SUMMER 2014
Where Law Meets Technology New Certificate in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship
INSIDE: ••••• Top Flight: Southwest General Counsel Mark Shaw ••••• Against the Odds: Col. Linda Strite Murnane ••••• A Fond Farewell: Professor George Bilbe Retires
Letter from the Dean As we conclude the 2013-2014 academic year, I am pleased to update you about the significant steps we have taken to modernize legal education at Loyola this year. The faculty has approved changes to the first-year curriculum that add more time for legal writing and analysis and reduce each student’s course load by one course each semester. This allows our students more time to hone crucial writing and analytical skills and leaves other required courses for the second year. Our vision is to have a law school that focuses intensively on the academic success of every student and to prepare every student for the bar exam and the practice of law. We arrived at this vision through the elaboration of our new strategic plan. The faculty approved the plan in May of this year in consultation with the Visiting Committee, members of staff, and our students. The plan identifies the ideal size of our incoming class at 180 students in response to changes in the legal marketplace and our desire to focus more resources on every student. We also have identified priorities to guide us in allocating our resources. As an example, we have lowered tuition at the College of Law to help students minimize the amount many have to borrow to attend law school. As we face the future, we also look to the past. We have begun the celebration of our centennial. In March, Loyola Law Day took place at the Louisiana State Capitol Building. The Louisiana Senate and House of Representatives passed a concurrent resolution recognizing Loyola College of Law’s enduring legacy and contributions to our state. We hosted a display in the rotunda in honor of the College of Law’s centennial year. Many graduates currently serving in the Louisiana State Senate and House of Representatives joined us, including Dan Claitor, J.D. ’87 (a special thanks to him for organizing the event, including a special lunch); Patrick Connick ‘83, J.D. ‘93; Franklin Foil, J.D. ‘91; Ray Garofalo ‘80, J.D. ‘92; Robert Johnson ‘97, J.D. ‘00; Joe Lopinto ’02, J.D. ‘04; Danny Martiny, J.D. ‘76; Ed Murray ‘82, J.D. ’85; and Gary Smith, J.D. ‘98. We were also joined by Dan Boudreaux, J.D.’86. Another recent noteworthy event was a Corporate General Counsel Round Table panel with Ted Frois, J.D. ‘69, retired from ExxonMobil; Richard Chandler, J.D. ’81, of CB&I; Clay Beery of Laitram; and Mark Shaw, J.D. ’90, of Southwest Airlines (see p. 4) discussing their experiences of being general counsel to a full house of students in a panel moderated by Professor Ray Rabalais. We have also experienced changes at the College of Law this year, including the retirements of Professor George Bilbe (see p. 16); Dean of Students Stephanie Jumonville, J.D. ’86; and Lana Corll, director of the Continuing Legal Education Department. We bid them all a fond farewell and thank them for their many years of service. Their invaluable contributions have made the College of Law a better place. While some things at the College of Law change, certain traditions continue at Loyola. The Moot Court team won the Rocky Mountain rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court competition this past February. In the final round, Loyola defeated the University of Arizona for the title of 2014 regional champions. Similarly, Loyola’s Willem C. Vis Commercial Arbitration Moot team won the Vis Pre-Moot Competition held in Miami. Please join me in congratulating these teams for their success! As I look forward to our next academic year, there are many opportunities for you, our alumni, to stay involved with the College of Law. Visit us at the College of Law, contact us to help us celebrate our centennial year, and continue to give us your valuable support! Sincerely,
—María Pabón López College of Law Dean Judge Adrian G. Duplantier Distinguished Professor of Law
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FEATURES
4..................Just Plane Smart The sky’s the limit for Mark R. Shaw, J.D. ’90, vice president-general counsel and corporate secretary for Southwest Airlines Co. Vol. 10 • No. 2 • Summer 2014 • www.law.loyno.edu
Loyola University New Orleans President
The Rev. Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J. College of Law Dean
María Pabón López Associate Dean for Faculty Development
6..................Hear Her Roar Hard-core determination and unshakeable dedication in the face of hardship drive Col. Linda Murnane to persist in kicking adversity and gender discrimination to the curb.
John A. Lovett Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs
The Rev. Larry Moore, S.J. Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid
Forrest Stanford Senior Development Officer-College of Law
Suzanne Plaisance Law Alumni and Annual Giving Officer
Jennifer Jumonville Director of Editorial Services
Eve C. Peyton Loyola Lawyer Designer
Craig Bloodworth University Photographer
Harold Baquet
10................High-Tech Opportunities College of Law begins offering new Certificate in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship.
Photo Contributors
Kyle Encar Kalin McKivergan Contributors
Brian Huddleston Natasha Lacoste, J.D. ’11 Christine Fontana Wegmann, J.D. ’97 Markus G. Puder James Shields
Loyola Lawyer is published bi-annually for Loyola University New Orleans College of Law alumni and friends. Please address correspondence to: Loyola Lawyer 7214 St. Charles Avenue, Box 909 New Orleans, LA 70118
16................A Fond Farewell Professor George L. Bilbe retires, opens new chapter: Otium cum dignitate DEPARTMENTS
14................Faculty Publications 18................Alumni Events 21................Alumni News 26................Memorials
News and photographs for possible use in future issues may be submitted by readers. Loyola University New Orleans has fully supported and fostered in its educational programs, admissions, employment practices, and in the activities it operates the policy of not discriminating on the basis of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex/gender, or sexual orientation. This policy is in compliance with all applicable federal regulations and guidelines. To demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the environment, this publication is printed using vegetable-based inks on paper that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and comes from responsibly managed forests, with fewer impacts on people and biodiversity.
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Just Plane Smart by Christine Fontana Wegmann, J.D. ‘97
THE SKY’S THE LIMIT FOR MARK R. SHAW, J.D. ’90, VICE PRESIDENT-GENERAL COUNSEL AND CORPORATE SECRETARY FOR SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
When Mark R. Shaw, J.D. ’90, decided to attend Loyola University College of Law, he originally considered becoming a First Amendment lawyer. It was a natural thought progression given that after Shaw earned his bachelor’s of journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1986, he worked as a reporter covering police and courts for the Amarillo GlobeNews and then later as an associate news desk editor at the Waco TribuneHerald. Although Shaw ended up practicing in the corporate restructuring group and in the corporate and securities group at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in Dallas after law school, he probably never imagined that ultimately he’d land at a company with a fondness for hosting pajama days at the office. “A REALLY DIFFERENT PLACE” But pajama-clad employees are exactly what Shaw encountered when he entered a stock options meeting with the finance department during his first few weeks of joining Southwest Airlines as an attorney in 2000. “That’s when I realized Southwest was a really different place,” says Shaw, who later became associate general counsel for Southwest’s corporate and transactions section for almost five years before becoming the vice president-general counsel and corporate secretary for Southwest in February 2013. And Shaw understands exactly what it is that makes Southwest, which consistently earns an impressive array of top awards and accolades in categories such as customer service and best place to work each year in the airline industry, stand out from 4
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the rest. “It may sound clichéd, but having really good people working throughout the entire company makes a huge difference.” Shaw, who provides advice on all legal matters at Southwest, including being principally responsible for advising the board of directors and senior management on a range of legal issues related to the development and implementation of the company’s business strategy, corporate governance, compliance policies, general corporate matters, and litigation, says that with 57 employees in his department, the focus is to have employees work together to Mark R. Shaw build teamwork. “I have a really great bunch of associate general counsels and attorneys who are divided into several different groups, including litigation; labor and employee relations; and corporate transactions, which I used to head before I became general counsel, and all of these people are very experienced and smart, so it makes my job a lot easier,” Shaw says. “I can trust them to handle all of the daily substantive work, but I obviously get involved in some of the larger issues. Part of why I really love the job is I get to do a little bit of everything.” EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED Another reason Shaw enjoys his work is the surprise element of the job. “There is always something interesting happening every day, and when you are making decisions, you always have to keep in mind that the airline industry is a high-profile and highly scrutinized business and many things that come up are out in the press on a regular basis,” Shaw says. “The unexpected things that come up keep the job exciting.”
Sometimes the work can get a little too action-packed. “I was in a meeting recently, and the emergency response notification went off on my phone because of the shootings at LAX,” Shaw recalls. “We had to leave the meeting to get on a call to get the facts and find out what was happening, although the incident occurred in a separate terminal from ours, but we didn’t know that at the time. We had to immediately ensure that our customers and our employees were safe; then we had to make sure we dealt with the travel delays in a responsible manner.” A NEW WORLD Travel interruptions are one of the many new and common aspects that have surfaced for the airline industry after the events of Sept. 11, which occurred when Shaw had been employed with Southwest for more than a year. “So many things are drastically different now, from travel pans to how the government is involved, whether it’s the DOT or FAA,” Shaw says. “It has been an incredibly difficult decade for airlines in general, especially for American and United, who had planes involved. After 9/11, it became a matter of figuring out a whole new world. It changed everyone’s position at Southwest as far as how we dealt with our operations.” But although the road of adjustments and regulations has been a long one, Shaw sees great things looming on the horizon for air travel. “We’re starting to see some things that are making it easier to travel again,” he says. “For example, there’s a big push now for mobile boarding passes that can be accessed from phones versus customers having to print out paper. And there are new initiatives for TSA pre-clear where you can sign up and actually have the ability to go through a separate line of security without having to take off your shoes and take your laptop out, and Southwest is in the process of becoming part of that program. And the FAA recently released new rules regarding the use of personal electronic devices such as iPads and electronic readers; previously you had to keep them turned off below 10,000 feet, and now airlines are getting approval to allow customers to use these devices on the plane for the entire duration. That’s what customers want, and it will make travel more attractive.” A STRONG BACKGROUND Shaw’s employment at Akin Gump began before he sat for the Texas Bar, and he believes his positions as a bankruptcy associate and afterward in the corporate securities section of the firm, along with the mentorship he received thanks to partners Steve Hatfield and Michael Mandel, proved to be a fantastic experience for him to prepare him for his present tenure at Southwest. It even led to him working in Shannon, Ireland, for six months with GE Capital Aviation Services on aircraft financing and leasing matters on behalf of GE. “What I tell law students and new graduates is to keep your options open because the experiences you may be able to get
can lead you in a whole different direction,” says Shaw, who offered this type of wisdom to attendees at a panel at Loyola in November 2013. “Don’t be set on thinking: ‘I’m going to be a litigator’ or ‘I’m going to practice environmental law.’ I never thought I’d like to do aircraft transactions because I wasn’t a pilot and I didn’t have an aviation background, but I really enjoyed those first aircraft deals I worked on, and I would have never thought I’d wind up living in Ireland.” A PERFECT MATCH Shaw was born in Lockhart, Texas, and his father worked for Shell Oil. Shaw’s family was transferred to Slidell at the time he considered attending law school. “I applied to Loyola because I wanted to try a smaller school after being at UT and I wanted to live at home since I had no money,” he says. Loyola proved to be a great match for Shaw. “I am appreciative for the opportunities I’ve gotten through Loyola,” he says. “While I was in school, I did an externship at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans with Judge Thomas Harley Kingsmill, which really got me interested in bankruptcy law, and I did a stint at the Fifth Circuit Staff Attorney’s office in New Orleans and got exposed to a lot of bright people and a lot of writing and research. I got both of these opportunities through Loyola. I feel like I got a great legal education that prepared me well for practicing law.” Shaw studied the Common Law track and appreciated the dedication of his professors at Loyola. “I had Professor Ray Rabalais for Real Property – he was tough, and you had to be prepared, but that type of challenge is imperative. I got a lot out of all my classes at Loyola.” Shaw also relished going out in New Orleans once finals were over. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTS Shaw has taken time over the years to dedicate himself to charitable endeavors, including serving on the nonprofit board of Challenge Air for Kids & Friends, which offers fun flights for disabled children thanks to the efforts of volunteer pilots. Shaw also previously served on the board of the Dallas Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel. Currently, Shaw is a member of the advisory board for Southern Methodist Univeristy’s Journal of Air Law and Commerce. But out of all the impressive strides Shaw has made during his lifetime, his personal favorite accomplishments are the births of his two children, his son, Matt, who is studying physics at the University of Texas at Austin, and his daughter, Lindsey, the athlete of the family, who plays softball and does cross-country running at her high school. “The births of my children are my proudest moments,” says Shaw, who shares that sentiment with his wife, Kristy, a CPA and controller of a small technology company in Dallas. “Kristy definitely gets most of that credit,” Shaw says with a big grin. www.law.loyno.edu
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HEAR HER by Christine Fontana Wegmann, J.D. ‘97
Hard-core determination and unshakeable dedication in the face of hardship drive Col. Linda Murnane to persist in kicking adversity and gender discrimination to the curb.
