November 2009

1950s

Ronald C. Martin ('55), Retired District Attorney, 10th Judicial District of Louisiana.

1960s

Ben R. Miller ('61) was elected to the Board of Directors of LANO, Louisiana Association of Non-Profit Organizations.

Paul H. Dué (’66), Dué, Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews, was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2010 in the areas of Personal Injury Litigation and Product Liability.  Paul has been recognized by Best Lawyers every year since 1995 and was selected by Best Lawyers as the 2009 Personal Injury Litigation Lawyer of the Year for Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  Paul also received the 2009 Stalwart Award from the Louisiana Association for Justice.

Charles S. McCowan, Jr. ('67), a senior partner in the Baton Rouge office, has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL). The ACTL is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious professional organizations composed of preeminent trial lawyers in the United States and Canada. McCowan was inducted into the College at its Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts in October.  McCowan is a founding member of Kean Miller.

James M. Funderburk ('69), President of Duval, Funderburk, Sundbery, Lovell & Watkins. Forty years of practicing general civil litigation specializing in maritime, mineral and utility law. Past President of the Terrebonne Parish Bar Association; Past Board of Governors of the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association. Martindale-Hubbell AV Rating.

Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson ('69). The American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession will honor Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson of the Louisiana Supreme Court with a Spirit of Excellence Award, recognizing her unwavering commitment to enhancing diversity in the legal profession. The commission will present the award to Justice Johnson Feb. 6, during the 2010 ABA Midyear meeting in Orlando, Florida.

Harvey Perry (‘69), Retired General Counsel CenturyLink, Inc., Currently Vice Chairman Board of Directors, CenturyLink, Inc.

1970s

John J. Lee, Jr., ('75), Mollere Flanagan and Landry, is proud to announce his daughter Katherine N. Lee, is a member of the LSU Law Class 2010.

Charles Sartain (’76) Looper, Reed & McGraw, has been appointed to the Texas independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association’s Sunset Task Force.

Charles A. Landry ('77), Jones Walker, will shortly begin his second year as Chairman of the Board of the LSU Foundation. Landry was re-elected Chairman of the Board at the Foundation's annual meeting. The LSU Foundation is the primary academic fundraising organization for Louisiana State University. Landry has served on the LSU Foundation Board of Directors since 1999. An active, highly involved member of the LSU Foundation, he has served as Building Committee Chairman since 2001, has served as Governance Committee Chairman since 2003, and served as Audit Committee Chairman from 2003–2004.

Kenneth Roosa ('77), Cooke Roosa, LLC, was recognized in 2009 as an Alaska Super Lawyer in Personal Injury.

J. Michael Parker (’78)  has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the prestigious legal associations in America. Parker is a partner in the firm of Taylor Porter and has been practicing in Baton Rouge for 31 years.

1980s

Bruce R. Hoefer, Jr. ('80), Adams, Hoefer, Holwadel & Eldridge, L.L.C.;  Energy, Maritime, General Insurance Litigation.

Vance A. Gibbs ('82), a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller Hawthorne D’Armond McCowan & Jarman LLP,  has been appointed to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation National Board of Trustees.  The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cure for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Susan Halsey ('83), a Jackson Walker L.L.P. partner in the Fort Worth office, was named a 2009 Fort Worth "Power Attorney." Halsey is a partner with over 25 years of experience in the Real Estate section of Jackson Walker in Fort Worth. She is the current statewide chair of the firm’s Real Estate practice group, which includes approximately 40 lawyers located in six offices.

M'elise (Marie B.) Trahan ('84), elected Crowley City Court Judge on Nov. 4, 2008. Her six-year term commenced Jan. 1, 2009.

Anna R. Gray ('85), The Gray Law Firm APLC in Lake Charles, enjoys practicing with her husband, A. J. Gray, III (Jack) ('67), who specializes in issues arising from land ownership with an emphasis on mineral law. Anna specializes in employment law and business litigation.

