Each week in Bar Code, the Austin Bar’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee spotlights an exceptional attorney who has contributed to diversity in the legal profession. Below are some of the recent profiles.
Ketan Kharod
Ketan Kharod is of-counsel at Guerrero & Whittle, PLLC, representing plaintiffs in personal injury and environmental justice litigation. Ketan first came to Austin in 1997 to attend UT Law School, and then was fortunate to clerk for U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks after earning his J.D. in 2000. After his clerkship, Ketan was a briefing and litigation attorney on behalf of clients injured by asbestos and other toxic exposures, and for whistleblowers in qui tam litigation before joining Guerrero & Whittle in 2017.
As much as Ketan enjoys being a lawyer, he tries to have a life outside the law, whether as a husband, parent, or community member. He is a former longtime board member of Asian Family Support Services of Austin (AFSSA), which provides culturally specific services to survivors of domestic violence, abuse, and trafficking. From 2016-2019, Ketan served as a city councilmember (and, later, mayor pro tem) for the City of Sunset Valley, becoming one of the first Indian-American elected officials in Central Texas. He was a co-founder of the Indian American Coalition of Texas and is a lifetime member of the South Asian Bar Association of Austin (SABAA) and Austin Asian American Bar Association (AAABA). He has also been recognized by the UT Division of Diversity and Community Engagement and State Bar of Texas – APIS for community service over the years.
Ketan is a vital member of the Austin Bar Association Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee whose invaluable contributions to the Equity Summit helped make it a successful and impactful event.
Johnathan Stone
Johnathan Stone is a civil litigator with the Office of the Texas Attorney General as a senior attorney in the General Litigation Division. His practice is primarily administrative, employment, constitutional, and health law. He is board certified in administrative law.
Johnathan is president of the Austin Black Lawyers Association and a member of the State Bar of Texas (SBOT) Administrative & Public Law Section Council. He is a member and former chair of the SBOT Administration of Rules of Evidence Committee, which is tasked with monitoring and proposing revisions to the Texas Rules of Evidence and related statutes. Johnathan spent three years as a District 9 subcommittee member of the Supreme Court of Texas’s Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee. He is a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a member of the Texas Bar College.
Johnathan has participated in LeadershipSBOT, Austin City Works Academy, the Leadership Austin EMERGE program, Austin Young Lawyers Association (AYLA) Leadership Academy, and several SBOT Bar Leaders Conferences. He is a former Texas Young Lawyers Association director for District 9 and member of AYLA.
Johnathan graduated from the University of Missouri, where he majored in history. He met his future wife, Ayeola Williams, in law school at the University of Toledo. They both graduated from law school in 2010. Ayeola is the deputy general counsel at Capital Metro. They have three children: Iman, Ali, and Idris.
April Griffin
April has served as in-house counsel for several state agencies, advising clients on matters pertaining to government procurement, open government law, agency rulemaking, legislative issues, special education, rehabilitative services, employment, and policy issues.
As a solo practitioner, April has handled estate planning, probate, and guardianship matters. She has served as legal counsel for individuals and business entities handling transactional matters including business development, entity formation, filings, entity status changes, contract review, contract formation, negotiations, breach of contract and termination issues.
April is a proud supporter of veterans’ rights, having served active duty in the United States Air Force for more than seven years. She is a board member for the Austin Black Lawyers Association Foundation and a council member of the State Bar of Texas Administrative and Public Law Section. April also serves as a commissioner on the Travis County ESD 2 Board.
Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch
Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch is the managing partner of Lincoln-Goldfinch Law and is a preeminent immigration lawyer. After receiving her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law, she received an Equal Justice Works Fellowship in 2008, completed at American Gateways. Her fellowship project served detained families seeking asylum. After her fellowship, she began her private immigration-focused practice. Her firm offers family-based immigration, such as green cards and naturalization, deportation defense, and humanitarian cases such as asylum, U Visa, and VAWA. Everyone at Lincoln-Goldfinch Law is bilingual, has a connection to their passion, and has demonstrated a history of activism for immigrants.
Kate is a former member of the City of Austin’s Commission on Immigrant Affairs, is the pro bono liaison for the American Immigration Lawyers Association Texas Chapter, and serves on the Board of Directors of VECINA, an immigration mentoring organization.
For all the above examples of her dedication to families in need, Kate was one of the recipients of the Travis County Women Lawyers Association 2023 Pathfinders awards.
Elliott Beck
Elliott Beck is a staff attorney for the 345th District Court, serving with Judge Jan Soifer since she took the bench in 2017. Prior to working for Travis County, Elliott began his career in civil litigation, where he had the opportunity to represent members of the LGBTQ+ community in civil, family, and employment matters. Elliott served as the chair of the LGBT Section of the Austin Bar Association, and under his leadership formed its first scholarship program that continues to this day.
Later, as chair of the LGBT Section of the State Bar of Texas, Elliott focused on connecting and providing resources to LGBTQ+ affinity groups across the state. He and his board also drafted legislative proposals to the State Bar seeking to remove discriminatory laws from the Texas Constitution and Health and Safety Code, and regularly testified at the capitol on these efforts. Elliott remains a strong statewide voice in support of and advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.
Elliott is a past chair of the AYLA Leadership Academy, and currently serves on the board of directors of the Austin Bar Association, where he co-chairs the DEI Committee with Leslie Dippel. This year, the committee successfully planned and presented the first in-person Equity Summit, which registered more than 110 attendees, and looks forward to even bigger numbers next year.
At home, Elliott enjoys time with his husband of five years, Ryan Beck, their greyhound, Minnie, and their chihuahua, Bernie. The whole family loves to eat, and the humans enjoy wine, travel, and exploring the city.