It takes one glance at the impressive résumé of Col. Linda Strite Murnane, U.S. Air Force, Retired, to notice that it reads similarly to an outline for a high-concept story, reminiscent of all the international intrigue and legal mystery of a Tom Clancy or John Grisham novel, tempered with a touch of Lifetime movie drama. Indeed, not many can claim that their careers have included advising the Argentine military on issues of “disappeared persons” or lending support in The Hague to the judiciary presiding at the war crime trials of six associates of Slobodan Miloševi’c who were accused of atrocities in Kosovo. WORKING HER WAY THROUGH Because her family lacked financial resources and didn’t readily support her decision to attend college, the odds were that Murnane would never see her name scripted across a college degree, much less a law degree. “My parents made it clear that they’d support my brothers in college, but my sister and I were on our own,” says Murnane, who in 1974, after working her way through three years of college, enlisted as an airman basic in the U.S. Air Force at the age of 22. “I was working full time and didn’t qualify for many grants, and by the end of my junior year, I ran out of money. I was working processing VA benefits for people coming back from Vietnam and thought, ‘I’ve got to get some of this GI Bill stuff to finish college.’” And because she was married to a man on active military duty at the time, Murnane knew plenty about the Funded Legal Education Program, and her focus remained on securing a spot in it to attain financing for law school. Murnane deployed as a journalist with the Air Force at the end of the Vietnam War to cover the return of the Vietnamese refugees to the U.S. “I lived at the camp and showered in the field, and there were not many women out there,” Murnane says. Her stories were picked up by the national wires, and a photo she took was nominated for an award. She was selected for the Bootstrap program, known today as the Air Force Educational Leave of Absence Program, earning her B.A. in political
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science from the Christopher Newport College of the College of William and Mary and graduating with honors. After being selected to become an officer, Murnane was stationed in Biloxi, Miss., and went back into journalism, working as the chief of community relations for Keesler Air Force Base. She took night classes at the University of Southern Mississippi in Long Beach to keep her study skills up, and around the time of finals, Murnane discovered she was accepted to the night program at Loyola University College of Law but not to the Funded Legal Education Program. Murnane got the opportunity to speak with a brigadier general about fortifying her application package. “I said: ‘General, what am I missing? I’ve worked my way through college, I enlisted, I deployed, I’m a second lieutenant doing all these high-profile things,’ and he said: ‘Linda, the one thing we don’t see in your package is commitment. If you had gone to the U.S. Air Force Academy, we would know you were committed.’ I said, ‘General, that’s interesting; women weren’t allowed to go to the academy because it was maleonly!’ He just said, ‘Well, there is that.’” NEVER GIVE UP Although Murnane’s package dilemma was an anatomical one, she remained diligent in pursuit of her legal studies. After work, she would drive 200 miles round-trip from Biloxi to New Orleans four nights a week to attend her civil law curriculum classes at Loyola. “They wanted commitment, so by God, I gave them commitment.” Murnane took a leave of absence from Loyola after one semester to focus on her job promotion to center protocol officer and to see if she’d get selected for the Funded Legal Education Program. She finally did, and on the same day in February 1978, Murnane discovered she was pregnant with her first child. “Back then, they had yet to send a pregnant woman to a graduate program,” she says. “You got kicked out if you were pregnant.” Luckily, the rules changed slightly around that time to allow pregnant women to stay under certain circumstances.
ROAR Because her family lacked financial resources and didn’t readily support her decision to attend college, the odds were that Murnane would never see her name scripted across a college degree, much less a law degree. As expected, however, the Air Force responded negatively to Murnane’s pregnancy. “They said, ‘You cannot go to the Funded Legal Education Program because you have been diagnosed with what we call an enlarged uterus,’” Murnane says. “I was only one out of seven people in the entire U.S. Air Force to get this spot, and now they were going to drop me because I was having a baby.” Fortunately Murnane’s boss, two-star Gen. John Pustay, went to bat for her with the Air Force. “He told me: ‘I will bust my sword over this. I don’t care that no other woman has done this before; they just don’t know you, and I have no doubt that you will succeed.” But the uphill climb for Murnane to achieve her law degree got even more tedious. Two days after she started law school again at Loyola in the common law curriculum, she discovered her then-husband, who is now deceased, paralyzed on the living room floor of their home in Diamondhead, Miss. “He was walking one minute and not the next,” says Murnane, who was eight months pregnant at the time. Murnane moved into the lodging facility next to the hospital her husband was at while he went through multiple surgeries. Murnane kept going to class, and 10 days after her daughter was born by C-section, the entire family was released from their hospital stays on the same day. Amazingly, that semester Murnane won the American Jurisprudence Award for Academic Excellence in Constitutional Law. “I was reading my con law book while I was on the labor and delivery table,” she says. Because of her husband’s immobility, Murnane was now driving 250 miles a day five days a week thanks to the offer from a dear friend in Biloxi to watch her baby while she attended law school. She cared for her husband in the morning and at night, but during her third semester, the Air Force medically discharged him. And their daughter had been in the hospital with many issues since she was born, including three eye operations before she was 18 months old. AGAINST THE ODDS Murnane finished the semester at Loyola and relocated back home to Ohio to attend the University of Cincinnati
Col. Linda Murnane College of Law in order to bring some semblance of normalcy to her family. In Ohio, Murnane’s second daughter was born legally blind and deaf and remained hospitalized for a year. “Because CHAMPUS [U.S. military health care coverage] was an 80/20 provider, my unpaid medical that year was $23,000, and my salary that year as a first lieutenant was $19,000. I asked the Air Force if I could take a law clerk position, and they said no, so I took a job as a janitor. I would leave law school; go see my husband, my daughter Christina, and my daughter Rachel, who were all at different hospitals; go clean five banks; then go home and study.” Despite her numerous hardships, Murnane was honored as an Urban Morgan Institute International Human Rights Fellow. FOLLOWING THROUGH Finally armed with her law degree after graduating early from school in December 1980, Murnane honored her commitment to the Air Force and served from 1981 until 2004. She worked as a judge advocate (JAG) from 1981 to 1994, going from Travis Air Force Base in California as an assistant staff judge advocate to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio as the chief of military justice to becoming the deputy staff judge advocate at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. After this, Murnane’s international military career came to fruition, starting with her 18-month tenure as chief of criminal law for all U.S. forces in Japan at U.S. Forces Japan 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base, followed by 18 months as chief of international law, operations law, and civil law for U.S. Forces Japan. “I did a lot of international and Geneva Conventions
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work,” Murnane says. “I wanted to focus on international human rights, and what I went through as a female in the Air Force really fueled my passion for civil rights.” Murnane then went to Germany as a deputy staff judge advocate at Ramstein Air Base, which was the largest legal base outside of the U.S., and then on to Bitburg Air Base to become the staff judge advocate. In 1994, Murnane was coming up for colonel, but she really wanted to be a military judge. “The Air Force gave me a say in it,” says Murnane, who was one of only two women at the time to score a military judge appointment. She presided over federal trials at the Central Circuit at Randolph Air Force Base as a military judge and then at the Eastern Circuit at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., as a military trial judge.
somewhere that I was pretty sure if a customs agent touched me, he’d lose a hand!” Incidentally, Murnane’s daughters’ high school graduation photos, in which the girls wore typical drapes for their professional portraits, were confiscated as pornography in Qatar.
