Class Notes - March 2015
| Charles A. Landry ('77)–recently joined the Baton Rouge law firm of Fishman Haygood, LLP. |
| John F. McDermott ('78)–of the Baton Rouge law firm of Taylor Porter, has recently been appointed to the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council, with assignment to the small business/self-employed sub group. |
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William L. Caughman, III ('93)–of the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller, was recently named partner. Mr. Caughman's areas of practice are business and corporate, intellectual property, and business litigation groups. He has extensive experience in litigation matters, as well as transactions involving mergers and acquisitions, and contracting advice, as well as assisting clients in intellectual property matters involving trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and allegations of unfair competition. |
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Judge Robert Rideout ('98)–was awarded the "2015 Distinguished Alumni Award" by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Judge Rideout is the Hearing Office Chief Administrative Law Judge for the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review in Raleigh, North Carolina. Additionally, Lt. Col. Rideout is the Command Judge Advocate for the 207th Regional Support Group. Lt. Col. Rideout has had tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and has recently been selected to serve as a military judge. |
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Benton L. Toups ('00)–of the Wilmington, North Carolina firm of Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog, was recently recognized by Business North Carolina magazine as part of the magazine's Legal Elite program in the practice area of Employment Law. Mr. Toups was also recently selected for inclusion in the 2015 North Carolina Super Lawyers and 2015 North Carolina Rising Stars list. |
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| Alan Cohen ('01)–has joined the Austin, Texas law firm of Stahl, Bernal, Davies, Sewell & Chavarria as a senior attorney. |
| Greg Stevens ('04)–of the Baton Rouge office of Phelps Dunbar, has been promoted to counsel. Mr. Stevens practices in the areas of tort defense and workers' compensation defense, with particular focus on clients in both the oilfield and healthcare industries. |
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John C. Funderburk ('05)–of the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller, was recently named partner. Mr. Funderburk's areas of practice are in litigation and construction groups. He represents both individuals and corporations in complex environmental litigation, construction litigation, contract disputes, and oilfield contamination litigation in both state and federal courts. |
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Jennifer D. Sims ('07)–of the Baton Rouge office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was recently named partner, effective January 1, 2015. Ms. Sims' areas of practice are in litigation, and she routinely handles lawsuits involving construction and design defects and employment issues, including EEOC charges. She also has experience handling medical malpractice claims and law enforcement liability lawsuits. |
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A. Grady "Bo" Williams, IV ('07)–of the Mobile, Alabama office of Phelps Dunbar, was recently elected to partnership in the firm. Mr. Williams' areas of practice are admiralty/maritime law and construction, industrial, and corporate litigation. |
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| Bradford Kelley ('13)–has recently joined the Washington, D.C. law firm of Slover & Loftus, LLP, where he will focus his area of practice in transportation law. |
The following were installed as the new leaders and officers of the Baton Rouge Bar Association during a ceremony and reception on January 13, 2015, at the U. S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana: Robert J. Burns, Jr. ('91), a partner in the Perry, Atkinson, Balhoff, Mengis, Burns & Ellis law firm and managing partner of Perry Dampf Dispute Solutions, was sworn in by his father, Judge Robert J. Burns, Sr. as the 86th president of the BRBA. Other officers sworn in include: Jeanne C. Comeaux ('94) – president-elect; Linda Law Clark ('93) – secretary and Darrel J. Papillion ('94) – past president. The 2015 BRBA Directors-at-large are: Melissa M. Cresson ('96), Christopher K. Jones ('08), Melanie Newkome Jones ('90), Amy C. Lambert ('96) and David Abboud Thomas ('93). The 2015 Officers and Council Members of the Young Lawyers Section of the BRBA include the following: Scott M. Levy ('10) – chair; Kara B. Kantrow ('07) – chair-elect; Loren D. Shanklin ('10) – secretary; Laranda Moffet Walker ('07) – past chair; Francisca Comeaux ('11) – council member; Jordan Faircloth ('08) – council member; Chelsea M. Gomez ('13) – council member; Mackenzie Smith Ledet ('09) – council member and Erin N. Sayes ('11) – council member.
