The Promulgator

Blake DavidBlake David

20122012--2013 2013

LBA PresidentLBA President

ANNUAL

HOLIDAY PARTY

LYLA FALL

SOCIAL

President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Executive Directors Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

LYLA President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Northside High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Awards & Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Meet Blake David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Board of Directors Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Tribute to Eddie Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Seize the Day CLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

LYLA Fall Social . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Holiday Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Grapevine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

President’s

our Lafayette Bar Association gathered together to relive the storied 43 year history of our association. Begun by a handful of attorneys with an inventory that fit in a shoe box in 1969, our organization has grown to a membership of about 900 attorneys and judges, a first class, newly renovated commercial building, and a staff of five.

Our involved membership includes leaders in all fields of the legal profession, lawyers who play active roles in our local government, and people who volunteer their time to give back to our community, our citizenry and our state.

The LBA board is eager to continue the progress of the LBA and enhance our stature in Lafayette Parish with the following goals over the next few years:

Increase Publicity: We have appointed Jeff Elmore to the newly created position of LBA “Publicity Chair” to work with local media outlets to extend awareness -- beyond the legal community -- for all of the good works done by the LBA, our members and our judges.

Mentoring Program: This program will start in January 2013 for all incoming attorneys. Please volunteer to be a mentor (or name a potential first year mentee) by contacting the LBA office.

Joint Bar Leadership Summit: We have arranged for all Louisiana state and local bar leaders to meet at our LBA building on February 22, 2013 – this will be the first meeting of its kind.

LBA Family Fun Day: Save the date – Friday, May 17, 2013 – for family fun swimming, jumping, hot

dogs, hamburgers and more at Oakbourne Country Club.

Connect in our Community: We are looking to create liaison positions and regular interaction with the local judges, the Clerk of Court, local government, the Chamber of Commerce, and other groups and organizations in and around Lafayette Parish. This will allow the LBA to be a more visible resource and partner in our community;

Increase Membership: While membership in Lafayette is extremely high, we will still look to grow our membership, particularly in surrounding Parishes with targeting CLE opportunities.

Historical Documentation of the LBA: Gary McGoffin will serve as our first Historian, and will work with a committee and possibly ULL to create an oral history of our organization.

Other ideas and goals include having an LBA marquee event that includes the public (i.e., Justice for All Ball), and/or working to garner additional recognition from the ABA and/or LSBA. We look forward to maintaining the high level of achievement that our members have come to expect, and hopefully, build upon our past success.

Blake David President

Tricia Pierre President-Elect

Kyle Gideon Secretary/Treasurer

Larry Curtis Immediate Past President

Susan Holliday, Executive

Director

Tammy Derouen, LVL Program

Director

Penny Rogers, Executive

Assistant

Claire Oliver, Marketing

Director

Chris Wilks, Marketing

Assistant

Acadiana Legal Services Corporation,

Candace Breaux

Bench Bar, Miles Matt

Family Law Section, Shawn Eller

Lafayette Young Lawyers,

Lindsay Meador

Lafayette Volunteer Lawyers,

Cassie Willis

Louis A. Martinet Society,

Karen King

Maritime CLE, Chuck Mouton &

Doug Truxillo

Promulgator, Jerome Moroux

us and I believe that Christmas is a state of mind. It’s a time for us to give, share, love and forgive. With the fast pace of life many of us are tempted to get caught up in the numerous activities associated with the holidays. I hope each of you will slow down and celebrate the many blessings each of us has been given and truly enjoy this special time of the year.

While December is certainly a busy month with the CLE by the Hour program, January will be just as busy. The Annual Court opening will be held on Friday, January 11th and is being hosted by the Acadia Parish Bar Association. It will be nice change to journey to Crowley to celebrate with members of the 15th JDC legal community as we welcome new members of the bar association and pay remembrance to those who we have lost this past year especially, Keith Borne, John Hernandez III and Eddy Williams.

On Wednesday, January 23rd we will honor those attorneys who give their time unselfishly to support Lafayette Volunteer Lawyers. All members are invited to attend the breakfast for our Pro Bono heroes which will take place at the City Club. An invitation will be coming shortly in the mail.

Lastly, please be on the lookout for your 2013 dues renewal. Invoices will be mailed at the end of the month. The strength of this organization lies within its members and so your membership is very important to us. We recognize that our members are all special people. We are thankful for you and your contribution to our organization.

On behalf of me and my staff, we wish you an exciting holiday season filled with joy and true happiness. Merry Christmas and happy New Year! Susan

Candace Breaux Danielle Cromwell

Shawn Eller Jeff Elmore Paul Gibson Joe Giglio, Jr. Karen King Steve Lanza

Lindsay Meador John Mouton, III

Maggie Simar Cynthia Simon William Stagg

Melissa Theriot Steven Ramos Cassie Willis

Executive Message

The Promulgator is published six times a year by the Lafayette Bar Association. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Committee of the Lafayette Bar Association.

