2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards
Service to the Profession • Hon. Jay Zainey
Class of 1975
District Judge • U.S. Eastern District of Louisiana
Hon. Jay Zainey was appointed by President George W. Bush to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in February 2002. He is a past President of the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) who created the Community Action Committee and the Committee to Provide Legal Services for the Disabled during his leadership. He is a co-founder of SOLACE, an LSBA program that provides services to members of the legal community and their families in the aftermath of tragedies, or who otherwise have special needs. After earning his law degree at LSU Law in 1975, he spent a year as a law clerk before going into private practice in Louisiana from 1976 to 2002.
The Service to the Profession award recognizes a graduate who elevates the profession through extraordinary and consistent leadership.