The following attorneys from Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson have been named to Louisiana Super Lawyers: Robert L. Atkinson ('83) – Health Care; David R. Cassidy ('75) – Tax; Cullen J. Dupuy ('93) – Personal Injury: Medical Malpractice; Murphy J. Foster, III ('79) – Employment & Labor; Paul M. Hebert, Jr. ('70) – Family Law; David R. Kelly ('82) – Tax; Van R. Mayhall, Jr. ('71) – Business/Corporate; Douglas K. Williams ('83) – Personal Injury: Medical Malpractice; Eve Masinter ('82) – Employment & Labor; Carroll Devillier, Jr. ('06) – Business Litigation; Emily B. Grey ('00) – Health Care; Eric B. Landry ('06) – Banking; Christopher A. Mason ('04) – Civil Litigation: Defense; Van R. Mayhall, III ('01) – Business/Corporate; Jennifer D. Sims ('07) – Construction Litigation and Traci S. Thompson ('06) – Health Care.
 Robert L. Atkinson ('83) |
 David R. Cassidy ('75) |
 Cullen J. Dupuy ('93) |
 Murphy J. Foster, III ('79) |
 Paul M. Hebert, Jr. ('70) |
 David R. Kelly ('82) |
 Van R. Mayhall, Jr. ('71) |
 Douglas K. Williams ('83) |
 Eve Masinter ('82) |
 Carroll Devillier, Jr. ('06) |
 Emily B. Grey ('00) |
 Eric B. Landry ('06) |
 Van R. Mayhall, III ('01) |
Jennifer D. Sims ('07) |
 Traci S. Thompson ('06) |
The following attorneys from Chaffe McCall were honored in Louisiana Super Lawyers 2015: Joseph B. Marino, III ('05) and John F. Olinde ('82).
The following attorneys from McGlinchey Stafford have been recognized by Super Lawyers for 2015: Rodolfo J. Aguilar, Jr. ('82) – Business/Corporate; Richard A. Curry ('77) – Civil Litigation Defense; Michael D. Ferachi ('89) – Business Litigation; R. Marshall Grodner ('90) – Business/Corporate; Mary Terrell Joseph ('70) – Banking; Christine Lipsey ('82) – Business Litigation; Michael H. Rubin ('75) – Appellate; Stephen P. Strohschein ('81) – Bankruptcy: Business; Dan E. West ('74) – Personal Injury – Products: Defense; Larry Feldman, Jr. ('74) – Business Litigation; Kathleen A. Manning ('77) – Personal Injury – Products: Defense and Gerald E. Wimberly, Jr. ('79) – Business Litigation.
The following attorneys were named by Louisiana Super Lawyers magazine as top attorneys in Louisiana for 2015: Vicki M. Crochet ('80) – Employment & Labor; Richard B. Easterling ('90) – Administrative Law; Brett P. Furr ('86) – Banking; Mary C. Hester ('94) – Estate Planning & Probate; W. Shelby McKenzie ('64) – Insurance Coverage; Harry J. "Skip" Philips, Jr. ('83) – Business Litigation and Michael S. Walsh ('83) – Criminal Defense.
The following attorneys were named Louisiana Rising Stars for 2015: Tom S. Easterly ('06) – Business Litigation and Ryan French ('12) – Business Litigation.
The LSU Law Center community mourns the passing of the following alumni whose deaths were reported since January 2015:
John W. Landry, Jr. ('41)
Benjamin R. Miller, Jr. ('61)
Gerald L. Walter, Jr. ('62)
Allen L. Smith, Jr. ('64)
Howard R. Fussell ('68)
James Fleet Howell ('68)
William E. Baugh, Jr. ('69)
Ernest L. Parker ('76)
James R. Dagate ('78)
Thomas H. Morrow ('89)