Published by: Lafayette Bar Association 2607 Johnston Street, Lafayette, LA 70503 P.O. Box 2194, Lafayette, LA 70502-2194 tel: (337) 237-4700 fax: (337) 237-0970

www.lafayettebar.org The mission of the Lafayette Bar Association is to serve the profession, its members and the community by promoting justice, professional excellence, respect for the rule of law and fellowship among attorneys and the Court.

Lafayette Young Lawyers

everyone is able to step away from the office this year to enjoy some quality time with friends and family. The past few months have flown by as the Young Lawyers Association continued with many of its traditional activities and even managed to bring back the Christmas Project.

In October, we completed multiple wills for members of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office to demonstrate our gratitude for all that they do to serve this community. I would like to thank all of the young attorneys that volunteered their time on the Saturday morning. I would also like to thank Susan Holliday who is always more than willing to help when we need her.

Once again, the social committee, led by Jerome Moroux, organized a fun filled social at Jefferson Street Pub. It was great to see everyone in good spirits and we look forward to seeing each of you at the next social this Spring.

Finally, in an effort to give back to those in need during the holidays, LYLA partnered with Miles Perret Cancer Services to provide gifts for over fifty children who are suffering from cancer or who have parents suffering from cancer. LYLA used the generous donations we received from LBA members which totaled almost $4000 to purchase the gifts. With your help, Miles Perret Cancer Services was able to get everyone on their list a gift this Christmas. With the money leftover, they will be able to double the value of the gift cards they will be giving to every family. Thank you to everyone who donated to the Holiday Giving program! Delivering those toys was an absolute pleasure.

Although the agenda may slow down a bit over the next month, we are looking forward to an amazingly busy yet fun spring with our socials, the golf tournament, the state Mock Trial competition, and more. As 2012 draws to a close, we look back at an amazing year for LYLA and look forward in hopes that we can make 2013 even better.

Next LYLA Meeting: Tuesday January 9th

Noon, LBA Headquarters

Volunteers will be needed to help judge the Sate-Wide Mock Trial Competition on March 23rd.

Anyone Interested please contact Sara Rodrigue with Laborde & Neuner at 337-237-7000

Interested in getting more active in LYLA? Contact P. Brian DeRouen at 337-205-8734

On behalf of the Northside students, Ms. Tullier (NHS mock trial teacher), and myself, a HUGE THANKS to everyone for their support. Without you, this trip would not have been possible. We had a great trip, and the tournament was an outstanding event, hosting 36 teams from all over the US, Canada, S. Korea, England, and Ireland. All teams traded gifts from their countries/states during a wild opening ceremony in which the hype felt much more like an intro to a boxing match than a mock trial tournament.

Like more than half of the 36 teams competing, due to Hurricane Sandy we were forced to leave New York the Sunday evening before the finals (we were the last plane allowed to leave the airport!). But before then, we were able to complete 3 of the 4 rounds which was more than many teams, and we also scrimmaged 2 rounds beforehand. I am extremely proud of our team who competed very well in its rounds against teams from South Korea, England and New York.

During the mornings or evenings when we had time, the students were also able to tour Wall St, Battery

Park, World Trade Center, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 5th Ave, Central Park, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And there is nothing like riding the Manhattan subways on Halloween weekend when zombies and freaks of all sorts board and stand right next to you. There is no doubt in my mind that these were experiences of a lifetime that the students will keep with them forever.

If you want to see more pictures or read more about the tournament, visit this website: http://ln-law.com/northside-high-competes-in-the-big-apple/.

Written by: Brandon Letulier, Laborde & Neuner

The SOLACE program celebrated its 10 Year Anniversary this year. Since October 28, 2002, over a thousand members of our legal community have assisted each other and their family members in their time of need. There are over 7700 SOLACE members in Louisiana and the program has expanded to more than 11 states and Puerto Rico. Plans are presently underway to develop programs in more states. The program is successful because of you - the incredible members of our legal community who constantly watch out for each other. Please continue to be our eyes and ears, and let us know how we can help.

This year, the Lafayette Young L a w y e r s Association asked for your donations in order to provide families dealing with cancer some much needed relief d u r i n g t h e holidays. With the almost $4000 they raised, LYLA was able to purchase gifts for 50 families through Miles Perret Cancer Services. Pictured: LYLA President, Lindsay Meador, LYLA Secretary/Treasurer, Trey Hightower and MPCS Events Coordinator, April Lafargue.

will be roasting a whole pig at their tailgate. Blake David will leave town with a handful of his die-hard friends at 7:30 AM just like they do every home game. They’ll get the drinks, ice, and food before heading out. David’s wife, Amber, and their two young boys, Blake and Bryce, will be making the trip a couple of hours before kickoff. Their eighteen month old daughter, Colette, will sit this one out.

But the tailgate might as well be months or years away because it’s Friday morning and between now and tomorrow, a doctor’s deposition must be taken; two briefs have to be filed; a position paper needs to be revised; there’s a 1 pm teleconference with a judge, a couple of settlements to finalize, and three new clients coming in for consultations. This, of course, in addition to the day-to-day managing of the office, staff, phone calls and those fires that seem to spring up out of nowhere on fall Friday afternoons. But stop

David anytime, catch him at the printer picking up a draft of one of his briefs or visit with him in the elevator on his way down to a lunchtime Board meeting with the Downtown Development Authority and greet him, ask him how he’s doing. And the inevitable response he’ll give you–without even a hint of irony or sarcasm– is “Loving life.”

