December 2009
1950s
Gene W. Lafitte ('52), Liskow & Lewis, APLC, was named "New Orleans Best Lawyers' Bet-the-Company Litigator of the Year" for 2010.
1960s
James C. Walker, Jr. ('64), is with the firm Watkins, Walker & Eroche, Attorneys.
1970s
John C. McCarthy ('79), Underwriting Counsel, First American Title Insurance Company, (10/01/2007 – Present).
1980s
Paul S. West ('80), McGlinchey Stafford PLLC, has been elected President of the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA). West is the first person from the State of Louisiana ever elected to serve as President of IAGA and is well-positioned to lead this organization given his extensive background over the last 15 years in gaming law and regulation. West serves as the head of McGlinchey Stafford’s gaming section and represents casino owners, operators, suppliers and financiers in all aspects of gaming law, including regulatory, transactional and litigation matters.
Lillian Evans Richie ('81) was appointed Clerk of Court and Judicial Administrator by the Second Circuit Court of Appeal in Shreveport. Ms. Richie is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, Shreveport Bar Association, and the Women’s Section of the Shreveport Bar Association.
Marti Quinn Thomas ('81) is serving as Executive Pastor of Trinity Bible Church, Lafayette, LA.
Theresa Gallion ('82), Fisher & Phillips, a national labor and employment firm, was recognized in Chambers USA, America's Leading Business Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, Who's Who Legal USA, and Super Lawyers Florida.
Nahum D. Laventhal ('82), Law Office of Raymond P. Augustin, Jr., staff counsel, Nationwide Insurance Company, Martindale-Hubbell AV Rating.
Stephen Dixon ('87), former Adjunct Professor at the LSU Law Center, is now with Children's Rights in New York City. Dixon is a Senior Staff Attorney for Children's Rights, the country's premiere legal organization which focuses on reforming state child protections systems through federal class action civil rights litigation. Stephen and his wife, Dr. Debbie Dixon, M.D., moved to New York City where Children's Rights is located. Dr. Dixon is at St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan primarily working in intensive care; the Dixons live in Greenwich Village near where the hospital is located.
Thomas J. Frederick ('89), Judicial Commissioner, 15th Judicial District Court.
Mary L. Meyer (’89), Adams and Reese LLP, was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2010 in the area of Product Liability Litigation.
1990s
Connell L. Archey ('90), Kantrow, Spaht, Weaver & Blitzer (APLC), has returned from a year deployment to Iraq with the Louisiana Army National Guard.
Liz Baker Murrill (’91), former Professor of Professional Practice at LSU Law Center and now Deputy Executive Counsel in the Office of the Governor, received her LLM in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine School of Law in December 2009.
Michael Pawelczyk (’91) has become a partner at Billing, Cochran, Lyles, Mauro & Ramsey, P.A. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
S. Cheri Smith-Harrison ('92), Sole Practitioner.
Mark Vilar (’98), Vilar & Elliott, LLC, serves as City Attorney for the City of Pineville and taught CLE classes on the Louisiana Public Record Law/E-Mail Correspondence for the Louisiana District Attorney’s Association’s 33rd Annual Conference, the Jefferson Bar Association, 2009 Fall CLE and the Louisiana City Attorneys Association, 2009 Fall Conference.
2000s
Michael Maraist ('00), The Maraist Law Firm, will become of counsel of the firm Jan. 1, 2010.
Elena Arcos Pecoraro ('00), Pecoraro Law, will become of counsel of the firm Jan. 1, 2010.
Anne Burguieres Rappold (’00) now holds the position of Risk Manager in the Legal Department of Freeport LNG Development, L.P. in Houston, Texas.
Kyle Ferachi ('01), McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC, was elected to the Baton Rouge Bar Association Board of Directors. He currently serves as Chair of the Baton Rouge Bar Association's Young Lawyer's Council, District 5 Representative for the LSBA Young Lawyers Section, and President of the Greater Baton Rouge Community Tennis Association.
Andrew Fertitta ('01), Porter & Hedges LLP, was recently promoted to partner. Fertitta's practice focuses on merger and acquisition transactions and a wide range of private debt and equity financings, including private equity, venture capital, mezzanine and commercial bank financings, as well as the formation and structuring of startup ventures and special purpose entities.
Parker Layrisson (’02), Layrisson Law Firm, received a Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating of preeminent 5.0 out of 5 and was recognized in “Top Lawyers 2009” in New Orleans Magazine.
Garrett Sanders Callaway ('07) joined the firm of Watson, Blanche, Wilson & Posner in June 2009. He previously served as a judicial clerk for Judge R. Michael Caldwell of the 19th JDC (2007-2009).
Andrew Olsan ('09), Jackson Walker, joined the firm as an associate in the Finance Section.
