News

Christy Brown JD/MA '94 was named one of Wisconsin’s most influential Black leaders for 2023 by Madison 365. Christy became president of Alverno College last year.

Previously, she was chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Southeast Wisconsin and vice chancellor, finance and administrative affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Christy currently serves as a trustee for the Medical College of Wisconsin, is a member of the Duke Law Alumnae Council, and has held numerous leadership positions in Wisconsin’s legal, higher education, and nonprofit communities.

H. Hunter Bruton ’16 has joined Robinson Bradshaw as an associate in its Research Triangle office, where he focuses his litigation practice on legal strategy, critical motions, and appellate advocacy.

Hunter served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and to judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and was a Bristow Fellow in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Solicitor General. Before joining Robinson Bradshaw, he was an attorney in the Issues & Appeals Practice at Jones Day in Washington, D.C.

Caitlan Carberry ’21 has joined Robinson Bradshaw as an associate in its Research Triangle office. While at Duke Law, Catie was senior notes editor of Duke Law Journal.

Before joining Robinson Bradshaw, she clerked for Judge Louise W. Flanagan of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Prior to law school she taught middle-school English in the Bronx through Teach For America.

Matthew C. Gaudet ’97 has been appointed vice chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group at Duane Morris. Matthew, a partner in Atlanta, serves as co-chair of the Patent Litigation Division, bringing 25 years of experience in patent litigation serving clients such as Cisco Systems, Verizon, Yahoo, Comcast, and Microsoft.

He was previously recognized as one of the top five IP lawyers under 40 in the country by Law360.

Alissa Kelso ’15 has joined Bodman as a conflicts attorney and a member of the firm’s loss prevention team. Based in its Detroit office, Alissa helps manage the potential ethical conflict issues presented with new client and business opportunities and lateral hires.

Before joining Bodman, Alissa was in-house compliance counsel to a health services organization and spent several years in private practice as a litigation attorney representing clients in complex commercial disputes. She also has represented high level executives in antitrust actions and civil and criminal investigations, and public entities and municipalities in condemnation actions.

Melinda “Mindy” McNichols ’85 was selected as chair of the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. A longtime leader in education law in Florida, Mindy has served in leadership roles, including president, at the Florida School Board Attorneys Association and was awarded the C. Graham Carothers Award in 2019 for her contributions to education law and legal professionalism in Florida.

Mindy serves on the Florida Bar Education Law Certification Committee and works with Neola as a policy consultant for public school districts and state colleges.

Carrie Michaelis ’04 T ’98 has joined the Private Client & Trust Group at Goulston & Storrs in New York as a director. Carrie focuses her practice on advising high-net-worth individuals and their families on estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax matters; complex will and trust preparation; charitable giving; and estate and trust administration.

She was previously a partner at a boutique trusts and estates law firm in New York and spent more than a decade in the private clients groups of large law firms.

Clara Nieman ’23 has joined Robinson Bradshaw as an associate in its Research Triangle office. While at Duke Law, Clara was Year-in-Review editor of the Alaska Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. Prior to law school she earned a master of music in vocal performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music and performed as a classical mezzo-soprano with opera companies and orchestras nationwide.

Michael Rennock ’85 has joined Dentons in its Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies practice as a partner in the New York Meatpacking office. A corporate strategist with a national practice, Michael advises clients in a wide range of industries on M&A, joint ventures, securities offerings, IPOs and secondary offerings, corporate governance, and private equity and venture capital matters.

Anna Rips JD/MBA ’06 moved to Paul Hastings as a partner in the Investment Funds and Private Capital Practice of the firm’s New York office. Anna, a leading investment funds attorney, formerly practiced 17 years with Skadden. She focuses her practice on direct lending, private debt and credit funds, representing fund sponsors, asset managers, and investment advisers in the structuring and distribution of U.S. and international private offerings of investment funds.

Serena Agaba Rwejuna ’13, partner and co-head of the Energy Markets and Regulatory Practice at White & Case, was named an “Influential Women in Energy” honoree by Oil and Gas Investor and Hart Energy.

The program honors women of excellence in every sector of the energy industry, including exploration and production, acquisitions and divestitures, oilfield services, midstream, finance and the energy transition. Serena will join other honorees at the seventh annual Women in Energy luncheon on March 8 in Houston.

Caleb V. Strawn JD/MTS ’23 has joined Robinson Bradshaw as an associate in its Charlotte office. While at Duke Law, Caleb was senior research editor of Law & Contemporary Problems and a student attorney with the school’s Community Enterprise Clinic. Caleb simultaneously earned a master’s degree in theological studies from Duke Divinity School.

James Ennis Street ’23 has joined Robinson Bradshaw as an associate in its Charlotte office. While at Duke Law, James was executive editor of the Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law and content editor of the Duke Law & Technology Review, and also founded the Native American Law Students Association at Duke Law.

Jennifer M. Tenney ’04 was awarded Affiliate of the Year by the Marco Island Area Board of Realtors for outstanding contributions. A lifelong resident and community leader on Marco Island, Jennifer started her law career at Woodward, Pires & Lombardo and in 2020 opened her own practice, Tenney Law, focusing on real estate law, estate planning and probate, and elder law. 

Nathan Yang JD/LLM ’15 was promoted to partner in the Finance, Real Estate, and Corporate Department at Cades Schutte. Based in the firm’s Honolulu office, Nate focuses his practice on commercial finance, affordable housing, and business transactions, representing both lenders and borrowers from contract to close on commercial loans with an emphasis on project finance. His practice also involves advising on the development and finance of affordable housing projects.

Do you have news to share about a promotion, career move, or other honor? Send it to alumninotes@law.duke.edu!