Press Release

Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced that three of its San Antonio-based attorneys were chosen to hold leadership positions with the Bexar County Women’s Bar Foundation for 2019. Lindsay Riley was named president-elect, Danielle Rushing will serve as secretary, and Melanie Fry will remain in her position as a director with the Foundation.

In addition, both Rushing and Dykema attorney Rachel Skinner Fernandez were selected to be a part of the Foundation’s LEAD (Lead. Empower. Advance. Develop.) Academy Class of 2019. The LEAD Academy aims to assist women attorneys in attaining the highest level of success in their firms and organizations, their communities, and the legal profession by teaching class members to lead in a way that is authentic and effective; empower themselves with self-awareness and self-confidence; advance in their firms or organizations; and develop robust professional networks. Riley and Fry have also previously participated in the Foundation’s LEAD Academy.

In her practice, Riley is a commercial litigator who advises clients with matters related to all stages of pretrial and trial work in state and federal court. She has experience representing companies in the energy, utilities and natural resources sectors, personal injury and product defects, and contract and business tort claims. She also represents insurance companies in coverage disputes and high-exposure bad faith cases arising from catastrophic weather events. She earned a J.D., magna cum laude, from the Texas Tech University School of Law and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas.

Fry leads Dykema’s appellate practice in San Antonio. She has briefed and won cases in the Texas Courts of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Fry’s experience includes high-stakes matters such as personal injury and product defects, contract and business tort claims, consumer financial services disputes, and oil and gas law.

Rushing’s practice focuses on bankruptcy and restructuring matters. She currently represents several multi-million dollar businesses, particularly oil and gas/energy companies, and has drafted and argued various motions in state and federal courts. Rushing earned a J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law and a B.S. from Louisiana State University.

Skinner Fernandez focuses her practice on commercial litigation and government contracts where she represents companies in a variety of disputes. She has experience handling federal procurement litigation, contract administration and claims litigation, as well as bid protest work. She has represented insurance companies in coverage disputes and high-exposure bad faith cases arising from catastrophic weather events in state and federal court, as well as various alternative resolution proceedings. She earned a J.D. from the Baylor University School of Law and a B.A. in Pre-Law from Palm Beach Atlantic University.