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Hicks Johnson partner Penny Nicholson, a veteran appellate practitioner board-certified in civil appellate law, has spent the past 30 years at the forefront of this evolving practice area. As a partner at Vinson & Elkins, she helped co-found the firm’s appellate section in 1990—one of the first in Texas. Here, Penny discusses her history at V&E, her current appellate practice at Hicks Johnson, her approach to appellate law, and what makes appellate lawyers an invaluable addition to any trial practice.

Karchen is a rising 3L at the University of Chicago Law School, where he participates in the International Law Society and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. He also served as the vice president and events director of UChicago Law Effective Altruism, a group that applies an evidence-based approach to helping law students undertake effective public interest and pro bono work. Previously, Karchen was an advocacy fellow with Reprieve, a London-based human rights organization that builds public momentum around high-impact causes like Guantánamo Bay, human trafficking, and drone strikes. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Political Science.

April is a rising 3L at Duke University School of Law, where she serves as staff editor of Law and Contemporary Problems and as a research assistant for the Wilson Center for Science and Justice. Previously, she was a summer associate at a firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, that handles insurance, reinsurance, healthcare regulation, and employment disputes. She graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in Political Science.

Lori C. Arakaki joined Hicks Johnson as a senior associate in March 2023. She handles complex commercial disputes before federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate levels. Previously, Lori practiced in the litigation group at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP’s San Francisco office. She also spent several years as an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP’s Los Angeles office.

Matthew is a rising 3L at Washington University School of Law, where he serves as an executive articles editor for the Journal of Law & Policy, the vice president of the Federalist Society, and the former vice justice of Phi Alpha Delta. Previously, Matthew worked as a law clerk in the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, General Litigation, and interned at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas. He graduated from Georgetown University with a B.A. in Physics and History.    

Austin is a rising 3L at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he participates in the Virginia Journal of Law & Technology and the Extramural Moot Court Team. He also belongs to Lone Star Lawyers, UVA’s networking group for students interested in the Texas legal market. Previously, Austin interned at the Travis County District Attorney’s Office in Austin. He graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Social Studies.

Chase Hinman served as a project assistant from May 2021 to July 2022 after  graduating from Rice University with a double major in Philosophy and Kinesiology. Now a 1L at Yale Law School, Chase reconnected with us to discuss his time at Hicks Johnson and his career goals.

Gordon recently graduated from the University of Mississippi with a major in Political Science and Government. Previously, he served as a legal assistant at a litigation boutique in New Orleans.

Sean recently graduated from Rice University with a major in Psychology and a minor in Politics, Law, and Social Thought. His legal experience includes a judicial internship with Judge Andrew S. Hanen of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, an internship with the Houston firm Schwartz Immigration Law, and an executive board position with the Rice Pre-Law Society.

Wafa is a rising 3L at Washington University School of Law, where she is active in the school’s Women of Color Law Society, International Law Society, and South Asian Law Society. Previously, she served as a judicial intern to Justice Veronica Rivas Molloy of the Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas. She graduated from the University of Houston with a B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Ben is a rising 3L at the University of Houston Law Center, where he sits on the board of the Houston Law Review. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Psychology with honors. He returns to Hicks Johnson after completing the firm’s summer law internship program last summer.