A NEW CALLING In 2001, while still the chief circuit military judge in Europe, Murnane was invited by the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies to go on the first U.S. military assistance mission to Rwanda following the sanction period imposed by the U.S. after the genocide. “There were human skulls stacked up as far as you could see and body parts all over,” says Murnane, who was there to train Tutsi and Hutu Rwandans in the military on topics of freedom of speech and freedom A STEP UP of the press. She arrived in In 1998, Murnane got Rwanda on the day that Paul promoted to colonel. “I’m Kagame was inaugurated as president, and hotels were not exactly sure how that deemed unsafe for the team, happened because I was comso they stayed in the attachés’ peting against so many other residence on the embassy talented people,” Murnane compound. says, “but I had some publiIn 2009, Murnane was part of a team on human rights Murnane never let fear cations and was very active and rule of law programming in Monrovia, Liberia. in the American Bar Assostand in her way, teaching ciation and the National Association of Women Judges. I was individuals who had been committing genocide against one another just a few years earlier how to explain their stories doing high-profile things the Air Force may have noticed.” Murnane headed back to Ramstein in 2000 to become instead of kidnapping journalists. “One of the things I said in the chief circuit military judge for the European Circuit, and 2008 during my acceptance speech for the Margaret Brent her jurisdiction consisted of all of Europe, Southwest Asia, Women Lawyers of Achievement Award from the ABA was, and Northern Africa. By this time, Murnane was divorced ‘I think I won this because I just never learned to say, ‘Gosh, and remarried to Lt. Col. Kevin Murnane, U.S. Air Force, I don’t think so; that sounds dangerous.’” In 2004, after 30 years of service in the Air Force, Retired. “He was stationed in Aviano, Italy, so with my great driving record, I would try to make it once a month down to Murnane retired. The following day, she went to work as the Italy, driving through the Alps to see him.” felony prosecutor in Brown County, Ohio. But she kept After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S., thinking about a calling she had felt while in Rwanda, so in Murnane became responsible for the first trials of U.S. Air February 2005, she became the executive director for the Force members in the war zones of Operation Iraqi/Enduring Kentucky Commission on Human Rights in Louisville. In Freedom, and her jurisdiction included Afghanistan, Iraq, Oman, early 2006, Murnane got an invitation to come to The Hague Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. “Our courts were held in for 90 days to take over the Complex Litigation Chamber of tents,” Murnane says. “My chambers in Qatar were a camouflage the War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Murnane could not refuse the offer. Her husband, Kevin, mosquito net in an outdoor area, and my courtroom was a silo where planes were usually kept. There wasn’t internet access, so who had just retired from the Air Force and was working for Humana, quit to accompany her to The Hague. “I’m married you had to really know the law before you went to trial.” Murnane was briefed on what would be offensive in pre- to the best guy in the world, who has given me the greatest dominately Muslim countries each time she deployed to the support ever,” she says. “Sometimes he’d say, ‘Linda, can you Middle East. “Although I’m not a reader, we were told not to save the world from someplace where you can flush toilets?’ I bring any Playboy or Penthouse magazines,” says Murnane, a told him, ‘They have toilets you can flush there!’” She took a leave of absence from the Kentucky Commission practicing Catholic. “They were also vehemently opposed to Christian faith articles. I was given my father’s St. Christopher on Human Rights but continued to operate it for seven medal after he died, and I wore it every day, so I put it months from the Netherlands after she got off work thanks to
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AN INSPIRATION Judge Mary Hotard Becnel, J.D. ’80, of the 40th Judicial District Court in Edgard, La., who was a co-chair of the conference, was Murnane’s classmate at Loyola. “Linda is one of the most inspiring women I know,” Becnel says. “From the time we were pregnant law students, when Linda was commuting SETTLING DOWN? daily to Loyola from Keesler Air Force Base, to the present, With both daughters in college, Murnane needed a more she continues to impress and inspire me and others with her stable job. She was hired as the senior international attorney for determination, courage, and accomplishments.” the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies in Newport, After an illustrious legal career that has taken her across R.I., helping to develop human rights training programs for the globe and earned her a plethora of accolades and awards teams that would go to emergfor championing concerns ing democracies. “I went to such as human rights and places like Liberia and Zambia gender equality, Murnane with them,” she says. “I beis very content working for lieve that there’s no such Judge Taylor in Ohio. “I thing as ‘can’t.’” get to see my kids regularly, Six months later Murand I’m living in the same nane got a call from the Tristate as my husband,” she bunal offering her a position says. “Nothing is more imas chief of court management portant than my family, and support services for the and at some point I just International Criminal Triwant to sit on my porch bunal for the former Yuand watch the squirrels colgoslavia, where she was relect nuts.” (Incidentally, sponsible for ensuring an efMurnane’s family includes Murnane taught Rwanda Armed Forces members about ficient operation of the court a foster daughter whom she press freedom and freedom of speech. proceedings. “Basically I was has raised since the age of the clerk of court for the Tri13 and who is now a childbunal,” Murnane says. In addition to that job, she wore dual and-family counselor in San Diego). hats, becoming the acting head of chambers for three months Although Murnane didn’t graduate from Loyola, she is and then the acting deputy registrar for four-and-a-half months. thankful for her time at the College of Law. “I wouldn’t be Murnane stayed at the Tribunal until December 2012 but where I am today but for the Loyola night program,” she resigned after the U.N. refused to investigate allegations of says. “Loyola gave me the opportunity to prove to the Air sexual misconduct by senior officials preying on vulnerable Force I was committed. I appreciate the quality of education women. “What’s key is that if I can’t change that kind of and the solid foundation I got. My constitutional law class behavior, I won’t condone it in my silence,” she says. taught by Dean McAulay became so incredibly valuable Murnane came back home to Ohio thinking she’d retire, when I was working in a hybrid court setting in the Interbut seven days later she got an offer to become a judicial bailiff national Criminal Tribunal, where there’s a mix of civil for Judge Anne Taylor at the Franklin County Municipal Court and common law.” in Columbus. “Judge Taylor is an amazing woman, and she By virtue of her world travels, Murnane feels blessed to respects the service of military personnel,” Murnane says. have experienced marvelous adventures that many won’t Fittingly, Murnane was on a panel regarding sexual assault have in their lifetimes, such as the time she trekked to see the in the military in New Orleans in October 2013 for the National mountain gorillas of Rwanda studied by zoologist Dian Fossey. Association of Women Judges Conference. “There’s no question And her undying dedication to gender equality has helped to that one sexual assault is one too many,” Murnane says. “It’s in- transform the military’s treatment of women, paving the paths describable to talk about the pain of the victims who feel they for female lawyers to rise in the ranks and cementing her have no redress or voice. I was convinced early in my military heroine status amongst her contemporaries. career that women were there as play toys for the men, who “People might think it’s crazy, but I feel I’ve been called were there to fight and fly. When I became a JAG, I was very to do things in life not in a loud, shouting voice but in a active in speaking on issues on domestic violence and sexual whisper,” she says. “I’ll go where I’m called to serve. I listen to assault. I prosecuted cases on sexual assault and volunteered to the whisper.” take cases that others may not have taken.” Murnane’s daughters, It’s safe to say that if Murnane catches wind of a who both hold master’s degrees, and her grandchildren met her whisper while squirrel-watching on her porch, she’ll respond during her New Orleans trip. with a roar. the international time difference. She stayed at The Hague as senior legal officer for two years, assisting with high-profile cases such as the Milan Milutinovi’c trial and the pre-trial phase of the case of Radovan Karaži’c , often dubbed the “Butcher of Bosnia” by Western media.
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High-Tech Opportunities College of Law begins offering new Certificate in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship By Natasha Lacoste, J.D. ’11 In the fall of 2014, the Loyola College of Law will begin to offer law students an opportunity to earn a Certificate in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. This new certificate program adds to Loyola’s existing complement of subject matter certificate programs in Taxation, International Law, and Environmental Law and Land Use. The goal of the new certificate program is to help Loyola law students acquire the knowledge and skills they need to become trusted advisers to technology firms or to gain the knowledge and skills needed to become entrepreneurs themselves. The launch of the certificate program was inspired in part by the recent surge in entrepreneurial energy in the New Orleans area. According to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, New Orleans has become a hotspot for new entrepreneurs, with 501 out of every 100,000 adults in the New Orleans metro area starting a new business, a startup rate that exceeds even other fast-growing Southern cities such as Houston and Atlanta. New Orleans was also recently named, along with San Antonio, as America’ s No. 1 “brainpower city,” indicating it is one of the metro areas gaining college graduates the fastest. New Orleans Entrepreneurship Week recently hosted its sixth annual meeting, featuring 70 New Orleans-based startups and more than 5,000 entrepreneurs, business executives, prominent investors, and student participants. PERFECT TIMING Raymond Areaux, J.D. ’85, chair of the Intellectual Property group at Carver, Darden, Koretzky, Tessier, Finn, Blossman & Areaux LLC, has taught Trademark, Tradename and Unfair Competition Law at the College of Law for many years and contributed substantially to the design of the new certificate program. According to Areaux, the timing for the launch of the certificate program is perfect: “In my over 30 years of professional involvement in the New Orleans technology community, you could say, until recently, that
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tech was just simmering on a low fire. Now it’s boiling. It’s hot, diverse, rich, and abundant. Entrepreneurial tech in New Orleans is the new storyline. And risk capital, the critical fuel to fire that growth, has taken notice. I have waited a long time for this. It is so much fun.” In Areaux’s view, “with the upheavals and re-engineering occurring in the law services delivery model, Loyola Law is sending the right message at the right time to the legal profession and the technology world.” To earn the Certificate in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, students must complete 15 hours of coursework, including five hours of business courses, five hours of courses that focus on technology, and five hours of elective coursework. Students must also maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in the certificate courses and an overall 2.5 GPA or higher. Within the pool of electives, students can choose courses that focus on advising entrepreneur clients or courses focused on training law students who seek to use and understand technology in order to become entrepreneurs themselves. In the advising pool, courses include Securities Regulation, Employment Law, and Real Estate Transactions. In the self-entrepreneurship pool, classes include Patent Law, Copyright Law, Communication Law, and the new Litigation and Technology Clinic. MORE OPTIONS Currently in its second year of operation, the Litigation and Technology Clinic, which is offered through the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic and Center for Social Justice, is led by College of Law Associate Clinical Professor Judson Mitchell, with assistance from local lawyer and Web developer Ben Veradi. Each fall, students represent clients in real cases and use those experiences as inspiration for tech-law projects to develop in the spring. Last year, students in Mitchell’s clinic developed four legal apps and a search engine for Louisiana laws.
Mitchell believes toward the certificate will the current job climate have the opportunity to that graduates are enterjoin the efforts of the reing reinforces the need cently re-chartered Ento offer more options to trepreneurial Business law students. “The legal Law Society as well as profession in America is the Intellectual Property going through a radical Law Society. Along with shift, the likes of which these active organizahave never been seen tions, the College of Law before,” Mitchell says. intends to complement “It’s traditionally a very the certificate program conservative profession, with a regular roster of but the old, established speakers, including enfoundations of law practrepreneurs, 501(c)(3) tice – stable jobs with From left, College of Law faculty members John Lovett, John Blevins, organizations that focus firms, billable hours, and Lloyd “Trey” Drury, and Judson Mitchell are excited about the future on supporting entreprelimited competition – of the Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship certificate program. neurial activity, governare falling down. If we mental agencies and deare going to outfit young lawyers to survive in this environment, partments that focus on economic development, and members they must acquire the flexibility and skills that entrepreneurs of the local technology community. take for granted.” CAPITALIZING ON OPPORTUNITY A PROUD HISTORY, A BRIGHT FUTURE Lloyd “Trey” Drury, associate professor at the College Mitchell also points out that Loyola has a 100-year of Law, will teach the required Business Planning course in history of producing ambitious and enterprising lawyers. “So the new certificate program. According to Drury: “New it’s no surprise to me that we are the only law school in the Orleans has become a magnet for entrepreneurs, and we South offering a program like this,” he says. “In the near wanted to do something at the law school to recognize that. future, lawyers who understand how technology and capital This certificate program will give students the tools to become work will have an edge over the competition. We want to put part of New Orleans’ new entrepreneurial culture. We also these tools in the hands of our students now so they can be hope to sponsor programs and events that will get our students leaders in 21st-century law practice.” out into the community and bring local leaders in the fields Most coursework for the certificate is already part of of technology, law, business, and finance onto campus.” Loyola’ s College of Law curriculum, but one new course, Law Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Faculty Develand Technology, will debut next academic year as part of the opment and Academic Affairs at the College of Law John certificate. Led by Loyola Associate Professor of Law John Lovett led the administrative effort to gain faculty approval Blevins, this course will provide students with an overview of of the new program and helped design the curriculum. “In my relevant modern digital technologies and the legal doctrines opinion, this is one of the most exciting curricular innovations most relevant to them. More specifically, students will obtain at Loyola in the last 10 years,” Lovett says. “Not only is it an overview of both network technologies and software ap- going to help put Loyola front and center in curricular plications that utilize networks. The course will also cover initiatives nationwide, but students and the legal community the intersection of these technologies with aspects of intellectual in Louisiana are going to begin benefitting immediately.” The student interest has been phenomenal, Lovett says. property law, privacy law, cyber law, business law, and comMore than 40 students attended the initial launch party for munications law. “I am very excited to offer this program for our students,” the certificate program, and the enrollment for the first Blevins says. “The classes are not only inherently interesting, courses to be offered for the certificate in the fall of 2014 but they will help ensure our graduates are prepared for the required the College of Law to add an additional section of legal jobs of the future. It’s an exciting time for tech startups Intellectual Property and double the size of Drury’s Business in New Orleans, and we want to make sure our students un- Planning Seminar. “I only wish I were starting law school at Loyola right derstand that world and have the skills to participate in it.” In addition to the coursework and clinic, students working now,” Lovett says.
