2015 Send your 2015 class notes and photos to Amanda Diedrich at (classnotesustlaw2015@ gmail.com). ______________________________ Jamie Briones is now a Shareholder at Fafinski Mark & Johnson in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Jamie handles a wide variety of commercial and employment litigation matters, along with defamation and reputation protection, products liability, aviation, and probate and trust litigation matters.
Patricia Alonso Galera moved to Madrid, welcomed two children, and joined startup Devintec Pharma, where she helped scale operations across 33 countries. She now serves as Vice President and leads the company’s U.S. expansion to improve health outcomes for chronic patients. Megan (Mejia) Lange recently relocated to Denmark for her husband’s role with the LEGO Group. After settling into family life and embracing the Danish tradition of hygge, Megan is beginning a new professional chapter with Kamstrup, working in product compliance. Kerry (O’Keefe) Luyster is now a Principal Regulatory Affairs Specialist in the Interventional Oncology and Embolization unit at Boston Scientific. Brett (Copeland) McKellar transitioned to the Milwaukee Appellate Office of the Wisconsin State Public Defender after nearly seven years in the Trial Division, serving in both the Kenosha and Milwaukee trial offices.
Maria (Pitner) Plese is now a Vice President and Wealth and Fiduciary Advisor at Evercore Wealth Management & Trust Company. Her practice is focused on advising ultra-high net worth individuals and families in the areas of tax and wealth transfer planning.
Kevin Niedenfuer practices personal injury defense in North Texas, where he has found his niche as a trial attorney. He has first chaired more than 12 jury trials and second chaired more than 20 others. Kevin and his wife are busy raising three boys, ages 5, 3, and 1. Bradley Yenter and his wife, Alyssa, welcomed their third child, Aaron James, in October. Aaron joins big sisters Arden and Addie.
Derek Stewart and his wife welcomed twins, Sadie and Jones, and moved into a new home for their growing family. Professionally, Derek was named Partner at Meshbesher & Spence in Minneapolis. 2018 Send your 2018 class notes and photos to Wally (Hwang) Behmer (jshwang423@ gmail.com). ______________________________ Josh Curry is now a shareholder at Winthrop & Weinstine. His practice focuses on venture capital and early-stage equity financings, representing startups, growth-stage companies, investors, and family offices, while also advising real estate developers and asset managers on fund formation, financing, and joint venture structuring.
Patrick Lucke started a new role as Associate General Counsel at Garda Capital Partners in Wayzata. The firm is a hedge fund focused on fixed income relative value strategies. Lea Westman joined Merchant & Gould’s New York Office in January 2025 as a Partner, practicing patent law. 2016 Send your 2016 class notes and photos to Rachel Scherf at (racheleliedavis@gmail.com) or Chris Clark (christopher.clark@ stthomas.edu). ______________________________ Meghan (Marty) Gilligan and Michael Gilligan '18 LL.M. share that Eloise (“Elsie”) Jane Gilligan joined big sister Charlotte on August 8, 2025. “We are all over the moon she is here and she has been the best addition to our family.”
Patrick O'Neil joined the partnership at Larson • King. He is looking forward to this next chapter of his legal career, continuing to serve clients both in Minnesota and across the country. Christina (Espey-Sundt) Pettersen is now a Senior Advisor with the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration in Oslo, Norway. She and her husband also welcomed their daughter, Ingrid, in October 2024.
2017 Send your 2017 class notes and photos to Megan Lange at (megannmejia@gmail.com). ______________________________ The Class of '17 is going global, making partner, and welcoming the next generation!
Page 28 St. Thomas Lawyer
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