David K. Nelson ('85), Kean Miller Hawthorne D'Armond, McCowan and Jarman, LLP was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2010 in the area of Construction Law.

Sessions Ault Hootsell III ('86), Phelps Dunbar LLP, is a partner in the commercial litigation group in the New Orleans office.  For more than 20 years, Ault has counseled corporate and individual clients on a full range of disputes. His practice includes the handling of complex commercial and tort litigation matters, including class action and mass tort litigation.  Ault has been recognized by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of Bankruptcy/Restructuring and by The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law. He is Board Certified in Business Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification and a Board Certified Business Bankruptcy Law Specialist by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization.

Donald W. Price (’89), Due’, Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews, has been selected to serve as 2009-10 president of the Louisiana Association for Justice.

1990s

Josh M. Kantrow ('90), Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP, was appointed co-chair of the firm's Technology and Cyber-Risk Practice Group. Wilson Elser has offices in 20 cities across the United States, and is is ranked among the top law firms identified by The American Lawyer and listed in the "Top 50" by The National Law Journal.  Josh practices in the firm's Chicago office.

Stephen W. Mullins ('92). The Mississippi Association of Justice (MAJ), one of the state’s largest bar organizations, announced Steve Mullins as President for 2009-2010. The MAJ, formerly known as the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, was founded in 1963 and has grown to include approximately 1,000 members statewide. Mullins is a partner with Luckey & Mullins, PLLC in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He is the first LSU law graduate to be named President of the MAJ.

B. Scott Andrews (’96), Dué, Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews, was elected Treasurer of the Northwestern State University Foundation Board of Directors for the 2009-2011 term. Scott has served on the NSU Foundation Board since 2006.

2000s

Emily Black Grey (’00), Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson LLP, was recognized as the 2009 Female Mentor of the Year by Postlethwaite & Netterville in recognition of her dedication to mentoring young women and helping them succeed in their careers and personal lives.

Dan E. Stigall ('00) recently began working as a Trial Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs (OIA) in Washington D.C.

Billy Davis ('06) moved to Atlanta, Georgia to practice defense litigation in both commercial and professional negligence cases with Hawkins & Parnell, LLP.

Stuart Theron Welch ('07), Liskow & Lewis, joined the firm as a Lafayette Associate in the aviation, toxic tort, and environmental litigation, business litigation, energy litigation, and environmental law sections.

Ashley Foret ('08) joined the firm Stockwell, Sievert, Viccellio, Clements, Shaddock, L.L.P. as Of Counsel practicing Immigration Law in Lake Charles, LA.

Benjamin M. Anderson is an associate attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. Anderson practices in the Commercial Litigation and Intellectual Property practice groups.

Brian W. Capell ('09), Liskow & Lewis, joined the firm as a Lafayette Associate in the business litigation, energy litigation, environmental law and maritime, oilfield and insurance sections.

Brian M. Chustz (’09), has joined Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, LLP as an associate.

Michael deBarros ('09), U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, Law Clerk, Chief Judge Ralph E. Tyson.

Jonathan S. Forester ('09), Blue Williams, L.L.P.

Melissa Grand ('09), Adams and Reese LLP, has joined the firm's Baton Rouge office as an Associate in the Litigation Practice Group.

Matthew C. Meiners ('09), is an associate attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller.  Meiners practices in the Business and Corporate practice group

John M. Parker, Jr. (’09), has joined Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, LLP as an associate.

Devin C. Reid ('09), Liskow & Lewis, joined the firm as a New Orleans Associate in the maritime, oilfield, and insurance section.

Kristi Wagley Richard ('09) has joined the firm of McGlinchey Stafford in its Baton Rouge office as an associate in the business section of the firm.

L. Adam Thames (’09), has joined Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, LLP as an associate.

The LSU Law Center community mourns the passing of the following alumni whose deaths were reported since the date of our last newsletter publication.

Edgar Lancaster ('48)

Col. Thomas Kirkpatrick ('68)

David G. Helfrich ('69)

Professor Ernest S. Easterly ('77)