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THANK YOU! SPEAKERS AT THE 2014 ANNUAL LONGSHORE CONFERENCE David C. Barnett D.A. Bass-Frazier Steven M. Birnbaum S. Scott Bluestein Alan G. Brackett Arthur J. Brewster Keith M. Christie Michelle DesRoches David A. Duhon Nicholas M. Earles Lewis S. Fleishman Joshua T. Gillelan II Joseph B. Guilbeau Ralph R. Lorberbaum Douglas P. Matthews Donald P. Moore Tally R.P. Perez Hon. Larry W. Price Hon. Russell D. Pulver, Ret. Michael T. Quinn Mark A. Reinhalter Hon. Patrick M. Rosenow William J. Scheffler IV John L. Schouest Carla D. Seyler John R. Soler Robert E. Thomas Kayla Tortorich 12
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David Utley David Widener Anne D. Wittmann For more information on CLE, visit www.loyno.edu/cle
LOYOLA COLLEGE OF LAW ADJUNCT FACULTY Raymond Areaux J. Robert Ates H. Ginger Berrigan Virginia Boulet Stephen Broussard Stephen Bullock Jaye Calhoun Michael Carbo James Carriere Richard Chopin Arthur A. Crais Mary Dumestre Brett Fenasci Everett Fineran Dean Emeritus Marcel Garsaud Kathleen C. Gasparian Jerry John Glas Emily K. Greenfield Edmond Haase Timothy Hassinger David D. Haynes
Stephen Herman Margaret M. Joffe Hon. Calvin Johnson Timothy R.W.Kappel Brian A. Leftwich Kevin McGlone Andrew Mendez David J. Messina Conrad Meyer Stanley Millan Norman Mott Brian Neulander Michael M. Noonan Bryan Reuter Douglas Salzer Lloyd N. Shields John Shreves Randall Smith Mark C. Surprenant Frank Whiteley Gordon Wilson Delcianna Winders Brett Wise L. John Zeller
LOYOLA COLLEGE OF LAW SKILLS INSTRUCTORS Professor Paul Baier, Louisiana State University School of Law
The College of Law thanks the following distinguished leaders in the legal community for their dedication and service for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Brian Barnes, Interim Law Library Director Loyola College of Law Clay Beery, Laitram LLC Michael Brandner, The Brandner Law Firm Tim Brown, The Murray Law Firm Justin Chopin, Carver, Darden, Koretzky, Tessier, Finn, Blossman & Areaux LLC Blair Constant, Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office Chris Cornaghie, Attorney at Law Arthur A. Crais, Adjunct Professor, Loyola College of Law Jauna A. Crear, The Crear Law Firm Marianne Cufone, Recirculating Farms Ryan Delaney, Delaney & Robb Attorneys at Law LLC Professor Trey Drury, Loyola College of Law
Brett Fenasci, Kean Miller LLP Gene Fendler, Liskow & Lewis APLC Margot Hammond, Attorney at Law David “Beau” Haynes, Kathleen L. DeBruhl & Associates Christy Howley, Bowman & Howley Alex Lambert, Alex D Lambert APLC Richard Lemmler, Louisiana Bar Association Hon. Harry T. Lemmon (ret.), Louisiana Supreme Court Omar Mason, Montgomery, Barnett, Brown, Read, Hammond & Mintz LLP Betty Maury, Maury Law Firm LLC Kevin McGlone, Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert LLC Liz Meneray, Meneray Family Law LLC Conrad Meyer, Chehardy Sherman Mark Morice, The Morice Law Firm
Eric O’Bell, Eric J. O'Bell LLC KoKi Otero, The Advocacy Center Lt. Chao Pan, United States Navy Jag Dr. Roy Ponthier, ProEducate Brad Price, Davoli, Krumholt & Price Fred Reggie, Fred Reggie Associates Michael Schachtman, Louisiana Bar Association Thomas Shlosman, Jason Rogers Williams & Associates LLC William J. Sommers Jr., Courington, Kiefer & Sommers LLC Brian Spurlock, Disability Law Center, Inc. Duke Williams, The Williams Law Group John Williams, The Law Offices of John S. Williams LLC Jay Christopher Zainey, The Williams Law Group
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RECENT FACULTY SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY DOMINIQUE M. CUSTOS, Judge John D. Wessel Distinguished Professor of Law
KATHRYN VENTURATOS LORIO, J.D. ’73, Leon Sarpy Professor of Law
Overseas Law: The Permanency Challenge, in l'Influence des Regimes Juridiques des Collectivités Territoriales d'Outre-Mer sur l'Évolution de l'État Français (Pierre-Yves Chicot, Robert Etien & Pierre Teisserenc eds., 2013)
Experiential Teaching On Steroids: Unexpected Pedagogical Discoveries, 15 Loy. J. Pub. Int. L. 195 (2013)
United States, in Codification of Administrative Procedure 387 (Jean-Bernard Auby ed., 2014) LLOYD L. DRURY III, Associate Professor Publicly-Held Private Equity Firms and the Rejection of Law as a Governance Device, 16 U. Pa. J. Bus. L. 57 (2013) BOBBY MARZINE HARGES, Adams and Reese Distinguished Professor of Law Recent Developments: Alternative Dispute Resolution, 61 La. B.J. 133 (August/ September 2013) PATRICK R. HUGG, John J. McAulay Distinguished Professor of Law, and
John Blevins
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BLAINE G. LECESNE, Donna and John Fraiche Distinguished Professor of Law Recent Developments: Louisiana Class Actions, 74 La. L. Rev. 847 (2014)
The ICLEO Mentoring Legacy of Chief Justice Randall Shepard: An Essay, 48 Val. U. L. Rev. 1 (2014) LUZ MOLINA, Jack Nelson Distinguished Clinical Professor of Law The Justice Gap: Access to Justice Committee Discusses Current Situation and Strategies to Narrow the Gap, 71 La. B.J. 412 (April/May 2014) (Co-author, with Emily Phillips Ziober)
CHUNLIN LEONHARD, Assistant Professor Negative Externalities and Subprime Auto Financing: Time to Let the Hanging Paragraph Go, 45 U. of Toledo L. Rev. 267 (2014) MARÍA PABÓN LÓPEZ, Dean and Judge Adrian G. Duplantier Distinguished Professor of Law Self Portrait of the Puerto Rican Jurist: A Life of Hard Work / Autorretrato de la Jurista Puertorriqueña: Una Vida de Trabajo Arduo, 47 Rev. Juridica U. Inter. P.R. 5 (2013) [reviewing Sonia Sotomayor, My Beloved World (2013)]
CRAIG ROBERT SENN, Associate Professor Minimal Relevance: Non-Disabled Replacement Evidence in ADA Discrimination Cases, 66 Baylor L. Rev. 65 (2014) SANDI S. VARNADO, Associate Professor Your Digital Footprint Left Behind at Death: An Illustration of Technology Leaving the Law Behind, 74 La. L. Rev. 719 (2014) JEANNE WOODS, Henry F. Bonura Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law Theorizing Peace as a Human Right, 7 Hum. Rts. & Int’l Legal Discourse 178 (2013)
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JOHN BLEVINS has been participating in the debate over network neutrality protections at both the Federal Communications Commission and in federal courts. These protections help ensure the Internet remains open and nondiscriminatory. When the FCC’s rules were recently challenged at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Blevins filed an amicus brief on behalf of some of the nation’s leading computer network engineers and entrepreneurs in support of the FCC. The brief was also signed by several pioneers of the Internet who played a key role in its creation. More recently, his writings on network neutrality issues have been featured on the Washington Post’s Wonkblog site. These efforts are in addition to Blevins’s academic research, which examines the intersection of Internet technologies with copyright and communications law. His recent articles in these areas have been published by the Tennessee Law Review and the Cardozo Law Review. Blevins will also be teaching a new class called Law and Technology as part of Loyola’s new Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship certificate program. The class will introduce students to various technologies most relevant to modern startup companies and their attorneys. (See p. 10.)
A Fond Farewell Professor George L. Bilbe retires, opens new chapter: Otium cum dignitate By Markus G. Puder, Honorable Herbert W. Christenberry Professor of Law
Independent of his many achievements, Bilbe is a wonderful human being, always extending a helping hand. Suffice it to say that social life at the faculty lounge seems unimaginable without his erudite conversation, warm wit, and generous heart. Several of Bilbe’s colleagues share these sentiments.
