Several LSU Law alumni were honored with awards at the Louisiana State Bar Association 82nd Annual Meeting, while others were installed into LSBA leadership positions. The annual meeting and the LSBA/Louisiana Judicial College Joint Summer School were jointly held in Destin, Florida on June 4-9.
Judge Jay C. Zainey
Judge Jay C. Zainey (’75) and Judge Darrel J. Papillion (’94) each received President’s Awards for their ongoing commitment to the legal profession. Judge Zainey was also recognized for his leadership of the Support of Lawyers/Legal Personnel – All Concern Encouraged (SOLACE) Program, which he co-founded in 2002. He has been instrumental in developing programs that serve the legal needs of people with disabilities and individuals who are experiencing homelessness. Judge Zainey was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana by President George W. Bush in 2002.
Judge Papillion has served extensively on the LSBA’s Board of Governors, chairing several committees during his tenure, and served multiple terms in the House of Delegates. He is also a former LSBA and Baton Rouge Bar Association president. President Joe Biden nominated him to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in March 2023. The U.S. Senate confirmed his appointment on May 30, 2023, and Judge Papillion received his judicial commission on June 1, 2023. Prior to his appointment, he was a partner at Walters Thomas Cullens LLC.
Judge Marilyn C. Castle (’76) who received the Catherine D. Kimball Award for her work to advance the administration of justice. Named after Chief Justice Kimball (’70), who was the first woman to serve as chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, this award recognizes an individual who has done exemplary work in advancing the administration of justice in Louisiana. Judge Castle was elected to the 15th Judicial District Court in 1998 and was the first woman to serve as president of the Lafayette Bar Association.
Judge Darrel J. Papillion
For his contributions to education, Judge Roger P. Hamilton, Jr. (’01) received the Judge Benjamin Jones Judges in the Classroom Award. Judge Hamilton was elected to the 16th Judicial District Court, Division H, in 2020. A St. Martin Parish native, he has served as an adjunct professor at South Louisiana Community College and at Nicholls State University and as president of the Louisiana 4-H Foundation.
With over 40 years of experience in commercial litigation and general business matters, Henry C. Perret, Jr. (’77) received the Louisiana Bar Foundation’s Curtis R. Boisfontaine Trial Advocacy Award in recognition of his trial law service. He is currently a partner at Perret Doise, LLC.
LSU Law Professor Emeritus Alain A. Levasseur was also honored with John A. “T-Jean” Hernandez III Memorial Award for his achievement in Francophone leadership.
Listed below are additional alumni who were installed on the LSBA Young Lawyers Division’s 2023-24 Officers and Council and LSBA 2023-24 Officers and Board of Governors.
- Kristen D. Amond (’16) – Chair-Elect, 2023-24 Young Lawyers Division
- Danielle L. Borel (’14) – Immediate Past Chair, 2023-24 Young Lawyers Division
- Brad W. Cranmer (’15) – District 5, 2023-24 Young Lawyers Division Council
- Quinn K. Brown (’17) – District 5, 2023-24 Young Lawyers Division Council
- Patrick A. Talley, Jr. (’82) – President-elect, LSBA 2023-24 Officers
- Lawrence J. Centola III (‘01) – Treasurer, LSBA 2023-24 Officers
- Graham H. Ryan (’11) – First District, LSBA 2023-24 Board of Governors
- Melanie Chatagnier (’04) – Third District, LSBA 2023-24 Board of Governors
- Carrie LeBlanc Jones (’08) – Fifth District, LSBA 2023-24 Board of Governors
- Kelly M. Rabalais (’99) – Fifth District, LSBA 2023-24 Board of Governors
- Charles D. Elliott (’93) – Sixth District, LSBA 2023-24 Board of Governors
- Michael Street (’96) – Seventh District, LSBA 2023-24 Board of Governors
- Blake R. David (’01) – At-Large Member, LSBA 2023-24 Board of Governors
- André Doguet (’86) – Louisiana State Law Institute Representative
- Shannon Seiler Dartez (’94) – Member, House of Delegates Liaison Committee
