LSU Law alumni Hon. Elizbeth Erny Foote (’78), Harry J. “Skip” Philips (’83), and Bernard “Bernie” E. Boudreaux, Jr. (’61) are among the Louisiana Bar Foundation 2023 Distinguished Honorees who will be recognized at the 38th Annual Fellows Gala on April 19.
Foote will be honored as the 2023 Distinguished Jurist. After graduating from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, she clerked for Chief Judge William Culpepper of the Third Circuit Court of Appeal. She practiced at the Smith Foote law firm until 2010 when she was tapped by the Obama administration for appointment to the federal bench in the Louisiana Western District.
Foote is also an active volunteer within Shreveport and the legal community. In 2008, she served as president of the Louisiana State Bar Association, becoming only the second woman to serve in that capacity at the time. Her signature initiative was the development of a program to improve law students’ understanding of ethical and professional conduct obligations that continues to be implemented to this day.
In addition to serving her community and profession, Foote generously donates her time at LSU Law. She is an active member of the LSU Law Dean’s Council and served as a member of the LSU Law Board of Trustees. She has also returned to the Law Center multiple times to teach students through programs like Apprenticeship Week. In 2012, LSU Law honored Foote with the Distinguished Achievement Award for her professional achievement and career distinction, service to and support of LSU Law, and service to the community.
Philips has been named the 2023 Distinguished Attorney. He serves as of counsel at Taylor Porter. Philips is a two-time graduate of LSU, earning both his undergraduate degree and juris doctor from the university. At LSU Law, he was Editor-in-Chief of Louisiana Law Review and elected to The Order of the Coif. In 2022, he received the Louisiana Bar Foundation Boisfontaine Trial Advocacy Award, recognizing his long-standing devotion to and excellence in trial practice and for upholding the standards of ethics and consideration for the court, litigants, and all counsel. Philips is also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and a retired major general in the U.S. Army Reserve.
In 2023, Philips returned to the Law Center to participate in a newly launched event hosted by the LSU Law Veterans Advocacy Club, “Veterans in the Legal Field.” Along with several LSU Law alumni and veterans, he shared resources available to student veterans and their families and discussed how they can leverage their military experience in their legal careers among other topics. Philips has also served as an adjunct professor at LSU Law and taught courses during Apprenticeship Week. He received the Distinguished Achievement Award from LSU Law in 2018.
Boudreaux is the recipient of the 2023 Calogero Justice Award. Named in honor of Chief Justice Pascal F. Calogero, Jr., this award is presented to an individual or organization for a significant contribution to the Louisiana justice system. Prior to joining Jones Swanson and Huddell as an associate, Boudreaux had a distinguished career with Louisiana’s government, judicial institutions, and universities. Together with Judge William Hunter, he created the first drug court in Louisiana. He was also Executive Counsel for Governor M.J. “Mike” Foster where he mediated and negotiated several high-profile cases and served on the LSU Board of Supervisors and as its president.
Upon graduating from LSU Law, he entered the U.S. Air Force as an attorney in the Judge Advocate Generals Department. Boudreaux has continued to support the Law Center since his graduation, leading efforts and serving on committees to create the Cheney C. Joseph Endowed Professorship and name the Cheney C. Joseph Classroom (Room
W210).
The Louisiana Bar Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) entity that exists to preserve, honor, and improve our system of justice by funding, developing, or otherwise promoting efforts which enhance the legal profession, increase public understanding of the legal system, and advance the reality of equal justice under the law. It is the largest state funder of civil legal aid that provides services to individuals facing non-criminal, civil legal challenges.
The 38th Annual Fellows Gala will be held at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans on Friday, April 19. Get complete event details.