George L. Bilbe After 43 years with Loyola University, Professor George L. Bilbe, a revered Loyola icon and beloved member of our family, announced his decision to transition into emeritus status. At Loyola, his rich service has covered all facets of academic life: superb classroom instruction, innovative scholarship, meaningful service, and caring mentorship. The legal community at large has come to know Bilbe as keen expert in the fields of obligations and contracts law, community property law, and payment law. Those who have sought his advice value his legal acumen and the chiseled precision and sheer clarity of his texts. It was then only a question of time as to when Bilbe would venture into the realms of literature, theater, and cinema, of course, without ever losing sight of his rootedness in the legal academy. Show Your Own, published by Sine Wave Press in 2001, shows Bilbe at his best, as he achieves a highly sophisticated and most entertaining fusion between novel and screenplay against the backdrop of a law professor’s amiable manic episodes. Without any doubt, if Cecil B. DeMille were to still greet us from Hollywood, Bilbe’s work would already have been featured in sound and image. 16
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Kathryn Venturatos Lorio, J.D. ’73, Leon Sarpy Distinguished Professor of Law, writes: “George Bilbe is undoubtedly one of the smartest individuals I know. When he squeezes those eyes together, he is actually having visions that few of us can understand. He is thinking ahead at a level not easily grasped by most of us. I think most people who meet George pick up that he is on another level and much smarter than most of us. “What many may not know is he is among the kindest individuals one would ever want to meet. In an effort to satisfy U.S. News and World Report, we often forget that law professors must not only be smart, but they should be genuine people who can and do relate with empathy to others. George fits those bills in a quiet, unassuming way. “George was both my teacher when I was in law school and my colleague and dear friend when I joined the faculty. At both stages of my legal career, he proved to be a patient listener and a trusted friend who would never betray a confidence. He exemplifies the kind of individual we want our students to be. “The faculty will dearly miss George’s one-statement synopses of hour-long faculty debate. He waits, hears it all, and then sums it all up, ending with a gem of wisdom added in to guide us in the proper way to deal with our fellow faculty and to mentor our students. Few have that talent.” Charlie Penot ’79, J.D. ‘82, attorney and counselor at law, The Law Offices of Charles Penot, A PLLC, offers: “When I think of George Bilbe, I think of three clusters of traits that anyone should be pleased to have friends attribute to him or her. Firstly, George has one of the kindest, most gentle spirits I have ever encountered. At a time when the dominant approach to law school teaching often involved browbeating students with an aggressive questioning style in the classroom, George always treated students with dignity
and respect, even when our answers to his erudite questions ranged from the merely uninformed to the completely inane. The term ‘gentleman’ is never used more appropriately than when it is applied to George. “Secondly, George’s incredible intellect and vast knowledge, particularly of the history of Louisiana’s civilian tradition, could never be doubted. Oddly enough, on the very day that I am writing these words, more than 32 years since I last sat in one of George’s classes, a Texas lawyer asked me – as ‘foreigners’ are wont to do – if Louisiana ‘still uses the Napoleonic Code.’ Although in ‘senior moments’ I often cannot remember the names of acquaintances or law school classmates, I was able to rattle off enough of a story about the sources of and influences on the Digest of 1808, the Civil Codes of 1825 and 1870, and the more contemporary law revision process to shut the fellow up. And it all came from knowledge imparted by George all those years ago. Additionally, George’s perspective on the often-unexpressed influences on judicial opinions and attitudes were always illuminating. We could only watch in awe as George, who always taught with only the text before him and without any notes in hand but yet seemed to know the cases and Civil Code by heart, would stand before us, eyes squeezed shut, nose wrinkled – one always knew something of importance and genius was about to be born when he struck that pose – and string together beautifully crafted, complex sentences of remarkable insight. Then, like a jazz musician improvising on a theme, he would spin out possibilities, alternatives, and different perspectives on the issue at hand until he had drawn out from the material every last ounce of pedagogical value. He is a master of the discipline. “Thirdly, George’s sense of humor has always been among his most endearing qualities. Who else but George could clarify the meaning and purpose of the Civil Code articles on putting in default with a pig joke? To illustrate that it was sometimes necessary to bring home the importance of timely contractual performance to Louisiana citizens perhaps accustomed to a more leisurely pace of life, George asked if we heard about the fellow who, while driving one of the back roads of South Louisiana, came across a farmer who appeared to be holding up pigs one by one so that they might eat apples hanging on an apple tree. The fellow stopped and asked the farmer what he was doing. The farmer advised that he was feeding apples to the pigs. When the fellow asked whether it wouldn’t save time to pick the apples and throw them down on the ground for the pigs to eat, the farmer replied, ‘Maybe. But what’s time to a pig?’ Again, I often cannot remember where I left my keys, but I’ll never forget why the redactors of the Civil Code thought it might be important to include the concept of putting in default in the law. “The other thing I will always remember about George is his title, which was known by only a few. I had the distinct pleasure and luck of being both George’s student and later one of his colleagues on the law faculty. When he moved from being my professor to my colleague and mentor, I began calling him ‘Big Brother.’ And what a great Big Brother he
was. He would clarify for me some of the more enigmatic portions of the Louisiana law classroom texts that were often old and out-of-date in those days. On other occasions he would help me as a young new law professor deal with the anxieties of teaching students who were sometimes just a few years younger than I was. But like any good mentor, he taught me some of the truly important things in life that I just had not learned in law school – like how to read a horse racing form. My Big Brother could bring the same intellectual rigor to the analysis of a racing form that he brought to bear on an exegesis of the Civil Code articles on conventional obligations. “So, from where I sit, George’s gain of the freedoms and pleasures of retirement will be a loss to the next generation of Loyola law school graduates who will never know the kind, gentle spirit; the vast intellect; the irreverent sense of humor; and the joie de vivre of my Big Brother. May you enjoy your new life, Big Brother. You deserve it for a job well-done.” B. Keith Vetter, professor emeritus, adds: “George Bilbe: How does one write a short eulogy describing him? As well a short descriptive eulogy of Pope John Paul or Napoleon. What does one say? Mercurial, certainly. Kind, gentle, lover of humor. Brilliant, without a doubt. The task overwhelms me. I find I must call in help. “As a result, I will provide the perceptive (as always); pithy (as always); and, of course, completely correct (as always) observations of his sainted godfather, Professor Joseph Lawson. Having the happy situation of lunching over the course of some 40-plus years with both godfather and godson, I can report the changing evaluation of the former regarding his ward. “From someone who some years ago ‘had no idea what a burden he is to his friends’ to, and I quote, ‘George is a saint’ uttered quite recently when George interrupted his lunch to help an elderly gentleman rise from his table and get to his automobile at ‘the tapas place,’ as it is known to us – anyone would agree that this is a remarkable metamorphosis and, as noted, an infallible one. “Even taking into account godfather’s oft-noted tendency toward hyperbole – in both of the above analyses, I must emphasize – I simply cannot, nor would I try to, add anything to Professor Lawson’s analysis of anything, much less his opinion of his ward and godson. A saint, albeit a recently metamorphosized one, similar to his adopted patron saint, St. Amico. Yes, that’s it. A man approaching, if not reaching, the level of St. Amico, George Bilbe.” •••• When asked about his future activities, Bilbe related that he might “chase an ambulance or two” and “slay the dragons that Buddy Lemann may have missed.” We take great comfort in knowing that Bilbe has graciously pledged to remain engaged with Loyola. Our family could not be more fortunate, Doc! www.law.loyno.edu
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ALUMNI EVENTS
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More than 400 alumni attended THE CENTENNIAL LAW ALUMNI LUNCHEON on Jan. 31 at the Ritz-Carlton to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the College of Law. The Hon. M.E. “Moon” Landrieu, J.D.’54, received the St. Ives Award, which annually honors a graduate representing high standards of the profession. Landrieu served as a Louisiana state representative, New Orleans councilman-at-large, two-term mayor, appellate court judge on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, and secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The College of Law Alumni Association Board President, Thomas Cortazzo ’84, J.D. ’87, presided over the annual luncheon and presented the Law Alumni Association’s student scholarship to Alexandra Serpas, J.D. ’14. 1) The Hon. M.E. “Moon” Landrieu, J.D. ’54, seated, and representatives from the SmithStag law firm, from left, Nicole Martin; Kevin Micale, J.D. ’13; Fay Sheets, J.D. ’15; Merritt Cunningham; and Bonnie Kendrick, J.D. ‘08 2) The 2014-2015 Law Alumni Board of Directors, from left, William Gaudet, J.D. ’82; Sharonda Williams, J.D. ’01; Leila D’Aquin, J.D. ’88; and Stephen Hanemann, J.D. ‘02 3) From left, Thomas Cortazzo ’84, J.D. ’87; Moon Landrieu; and retired Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Pascal Calogero Jr., J.D. ‘54 4) Ann and the late Herbert W. Christenberry Jr., J.D. ’57, seated, with grandsons Corey Moll, J.D. ’11, and Casey Moll, J.D. ’13. At the luncheon, we honored the long legacy of the Christenberry family, which includes the late Judge Herbert W. Christenberry Sr., J.D. ’24. Sadly, Mr. Christenberry Jr. passed away in June and will be truly missed by the Loyola community. Thanks to Law Alumni Luncheon Sponsors: Adams and Reese LLP; Baker Donelson; Baldwin Haspel Burke & Mayer LLC; Law Offices of Bruce Betzer and Douglas Hammel; Chaffe McCall LLP; Mr. and Mrs. Herbert W. Christenberry; Davis, Saunders & Miller PLC; Dugan Law Firm; Fowler Rodriguez; Flanagan Partners LLP; Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan LLC; Herman, Herman & Katz LLC; Irwin, Fritchie, Urquhart & Moore LLC; Jackson Lewis PC; Jones Walker LLP; Kean Miller LLP; Liskow & Lewis; McGlinchey Stafford; Morris Bart LLC; Samuel T. Singer PLC; Seth M. Nehrbass, Patent Attorney; Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert LLC; SmithStag LLC; St. Martin & Bourque APLC; Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann LLC; and Whitney Bank 18
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The College of Law Alumni Association honored the achievements of women in our local, state, and federal judiciary, as well as the instruction and practice of law at the WOMEN IN LAW SPRING FLING, held on April 24. Henry Lambert ’63, J.D.’65, and Carey Bond hosted the event at their artfully decorated penthouse where alumnae enjoyed a champagne bar and appetizers. Attendees at the event and some of the earliest women to graduate from the College of Law were recognized for their contributions to the College of Law, the practice of law, and service to their communities. 1) Standing, from left, College of Law Dean María Pabón López and honorees Linda Nelson Barnett, J.D. ’77; and Jacqueline Goldberg, J.D. ’72 Seated, from left, honorees Professor Kathryn Venturatos Lorio, J.D. ’73; Sue Graydon, J.D. ’68; and Evangeline M. Vavrick ’54, ’60, J.D. ’64 Not pictured is honoree Kathleen Cresson ’74, J.D. ’79. 2) From left, the Hon. Nancy Konrad ’62, J.D. ’65; Henry Lambert ’63, J.D. ’65, and the Hon. Susan Chehardy ’82, J.D. ‘85 3) From left, Joanne Rinardo, J.D. ’95; the Hon. Rosemary Ledet ’79, J.D. ’85; and the Hon. Tiffany Chase ’93, J.D. ‘96 4) Recent graduates, from left, Morgan Speer, J.D. ’14; Alexandra Serpas, J.D. ’14; Jeanne St. Romain, J.D. ’14; Sierra Cato, J.D. ’14; and Keiosha Alexander, J.D. ’14, attended their first alumni event. Thanks to Spring Fling Sponsors: Fifth Circuit Judges Association; Fourth and Fifth Circuit Judges Association; Baker Donelson; Jones, Swanson, Huddell & Garrison; Mercer Law Firm; Evangeline Vavrick Law Firm; Joan Benge; Mary Dumestre; the Hon. Madeline Landrieu; the Hon. Rosemary Ledet; Walter Leger; and Sharonda Williams
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ALUMNI EVENTS
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The College of Law Alumni Association once again held its famous cocktail reception at John Wehner’s Village Door during the annual LOUISIANA STATE BAR ASSOCIATION meeting in Sandestin, Fla., on June 3. Mark Surprenant, J.D. ’77, was honored at the event for his dedication and service to the Loyola Alumni Association. Attendees received a glass with his likeness as well as a T-shirt celebrating the College of Law’s 100th anniversary. New co-chairs Mark Morice, J.D. ’98, and Douglas Hammel, J.D.’00, spearheaded efforts to turn the event into a fundraiser with proceeds benefitting the Law Alumni Association student scholarship award. 1) From left, Jennifer Van Vrancken Dwyer; Stephen Dwyer, J.D. ’76; Monica Surprenant, J.D. ’78; and Mark Surprenant, J.D. ’77 2) From left, Judge Val Exnicios, J.D. ’89; Paula Ates ’97, J.D. ’01; and Mark Morice, J.D. ’98 Thanks to cocktail reception sponsors: Anonymous, Thomas Daley, Judge Glenn Ansardi, Law Office of Bruce Betzer and Douglas Hammel, Judge and Mrs. Roy M. Cascio, David W. Leefe, Judge Robert Pitre, St. Martin & Bourque, Cardone Law Firm, Fiascanaro & Fiascanaro, Lloyd Frischhertz, William Gaudet, Judge M. Lauren Lemmon, William and Lucy O'Regan, Jerome J. Reso Jr., and Darryl and Jamie Foster
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THE CLASS OF 1998 celebrated their 15th reunion with a weekend of events in November 2013, as well as a cocktail reception at Tommy’s Wine Bar. 1) From left, Michelle Hatch; James Hatch, J.D. ’98; Jacqueline Romero ’94, J.D. ’98; Jennifer Faroldi Kogos, J.D. ’98; Victor Johnson, J.D. ’98; Christine Shiver Brown, J.D. ’98; Ethan Cheramie, J.D. ’98; Monica Wallace, J.D. ’98; and Todd Wallace, J.D. ‘98 2) Kendra Klebba; Brian Klebba, J.D. ’98; John Cook, J.D. ’98; Jennifer Reilly Cook, J.D. ’98; and Jennifer Birdwell Cheramie, J.D. ‘98 20
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ALUMNI NEWS If you have an accomplishment that you would like publicized, please send it to magazine@loyno.edu or Loyola Lawyer 7214 St. Charles Ave., Box 909 New Orleans, LA 70118
1950s Norman Francis, J.D. ‘55, H.D.L. ‘82, was honored with a Children’s Hero Award by the Children’s Bureau of New Orleans, a mental health organization focusing on prevention, advocacy, education, and intervention efforts. Francis, the first black student admitted to Loyola’s College of Law, is the president of Xavier University in New Orleans.
