioGrande Pro Bono Week in January, and interned in the Williamson County Attorney’s Office. Upon graduation he will clerk for the Honorable Judge Micaela Alvarez (S.D. – Tex). He likes motorcycling, exercising, reading, travel, and hanging out.
Joe Rubio III	Joe is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance with a minor in accounting and was a member of the Texas Iron Spikes and the Texas Cowboys. Originally from Laredo, Joe spent the summer after his 1L year in San Antonio completing a judicial internship at the Fourth Court of Appeals for the Honorable Justice Marialyn Barnard. After graduation Joe intends to litigate in South Texas.
Stephanie Rzepka	Stephanie Rzepka is from Erie, Pennsylvania, and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Mary Washington. Stephanie worked for Tucker Ellis LLP this past summer and enjoys competitive horseback riding.
Natalie Salvaggio	Natalie is a joint degree student earning her masters in Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School of Public Policy. She attended the University of Florida and earned a BA in political science with a specialty in international relations as well as a BA in anthropology. She is on the Student Recruitment and Orientation Committee, and is a volunteer with the law school’s youth court program. She is also involved with the Chicano/Hispanic Law Students Association. She currently serves as the CHLSA education chair, and has been elected President for the 2012–2013 school year. After graduation she plans on working with the federal government.
Jaaron Sanderson Symposium Editor	Jaaron is the Symposium Director for TILJ. He is organizing this year’s Symposium, The Nation State and Its Banks: Should Banks Be Closely Linked to the State?, with Professor Jay Westbrook. He is a Texas native and graduated in 2002 from the University of Texas, Austin, where he studied English and French literature and philosophy. He worked for nine years in the private sector running a mid-size plastics company before returning to UT in 2010. During his first summer, Jaaron interned in the Anti-trust Division at the Texas Attorney General’s Office and in the Family Justice Division of the Travis County District Attorney’s office. This past summer, Jaaron clerked for a federal judge and he currently works as a research assistant for Professors Robertson and Westbrook. A member of the Mock Trial Team, he is active in the Inns of Court and plans to pursue a litigation career after graduation.
Cedric Seley	Cedric Seley is from Dallas, Texas, and received a BBA in Management from Loyola University New Orleans and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. For his summer internship in graduate school, Cedric worked for a real estate developer in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Cedric is a 2L representative on the Student Bar Association. This past summer, he worked as a judicial intern for the Northern District of Texas and is interested in corporate law and is still looking at transcational and litigation. Outside of law school, he enjoys fantasy football, movies, and traveling.
Surim Seo	Surim was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up in Korea, College Station, and Irvine, CA. She graduated from the University of Southern California in 2011 with a B.S. in Music Industry and B.A. in East Asian Languages and Cultures. Last summer, Surim spent three months in Seoul working for Barun Law and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. Surim will be working for Pricewaterhouse Coopers in the International Tax Services division of the NYC office this summer.
Chenjing Shen Executive Editor	Chenjing graduated from Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade with a BA in International Event Management. She also minored in law at East China University of Political Science and Law. This past summer, Chenjing worked at the New York office of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP as a summer associate. She also interned for two judges in her first summer. Chenjing is interested in corporate and securities law. With knowledge of both Chinese and U.S. law, she plans to work on cross-border transactions in her future career.
Weina Sun	Weina Sun is from China and completed her undergraduate law study in Nankai University. While in college, she took part in American Law Program in US and egged in an internship in HongKong. Now she is a LLM student and join in TILJ this year. Weina is interested in business law and international law. In leisure time, she likes cooking, traveling very much.
J. Baird Smith	Baird Smith is from Denton, Texas and received his undergraduate degree in History from Baylor University in 2000. While in law school, he has been involved in the Lloyd Lochridge American Inn of Court and worked as a Legal Research and Writing Teaching Assistant (a “TQ”) during his 2L year. During the Spring 2012 semester, Baird interned at the Texas Supreme Court with the Honorable Phil Johnson. After law school, Baird will join the law firm Naman Howell Smith & Lee in Austin.
Marina Stefanova	Marina Stefanova is from San Antonio, Texas and received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in Science, Technology, and International Affairs. While in law school, she has worked as a student attorney at the Immigration Clinic and has participated in the Rural Outreach Initiative with the Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. She is currently a Legal Research and Writing Teaching Assistant and a member of the Legal Research Board. Last summer, Marina interned with Judge Rodriguez at the District Court for the Western District of Texas in San Antonio. This summer, she will be a summer associate at Thompson & Knight and SNR Denton in Dallas.
Weina Sun	Weina Sun is from China and completed her undergraduate law study in Nankai University. While in college, she took part in American Law Program in US and egged in an internship in HongKong. Now she is a LLM student and join in TILJ this year. Weina is interested in business law and international law. In leisure time, she likes cooking and travel.