1960s The Hon. Sol Gothard, J.D. ‘62, was named a Peoples Health Champion for his work in reviving the local Jules Lazard Post of Jewish War Veterans of America. Gerard J. Hansen ‘61 (business administration), J.D. ‘64, has retired from his position as Orleans Parish Criminal District Court magistrate, a position he has held since 1978. He practiced from 1964 to 1970 at the New Orleans firm of Landrieu, Calogero & Kronlage and was in private practice from 1970 to 1978. He served as assistant city attorney for New Orleans from 1970 to 1974, where he was chief prosecutor for traffic court from 1970 to 1973 and chief of the Criminal Division in the City Attorney’s Office from 1973 to 1974. He also served as judge ad hoc in traffic and municipal courts in New Orleans from 1971 to 1974. In 1974, he was appointed commissioner of the Magistrate Section for Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. While on the bench, he helped to develop the court’s Drug Court program.
Nancy Amato Konrad ‘62 (elementary education), J.D. ‘65, retired from her position as Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court chief judge. She served as judge ad hoc in Section B of Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court from 1976 to 1980, making her the first female judge in Jefferson Parish. In 1980, she was elected to Section C of that same court, which she presided over until her retirement. She has been a member and past president of the Louisiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and served as chair of the Louisiana Children’s Code Project. She served on the Judicial Council of the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Judicial Budgetary Control Board, the Juvenile Courts Subcommittee of the Louisiana Judicial Planning Committee, and the State Liaison Committee with the Department of Corrections and the Department of Social Services. She was colead judge of the Louisiana Task Force for Foster Care Reform, a pilot program for Citizen Review of Foster Care, and chair of the Juvenile Judges’ Benchbook Committee. Joseph A. Taranto ‘60 (secondary education), J.D. ‘65, received the Order of St. Louis Award from Archbishop Gregory Aymond in recognition of his service to Immaculate Conception. Robert David, J.D. ‘69, a partner in the law firm of Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer LLC was named as one of “The Top 50 Lawyers” in Louisiana by Thomson Reuters’ Louisiana Super Lawyers and was selected for inclusion in 2014 Louisiana Super Lawyers in the practice area of Personal Injury Plaintiff: Medical Malpractice. Morton Katz, J.D. ‘69, of the law firm of Herman, Herman & Katz was named to the 2014 list of Louisiana Super Lawyers in the practice area of Personal Injury (General).
1970s Paul Valteau, J.D. ‘72, was elected vice chairman of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. Fred L. Herman, J.D. ‘75, has been selected to the 2014 Louisiana Super Lawyers list, which he has been on since 2008, in the areas of Business Litigation, General Litigation, and Personal Injury Litigation (Plaintiff). He also recently achieved a major judgment on behalf of thousands of property owners/policyholders in the landmark case of Oubre v. Louisiana Citizens Insurance. Following Hurricane Katrina, Herman was selected as part of this trial team, whose efforts resulted in a $92.8 million penalty against the insurance company whose failure to timely initiate the claims process delayed the rebuilding efforts of thousands of policyholders. William J. Sommers Jr. ‘72 (political science), J.D. ‘75, has been selected to be a 2014 CityBusiness Leader in Law. He is on the trial advocacy faculty at Tulane University School of Law and is a faculty member of Tulane’s Civil Litigation Intersession. He is also a faculty member of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy and LSU’s Trial Advocacy program for its thirdyear law students. In addition, he teaches at Golden Gate Law School’s Summer Trial and Evidence 1st STEP Immersion Week program. Lawrence “Larry” Curtis, J.D. ‘77, has been selected for inclusion in the 20th edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the practice areas of Admiralty and Maritime Law and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. Best Lawyers also named him the 2014 Lawyer of the Year for the Baton Rouge area (which includes the city of Lafayette) in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. He was also named to the 2014 list of Louisiana Super Lawyers in the practice area of Personal Injury. In 2012 and 2013, Curtis was selected as one
of Louisiana’s Top 50 Attorneys by Louisiana Super Lawyers. He serves as immediate past president of the executive board of the Lafayette Bar Association and as an officer of the Holy Cross Council of the Knights of Columbus. Doug Matthews ‘72 (psychology), J.D. ‘77, was named to the list of Louisiana Super Lawyers. Matthews is a member of the New Orleans law firm of King, Krebs & Jurgens and works in the areas of admiralty and maritime law, products liability, and insurance coverage and defense. Paul H. Schneider, J.D. ‘77, a veteran Jefferson Parish prosecutor, has been named as 24th Judicial District Court magistrate commissioner. The 24th Judicial District’s 16 judges voted to select Schneider from a pool of 10 qualified applicants, basing their decision on Schneider’s long experience and understanding of criminal law. Schneider has been a prosecutor for 35 years, spending 15 years in the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office and 20 in the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office. In his new role as commissioner, he will review and sign arrest warrants; preside over preliminary hearings, arraignments, and other matters involving criminal suspects before prosecutors file charges in court; and keep track of suspects between the time they post bond to get out of jail and when they are charged in court. David Sherman, J.D. ‘77, was elected immediate past chairman of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. Mark Surprenant, J.D. ‘77, was sworn in as the New Orleans Bar Association president. He is a partner at Adams and Reese LLP (see p. 25). Ronald Vega, J.D. ‘77, was named partner at D’Aquila Mullins & Contreras law firm in Kenner. Calvin Johnson, J.D. ‘78, was honored with a Children’s Hero Award by the Children’s Bureau of New Orleans, a mental health
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ALUMNI NEWS organization focusing on prevention, advocacy, education, and intervention efforts. Johnson, the former chief judge of Criminal District Court in New Orleans, was the first African American to be elected to a Louisiana state court without first being appointed, and in 2002, he was instrumental in establishing the first mental health treatment court in Louisiana to help those with mental illnesses who ended up in the criminal justice system. He retired from the bench in 2008 and is the current executive director of the Metropolitan Human Services District. William Langenstein, J.D. ‘78, has been elected to the board of directors for Greater New Orleans Inc. Dorothy Thomas, J.D. ‘79, has joined Kean Miller’s Baton Rouge office as an associate. She will practice with the energy and environmental litigation teams. Prior to joining Kean Miller, she worked with the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal.
1980s Steven Lane, J.D. ‘80, of the law firm of Herman, Herman & Katz was named to the 2014 list of Louisiana Super Lawyers in the practice areas of Personal Injury (General), Family Law, and General Litigation. Lane, the managing partner at Herman, Herman & Katz, was also listed as one of New Orleans’ and Louisiana’s Top 50 attorneys. The Hon. Jeffrey Finley, J.D. ‘81, was unanimously elected by his peers as the president judge of the court system in Bucks County, Pa. Paul Lavelle, J.D. ‘81, of the law firm Winstead PC was named to the 2014 list of Louisiana Super Lawyers. He has significant trial experience in commercial litigation, products liability, construction law, environmental law, insurance law, and general civil litigation.
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Michael P. Mentz, J.D. ‘81, was elected as judge of Division F, 24th Judicial District Court, Jefferson Parish. From 1981 to 2013, he was an attorney in the New Orleans firm of Hailey, McNamara, Hall, Larmann & Papale LLP, and he served as managing partner there from 1999 to 2013. He has served on the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Legal Malpractice Insurance Committee, the Committee on Professional Economics and Law Office Management, the Jefferson Parish Crime Prevention and Reduction Task Force, and the Jefferson Parish Housing Authority. Brian Adorno, J.D. ‘83, was named president of the board of directors of the Catholic Foundation of New Orleans. Wendy Daboval ‘80 (history), J.D. ‘83, was named one of Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women of 2013 by Houston Woman Magazine. Daboval is general counsel and vice president of Chevron North America Exploration and Production Co. and is considered a leader in energy law. She has been honored with the Department of the Interior’s Corporate Leadership Award and the Association of Women Attorneys Houston’s Premier Women in Law Award. She also served as trustee-at-large for the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation and, during 2014, will serve as the chair of the Institute of Energy Law of the Center for American and International Law. Jean Norton, J.D. ‘83, was hired as a managing attorney at Crescent Title in New Orleans. Ron Sholes, J.D. ‘84, has been selected to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law 2014. He is a partner at Adams and Reese LLP in New Orleans. Steve Copley, J.D. ‘85, of the law firm of Gordon Arata in New Orleans was named to the 2014 list of Louisiana Super Lawyers in the practice area of Business Litigation.
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Edwin Laizer ‘83 (business administration), J.D. ‘85, has been selected to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law 2014. He is a partner at Adams and Reese LLP in New Orleans. Margaret Joffe ‘79 (sociology), J.D. ‘86, has been named a special partner at Pugh, Accardo, Haas, Radecker & Carey in New Orleans. Joseph Raspanti, J.D. ‘86, was elected executive committee member of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. David Messina ‘84 (piano), J.D./M.B.A. ‘87, of the law firm of Gordon Arata in New Orleans was named to the 2014 list of Louisiana Super Lawyers in the practice area of Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights. John “Luke” Walker, J.D. ‘87, assistant U.S. attorney, gave two Project Safe Childhood presentations. One was in Milton, La., to children in grades 5 to 12 in the Joseph Roman Catholic Church Youth Group on the subject of Internet predators and cyberbullying. The other presentation, “Protecting Your Children: How Technology Is Being Used to Exploit and Abuse Children,” was given at the annual Louisiana Supreme Court-sponsored Together We Can conference in Lafayette. He also gave a presentation at the Lafayette Police Department to an audience of computer and cell phone experts in which he explained how to prepare for and effectively testify in connection with court cases that include testimony from forensic experts, including how to present computer forensic evidence. Walker serves the Western District of Louisiana as the Project Safe Childhood coordinator and is the lead prosecutor of Operation Delego, the largest child exploitation case ever to be prosecuted by the Department of Justice. Martin Landrieu, J.D. ‘88, of the law firm of Gordon Arata in New Orleans was named to the 2014 list of Louisiana Super Lawyers in the practice area of Business Litigation.
Shelley MacNary, J.D. ‘88, was named director emeritus of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. Barron Burmaster ‘86 (religious studies), J.D. ‘89, was elected to a Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court seat. Val Patrick Exnicios, J.D. ‘89, has been appointed, by order of the Louisiana Supreme Court, as judge pro tempore of Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Section H. He is currently a principal in the New Orleans firm Liska, Exnicios & Nungesser. He is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, where he has served as chairman of Section Council since 2003 and chairman of the Mass Tort, Class Action & Complex Litigation Section since 2008. He is also a member of the New Orleans Bar Association, the Louisiana Association for Justice, and the Federal Bar Association. He served as president of the Louisiana Center for Law & Civic Education from 2007 to 2009 and is currently a board member. He has won numerous awards and frequently lectures at continuing legal education classes on ethics, professionalism, and mass tort/class action matters. Steven B. Loeb, J.D. ‘89, was listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in Louisiana. Loeb, a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson LLP, was recognized for his work in construction law. His principal areas of practice include building and heavy construction, architect’s and engineer’s professional practice liability, public bid law, the American with Disabilities Act, mediation, and arbitration.
1990s Wayne E. Woods, J.D. ‘90, was named a 2013 Man of Fashion and was honored at the 42nd Annual Prix d’Elegance Luncheon at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. The Men and Women of Fashion designation honors those who exemplify unique personal style as well as excellence
through business, civic, and charitable endeavors that improve the communities in which they live. Betsy Fischer ‘87 (management), M.B.A./J. D. ‘91, just published her first book, Divorce in Louisiana. The book explains the divorce process and what to expect while going through it in language non-lawyers can understand. Perry Nicosia, J.D. ‘92, was named a fellow of the Louisiana Bar Foundation. Eric Simonson, J.D. ‘92, has been selected to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law 2014. He is a member at McGlinchey Stafford in New Orleans. B. Jeffrey Brooks, J.D. ‘93, D.C. Partner in Charge for Adams and Reese, is now chairman of the Adams and Reese Executive Committee, a six-member elected team that serves as the management of the firm. He will serve a three-year term. Brooks joined Adams and Reese in 1997 after serving as chief counsel and director of special projects for Congressman Richard H. Baker, and he established the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. He works mostly on issues concerning transportation, appropriations, public works, education, stimulus, energy, and the environment. Nadia de la Houssaye, J.D. ‘93, was appointed to the board of directors of the Federal Bar Association Lafayette/Acadiana Chapter. She works in Jones Walker’s Lafayette office in the Business & Commercial Litigation Practice Group. Lynn Swanson, J.D. ‘93, has been selected to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law 2014. She is the managing member of Jones, Swanson, Huddell & Garrison LLC in New Orleans. Kay Baxter, J.D. ‘94, has been selected to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law 2014. She is a three-time honoree and a founding partner of
Swetman Baxter Massenburg LLC in New Orleans. The Hon. Kristina Hammer Blum, J.D. ‘94, has served as a magistrate court judge for the past nine years and was recently elected as the first female chief magistrate court judge in Gwinnett County, Ga. Her husband, James “Jim” Blum, J.D. ‘94, is a partner at the Atlanta law firm of Beloin, Brown, & Blum LLC, where he handles real estate disputes and title insurance litigation matters. The two married at Holy Name of Jesus Church on Loyola’s campus one week after their law school graduation and recently celebrated their 20th anniversary. They have two children, Merritt, 11, and Corbin, 9. Elia Diaz-Yaeger, J.D. ‘94, a shareholder in the New Orleans law firm of Lugenbuhl, Wheaton, Peck, Rankin & Hubbard, was recently appointed deputy Region XII president of the Hispanic National Bar Association. Region XII covers Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. She is also the immediate past president of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Louisiana. Shannon Eldridge, J.D. ‘94, has joined McCranie, Sistrunk, Anzelmo, Hardy, McDaniel & Welch in New Orleans as an advisory member. Douglas Elliott, J.D. ‘94, has been named a special partner at Pugh, Accardo, Haas, Radecker & Carey in New Orleans. Paul C. Fleming Jr. ‘90 (history), J.D. ‘94, was recently appointed deputy district defender of the 24th Judicial District Public Defender’s Office in Jefferson Parish. As deputy district defender, he assists the district defender in the daily operations of the office, including the supervision of 37 other attorneys. He is one of three attorneys in the office certified by the Louisiana Public Defender Board to defend death penalty cases. He continues to operate the Fleming Law Firm in Metairie, as well.
Doris Bobadilla ‘91 (political science), J.D. ‘95, has been selected to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law 2014. She is the managing director of Galloway, Johnson, Tompkins, Burr & Smith’s Gulfport, Miss., office. Harold Flanagan ‘84 (management), J.D. ‘95, of Flanagan Partners LLP in New Orleans was listed in Louisiana Super Lawyers 2014 in the areas of insurance coverage, energy and natural resources, and transportation/maritime law. Charles Rice Jr., J.D. ‘95, was honored with a Children’s Hero Award by the Children’s Bureau of New Orleans, a mental health organization focusing on prevention, advocacy, education, and intervention efforts. Rice is the current president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans Inc. The Hon. Robin D. Pittman ‘91 (sociology), J.D. ‘96, has been selected to serve on the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law Alumni Board of Directors. Justin Woods ‘89 (computer information systems), J.D. ‘96, an attorney with Woods, Bowers & Woods in New Orleans, was named a fellow of the Louisiana Bar Foundation. Raylyn R. Beevers, J.D. ‘97, was elected as judge of Division B, 2nd Parish Court of Jefferson. She became a partner at Beevers & Beevers LLP in Gretna in 1998. From 2008 to 2013, she served on the Gretna City Council, representing District 4. She has been a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association’s House of Delegates and the Louisiana State Bar Association Bench and Bar Section and has served as the treasurer of the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Civil Law and Litigation Section from 2004 to present. Maurice A. Brungardt ‘94 (political science), J.D. ‘97, is currently assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia.
Earl Campbell, J.D. ‘97, an assistant U.S. attorney with the Shreveport Criminal Division, gave a presentation to youth members at Mount Bethel Baptist Church in Keithville, La., on the importance of Internet safety. Edward T. Hayes, J.D. ‘98, of the law firm Leake & Andersson LLP in New Orleans has been appointed as honorary consul of Ukraine for the state of Louisiana. Hayes leads the firm’s international trade and business practice. His work includes representing domestic industries in trade remedy proceedings in Washington, D.C., and advising U.S. businesses on export business development, contracts, compliance, and controls. He serves on the Louisiana District Export Council of the U.S. Department of Commerce and is an adjunct professor of international trade law at Tulane University School of Law. Adam Zuckerman, J.D. ‘98, was named One to Watch in energy by New Orleans CityBusiness. He is co-chairman of Baker Donelson’s oil and gas industry service team and specializes in complex commercial litigation with emphases on oil and gas litigation, environmental litigation, and natural gas pipeline expropriation proceedings. Before joining Baker Donelson in 2003, he was a clerk to Chief Justice Pascal Calogero, J.D. ‘54, of the Louisiana Supreme Court. He is a member of the American, Louisiana, and New Orleans bar associations and serves as cochairman for the ABA’s Energy Litigation Committee. Jamie Baglio, J.D. ‘99, has been named a special partner at Pugh, Accardo, Haas, Radecker & Carey in New Orleans. Nancy Tilton Hand, J.D. ‘99, recently published her first book, Beyond Rainmaking: Accelerated Learning Techniques for Law School, the Bar Exam, and Beyond.
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ALUMNI NEWS 2000s Dana Douglas, J.D. ‘00, was honored with the Louisiana State Bar Association’s 2013-2014 Crystal Gavel Award for her work with the Exodus Place Community Center, which serves at-risk youth in Central City. She is a member of Exodus Place’s board of directors and has also been involved with the Louisiana State Law Institute, the Orleans Parish Juvenile Teen Court Program, New Orleans Children’s Bureau, and St. Andrew’s Village. She is a shareholder in the commercial litigation section of Liskow & Lewis in New Orleans. Samantha Griffin, J.D. ‘00, has been selected to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law 2014. She is a member at Stone Pigman in New Orleans. Stephen Hanemann, J.D. ‘02, was named One to Watch: Ports & Transportation by New Orleans CityBusiness. Hanemann practices energy, admiralty, and maritime law with Kean Miller in New Orleans. He has represented commercial vessel owners and operations, large midstream stevedoring companies, offshore drilling companies, and large commercial shipyard companies. He is a member of the New Orleans, Louisiana, and American bar associations; the Jefferson Parish Chamber of Commerce; and the Judge John C. Boutall Inn of Court. Stefanie Major McGregor, J.D. ‘02, was named a Texas Rising Star in the field of business litigation for the third time. She is a senior attorney at Godwin Lewis PC’s Dallas office. Sara Mouledoux Glover, J.D. ‘03, of the law firm of Gordon Arata in New Orleans was named a 2014 Rising Star by Louisiana Super Lawyers in the practice area of Energy & Natural Resources. Tanzanika Ruffin, J.D. ‘03, and Maurice Ruffin, J.D. ‘03, recently opened a new restaurant in New Orleans, Pelican Bay. The restaurant will focus on American food that is “as fresh as possible” and vegetarian-friendly. 24
Kristian Gerrets, J.D. ‘04, was hired as a tax manager at Bourgeois Bennett CPAs & Consultants’ New Orleans office. He also was named One to Watch: Accounting by New Orleans CityBusiness. He is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association and an adjunct faculty member with Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business and Loyola University College of Law. He is active in the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society of Louisiana and Mississippi and the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program. Pablo Gonzalez, J.D. ‘04, has been elected to partnership in the law office of Phelps Dunbar LLP in New Orleans. He practices in the area of insurance and reinsurance. He is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and Thomas More Inn of Court. He also serves on the LSBA’s Publications Subcommittee. Kerri Kane, J.D. ’04, an attorney with Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore in New Orleans, was nominated by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to continue her current role on the newly restructured Sewerage & Water Board. Kane has served on the Sewerage & Water Board since 2012. Paul C. Kitziger ‘93 (management), J.D. ‘04, a shareholder at Liskow & Lewis, has been selected to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law 2014. He advises clients on the negotiation and documentation of real estate transactions, corporate and general business matters, and secured transactions. He also counsels clients on transactions involving public offerings and private placement of securities, as well as ongoing SEC compliance and periodic reporting. His business law practice includes corporate governance advice and the creation, acquisition, and sale of small to medium-sized business entities and assets in a variety of industries, including real estate, construction, and oil and gas. He also has experience in the health
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care industry in the creation of federally qualified health care centers and in representing clients in the negotiation and documentation of physician employment agreements. Prior to joining Liskow & Lewis, he owned and operated a local real estate holding company and a local retail business. Dorothy Tarver, J.D. ‘04, has been selected to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law 2014. She is an attorney at Taggart Morton in New Orleans. Michael Cerniglia, J.D. ‘05, was named a member of the New Orleans law firm of King, Krebs & Jurgens. Erika McConduit-Diggs, J.D. ‘05, has been named president and CEO of the nonprofit Urban League of Greater New Orleans. After serving as interim president and CEO for almost a year, McConduit-Diggs was elected by the board of directors in a unanimous vote following a national search. She is the second woman to serve in this position in the group’s 75-year history. McConduit-Diggs will lead a 50-person staff of fulltime and volunteer workers focused on work force and community development, education and youth development, and policy and social justice advocacy. Previously, McConduit-Diggs worked as an adjunct professor at Monroe College in New York and chief operations officer of the YMCA of White Plains and Central Westchester in New York, as well as working as an attorney with Frilot LLC in New Orleans and teaching media law and public health law as an adjunct professor at Dillard University. She started at the Urban League five years ago as vice president of programs and was ultimately promoted to executive vice president. She has served on Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s Education Task Force, Louisiana Superintendent John White’s Student Task Force, and the Recovery School District’s Charter Application Task Force, as well as the community advisory board of the New Orleans Advocate newspaper.