Austin Thomas Article and Notes Editor	Austin is from Houston and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Rice University. As an undergrad, she worked at several non-profits, including Scenic Houston, an organization dedicated to improving Houston’s urban landscape. Before starting law school, Austin spent a year studying Spanish and traveling in Argentina. Last year, Austin participated in UT Law’s Pro Bono in January trip to the Texas Valley, where students hosted a wills clinic for underprivileged residents in the area. During her second summer, Austin worked at Baker Botts and Locke Lord in Houston. After graduation she will be returning to Baker Botts to work in their estate planning section.
Gwendolyn Vindell	Gwen is from Brownsville, and received her undergraduate degree in international business with a minor in German from the University of Texas. While in law school, she has been involved with the Pro Bono Program as a Pro Bono Scholar and has participated in both the Immigration and National Security Clinics. Last summer, Gwen worked for United States District Court Judge Andrew S. Hanen for the Southern District of Texas and for the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C. This summer she will be working for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in D.C. Outside of law school, she enjoys traveling, trying new foods, and Latin dancing.
Jing Tong Article and Notes Editor	Jing Tong was born and raised in the Jiangsu Province of China. He received his undergraduate degree in philosophy from Wuhan University. He spent the past summer with the federal court in the Western District of Texas. During his 2L summer, he will work as a summer associate at Vinson & Elkins in Houston. He is primarily interested in transactions and international arbitration. Outside of law school, Jing enjoys reading, history, politics, and spending time with his wife.
Matthew Van Leeuwen Student Notes Editor	Matt graduated from Brigham Young University before working in structured mortgage finance. He came to the University of Texas to earn an MBA, which he completed in 2008. After graduation, Matt worked as member of the founding team for a start-up company in California before enrolling in law school. During his summers, Matt has interned at the Supreme Court of Texas, and the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. He hopes to practice corporate and securities law upon graduation. In his spare time, he enjoys outdoor activities with his wife, sampling barbecue restaurants, and low-resource gardening.
Brita Wallace	Brita Wallace is from Austin, Texas, and received her undergraduate degree in Spanish from Trinity University. Brita spent a semester abroad during her undergraduate studies studying in Seville, Spain. During her first summer, she worked for the Texas Supreme Court and the Child Support Division of the Attorney General’s Office. She is interested in constitutional and international law issues. Outside of law school, Brita is an avid equestrian currently preparing her young horse for the hunter-jumper circuit. She enjoys reading, film, and travel.
Meredith Weaver	Meredith Weaver is from Georgetown, Texas, and received a B.A. from Brown University in International Relations. She is currently serving as a Human Rights Scholar at the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice. During her first summer, Meredith worked for Disability Rights Texas, a federally designated legal protection and advocacy agency. Meredith is interested in international human rights law and private international law. Outside of law school, she enjoys travel, cooking and being outdoors.
Elissa Wev	Elissa is a second-year staff member, and also sits on the 2013 TILJ Symposium committee. She recently interned with the U.S. Department of Commerce as a law clerk in the Office of Chief Counsel for Import Administration. Outside of TILJ, Elissa has competed in intramural and interscholastic mock trial and moot court competitions, as well as volunteered with UT Law’s Youth Court. A native of Galveston, Texas, Elissa studied Public Relations and Spanish/Portuguese as an undergraduate at The University of Texas at Austin. She is currently studying abroad in Porto Alegre, Brazil where she is improving her Portuguese, planning her next attempt at samba dancing, and searching for the country’s best caipirinha.
Yang (Amelia) Xu Submission Editor	Amelia is originally from Beijing, China. She graduated from Peking University with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a LL.B. from PKU law school. After graduating, she clerked for the largest Chinese law firm King & Wood, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP Beijing office, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation legal department. There she worked on various inbound and outbound investments, energy deals, and international capital markets deals. She summered with Mayer Brown Houston over her 1L summer. She was also a judicial intern for the Honorable Judge Gray Miller of the Southern District of Texas in Houston. Amelia will clerk for Mayer Brown and Cadwalader New York this summer. She is interested in international arbitration and international economic regulation. Amelia loves Asian cuisine, fantasy movies, and traveling with friends.
Angela Yu	Angela was born in Hefei, Anhui, China and raised in Plano and received her undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin. While in law school, she has been involved in the law school musical theater organization, is a member of the Action Committee for Career Services with the Career Services Office, and plans to study abroad in Beijing in the fall of 2012. Angela is interested in litigation and international law. Outside of law school, she enjoys music performance, food and nutrition, and travel.
Nathan Zhang	Nathan graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a degree in economics and philosophy. After college, Nathan worked as a legal assistant in New York. He then spent his past summer in Houston, working for the U.S. District Court, and plans to return to that city to begin his practice. Nathan also served on the board of directors for the National Asian Pacific Law Student Association. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and dining.
Hannah Zimmermann Submission Editor	Hannah graduated from Franklin & Marshall College in 2008 with a degree in English and International Government. After college, she worked in Washington, D.C. at a global microfinance non-profit before teaching English in Costa Rica for a year prior to coming to law school. Hannah is pursuing a career in public service and international human rights, and has volunteered with the ACLU and Youth Court while in Austin. This summer she will be working at American Gateways.