Aaron Michelman, J.D. ‘05, was chosen as a Rising Star in the category of Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Litigation by Georgia Super Lawyers. He is a senior associate at Monge & Associates in Atlanta. Ian C. Barras, J.D. ‘06, was elected as secretary of the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section for 2013-2014. John Creevy, J.D. ‘06, of the law firm of Herman, Herman & Katz was named to the 2014 list of Louisiana Super Lawyers in the practice areas of Class Action/Mass Torts and Personal Injury (General). He was also named a 2014 Rising Star by Super Lawyers. Remy Donnelly, J.D. ‘06, was promoted to partner at Jones Walker in New Orleans. Wendy Brown Horton, J.D. ‘06, has joined Kean Miller LLP’s Shreveport office as an associate. Previously with Cook, Yancey, King & Galloway, Horton will be practicing in the estate planning, business and corporate, and tax groups. She is a member of the Shreveport, Louisiana, and Texas bar associations. Bryan G. Jeansonne, J.D. ‘06, was selected by the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report as one of the 2013 Top 40 Under 40. He is a founding partner at Dore Jeansonne Law Firm in downtown Baton Rouge. Erin Pelleteri, J.D. ‘06, was named a shareholder in the New Orleans office of Baker Donelson. She is a member of the firm’s business litigation group and a member of the New Orleans and Louisiana bar associations. She serves on the board of the Federal Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division and the executive committee for the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Section of Labor and Employment and is a member of the St. Thomas More Inn of Court. Laura Cocus, J.D. ‘07, has been hired as an associate at Curry & Friend’s Covington office. She will practice in the environmental law section.
Julie Deshotels Jardell, J.D. ‘07, of the law firm of Gordon Arata in New Orleans was named a 2014 Rising Star by Louisiana Super Lawyers in the practice area of Energy & Natural Resources. She was also elected as a member of the firm. Wesley M. Plaisance, J.D. ‘07, was named a partner in the New Orleans office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson LLP. He works in the commercial litigation section and has extensive experience in gaming law. He was named a 2014 Rising Star by Louisiana Super Lawyers in the practice area of Gaming. Elisabeth Lorio Baer, J.D. ‘08, an associate at Winsberg and Arnold, was selected to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law 2014. She practices in the area of family law. Formerly of Liskow & Lewis, she is a member of the New Orleans Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Young Leadership Council, and the Women’s Energy Network Southeast Louisiana Chapter. She also serves as a member of the Woman Advocate Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation. Michael Palestina, J.D. ‘08, was named One to Watch by New Orleans CityBusiness. An associate at Kahn Swick & Foti, Palestina previously worked as a law clerk for former Chief Justice Catherine Kimball of the Louisiana Supreme Court and served as a research assistant to Loyola College of Law Professor Kathryn Venturatos Lorio, J.D. ‘73. Palestina has also represented numerous judges and lawyers regarding ethical issues before the state’s judicial and attorney disciplinary systems. Patrick “Rick” Shelby, J.D. ‘08, of the law firm of Gordon Arata in New Orleans was named a 2014 Rising Star by Louisiana Super Lawyers in the practice area of Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights.
Mark Surprenant, J.D. ‘77 By James Shields, Communications Coordinator The College of Law paid tribute to the president of the New Orleans Bar Association, a lawyer and volunteer activist known for his compassion for law colleagues throughout the state who are struggling with family deaths or catastrophic illnesses or injuries. For his selfless work and volunteer service to the university, Loyola alumnus and adjunct professor of law Mark Surprenant, J.D. ‘77, received the 2014 Glass Honoree award at the 73rd Louisiana State Bar Association’s annual meeting on June 3 in Destin, Fla. Surprenant, a partner with Adams and Reese law firm in New Orleans, where he serves as liaison partner of the Pro Bono Services Committee, has also served as the president of both the Loyola Law Alumni Association and the Loyola University Alumni Association. Surprenant’s compassion is evident in the organizations he has created, right down to their names: He established HUGS, Adams and Reese’s corporate philanthropy program, in 1988 and CA&RE, the firm’s official pro bono program, in 2000. In 2002, he co-founded the statewide organization Support of Lawyers/Legal Personnel All Concern Encouraged, known as SOLACE Inc. The organization consists of 8,500 volunteers throughout Louisiana and has chapters in 18 other cities across the country. It reaches out to assist judges, lawyers, court personnel, paralegals, legal secretaries, and their families who have experienced some significant, potentially life-changing event in their lives. The program is coordinated in Louisiana by the Louisiana State Bar Association/Louisiana Bar Foundation’s Community Action Committee. He and his wife, College of Law alumna Monica Surprenant, J.D. ‘78, established the Mark and Monica Surprenant Scholarship, awarded to civil and common law students at Loyola’s College of Law every other year. Mark also led the effort to create the Law Class of 1977 Scholarship. He received the Times-Picayune’s 2012 Loving Cup award as well as the Louisiana State Bar Association’s 2014 David A. Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, both given for his pro bono legal work and long history of volunteerism. “Forty years ago, Loyola admitted me as a law school student and thus provided me with a much-appreciated opportunity to be a lawyer,” Surprenant says. “I was very thankful to Loyola then, and I am even more thankful today for this fantastic honor that Loyola has bestowed upon me. During the years, my relationship with Loyola has enriched my life in numerous ways for which I am forever grateful.”
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ALUMNI NEWS
Byron Arthur ‘89 (political science), J.D. ‘09, was named One to Watch: Education by New Orleans CityBusiness. Arthur is the director of the Brother James McDonnell Scholars Program at Holy Cross School in New Orleans. He is also a practicing environmental attorney who manages his own firm. Before he attended law school, he worked as a social studies and civics teacher for almost 20 years and coached a number of debate teams. He was named the 2014 Louisiana High School Speech League Coach of the Year. Jeffrey Zewe, J.D. ‘09, has been appointed to the position of director of the Louisiana Automobile Theft and Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority at the Louisiana Department of Insurance. Zewe is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Jefferson Parish Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the American Political Science Association.
2010s Tyler Gray, J.D. ‘10, has been appointed general counsel at Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. Meg Kaul, J.D. ‘10, has joined the law firm of Kean Miller in New Orleans as an associate. Formerly
with Adams and Reese in New Orleans, Kaul will practice with Kean Miller’s film and entertainment, business and corporate, and production legal teams. She has extensive experience in media, film, and entertainment law, including Louisiana motion picture, digital media, historic, solar, and infrastructure tax credit transactions. She acts as production legal counsel for motion pictures and television series filmed in Louisiana and has structured motion picture financing arrangements. Her experience includes finance, lending, investment, above-the-line and below-the-line contracts, employment matters, music, sound and location contracts, postproduction issues, and legal services in connection with the various entertainment guilds. Ben Lambert, J.D. ‘10, was recently promoted to director of legal operations with Couch, Conville & Blitt LLC, a multistate law firm based in New Orleans. Tracy C. Rotharmel, J.D. ‘10, has joined Liskow & Lewis’ New Orleans office as an associate in the firm’s environmental law, insurance, and environmental and toxic litigation practices. While at Loyola, she was a member of the Loyola Law Review, and she was an associate at Blue Williams LLP in Metairie before joining Liskow & Lewis.
In Memoriam
Norman R. Kerth, J.D. ‘49 The Hon. Salvador Anzelmo, J.D. ’50 Anthony R. Occhipinti ’40, J.D. ‘50 Herbert W. Christenberry Jr., J.D. ’57 Michael O. Miranne, J.D. ‘64 Wayne C. Giordano, J.D. ‘66 Edward J. Welsch, J.D. ‘66 The Hon. Manuel A. Fernandez Sr., J.D. ‘67 Helen Slipman Kohlman, J.D. ‘68 Mike Balen, J.D. ‘69
Andrew Sullivan, J.D. ‘10, has joined Baldwin Haspel Burke & Mayer in New Orleans as an associate. Josephine Hood, J.D. ‘11, was hired as an associate at Blue Williams law firm in Metairie. Ameca Reali, J.D. ‘11, and Adrienne Wheeler, J.D. ‘11, were named to Gambit’s 40 Under 40 list. The two are the cofounders of the Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana, which helps post-conviction offenders achieve a better quality of life. They recently spearheaded an expungement event in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans, which guided more than 500 people through the complex process of expunging criminal records, excluding violent felonies, sex offenses, and crimes involving minors. Victor M. Jones, J.D. ‘12, joined the law firm of Gordon Arata in New Orleans as an associate. He will focus on oil and gas law, commercial litigation, and environmental and toxic torts. Keriann Langley, J.D. ‘12, joined the New Orleans office of Liskow & Lewis as an associate. Lacey E. Rochester, J.D. ‘12, joined the New Orleans office of Liskow & Lewis as an associate. Camille Bryant, J.D. ‘13, was hired as an associate at
Edward P. Comeaux ’61, J.D. ‘69 Earl L. Mangin, J.D. ‘69 Constant G. Marquer Jr. ’53, J.D. ‘71 Russell M. Cornelius, J.D. ‘74 Louis H. Schultz, J.D. ‘74 Iona A. Renfroe, J.D. ‘78 Gary L. Florreich, J.D. ‘80 John A. Spansel Jr. ’56, J.D. ‘83 Michael J. Hand ’81, J.D. ‘85 Karl Wiedemann, J.D. ‘87
McGlinchey Stafford’s New Orleans office in the general litigation section. While at Loyola’s College of Law, she was an oralist on the National Moot Court Team and the Robert F. Wagner Labor and Employment Moot Court Team, as well as a member of the Loyola Law Review. She served as an extern for the Hon. Nannette Jolivette Brown in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and an intern for the Hon. Larry Lolley, J.D. ’71, in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. She was also inducted into the Order of the Barristers. At McGlinchey Stafford, she will focus primarily on automotive and motor vehicle products liability and insurance defense. Laura Gillen, J.D. ‘13, was hired as an associate at Blue Williams law firm in Metairie. Darryl Glade, M.B.A ‘04, J.D. ‘13, was named to Gambit’s 40 Under 40 list. Glade was chosen to be a part of the local IDEAxcelerator program through The Idea Village for his partnership with Kris Haug, Snap Real Estate Photography, which produces real estate photography and provides clients with highquality listing photos within 24 hours. Mary Jeanfreau ‘09 (psychology), J.D. ‘13, was hired as an associate at Frilot law firm in New Orleans.
Gary M. Silva ’75, J.D. ‘91 Kenneth W. Fonte, J.D. ‘92 William J. Coughlin, J.D. ‘95 Raphael Juneau Jr., J.D. ‘00 Students Sigrid R. Franklin Arielle St. Etienne Staff Michelle F. Davis
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