The way he tells it, David has known he wanted to be a lawyer ever since he knew he could not be the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. A Lafayette native, Blake graduated from St. Thomas More in 1994. From there, he attended LSU where he worked at the law center, running errands for and striking up friendships with the brilliant and quirky professors who haunt the halls. Between LSU and law school, David took a job with lobbyist Randy Haynie, working the legislature floor by day, and pouring cocktails and cleaning up party messes by night.

Before law school, David was convinced that he would

follow in his father’s steps as a civil defense attorney. But this all changed when a family member became seriously injured in an accident and Blake saw the world of litigation from incident to trial through the eyes of someone he knew and loved. More than anything, this experience taught David that he wanted to pursue a trade where people and their lives would be the focus of his practice. Following law school, Blake went to work with local trial lawyers Boyd Anderson and Richard Broussard and almost immediately enjoyed both tremendous success in the courtroom and the respect of his peers. Just a short time out of law school, Blake was lead counsel representing the surviving sons of a mother killed by a drunk eighteen-wheeler driver. In that case, David secured the highest jury verdict ever awarded in Lafayette Parish. Among other accolades, David was honored as the “2009 Outstanding Young Lawyer of Louisiana” given to one lawyer each year by the Louisiana State Bar Association. Despite t h e s e g r a n d achievements, Blake’s partner, Richard Broussard, notes that Blake’s heart remains with the people he represents as he treats every case–no matter how big or how small–with the client in mind: “Universally his measure of how well he did on a case is how happy he made the client-which is almost always very happy.”

Like so many members of the Lafayette Bar, David’s legal life is only part of his story. Blake’s extracurricular include everything from Eucharistic ministry to soccer coach for a gaggle of five year olds. Quarterback dreams apparently die-hard and every week in the fall and spring, you can find David leading his flag football team The Barristers–a creaky revolving cast of half-fit lawyers with a mind for fades and posts–to improbable victory against a nimble and indefatigable team of eighteen year olds All-State athletes.

Richard Broussard sums up Blake’s versicolored spirit by remarking that “Blake approaches all of his undertakings with enthusiasm— he just doesn’t do something that he is not willing to fully commit to.

With everything Blake does, his philosophy seems to be, ‘This is going to end well so I am going to enjoy every minute of it.’” In his remarks at his installation this November, David signaled that as President of the Lafayette Bar Association he will have the same vision, energy and resolve that he brings to his job, family, and life. Among other things, David’s speech discussed his desire to counter-act the negative portrayal of our legal profession too often broadcast to--and tacitly accepted by–the public. To this end, the Board has created a new position of “Publicity Chair” tasked with telling the public about the many good deeds done by our Acadiana bar and bench. David has appointed Jeff Elmore to this role; Jeff’s knowledge of the commercial media landscape along with his legal background will

serve the Board and the L a f a y e t t e l e g a l community well . David also has planned a Family Fun Day on which members of the Lafayette bench and bar can all come together with each other’s families and children to share the day together. “The family day is a great opportunity to bring our association’s membership together–spouses and children–and for everyone to

interact on a different level than we are accustomed to at LBA functions. It should be a great time,” David says. In short, Blake’s goals he seeks to achieve as LBA President are encouraging signs that he understands the importance of carrying on the tradition of service and dedication which has transformed the LBA from a small collection of local lawyers to one of the premier Bar Association in our state.

For most of Lafayette, the workday on Friday has come and gone long before the office of Broussard and David is locked for the weekend. But today, the briefs have been filed, papers edited, doctors deposed, settlements finalized, and client’s signed-up and David is able to leave the office at a proper hour. As much as he loves the go, after a long week at work Blake David looks forward to a quiet night with his wife and three children. Plus he needs his rest. Tomorrow starts early.

President: Blake David, Broussard & David

President-Elect: Tricia Pierre, Attorney at Law

Secretary/Treasurer: Kyle Gideon, Davidson,

Meaux, Sonnier, McElligott, Fontenot, Gideon &

Edwards

Immediate Past President: Larry Curtis, Lawrence

N. Curtis, Ltd.

Candace Breaux, Acadiana Legal Service

Corporation

Danielle Cromwell, Acadiana Computer Systems

Shawn Eller, Law Clerk to the Honorable Susan

Theall

Jeff Elmore, Elmore Law Firm

Paul Gibson, Gibson-Gruenert

Karen King, Office of the U.S. Attorney

Steve Lanza, Onebane Law Firm

Lindsay Meador, Galloway, Johnson, Tompkins,

Burr & Smith

John Mouton, III, Law Offices of John A Mouton,

III

Steven Ramos, Onebane Law Firm

Cynthia Simon, District Attorney’s Office, 15th JDC

Maggie Simar, Hearing Officer, 16th JDC

Bill Stagg, Durio, McGoffin, Stagg & Ackermann

Melissa Theriot, Laborde & Neuner

Cassie Willis, Attorney at Law

The Lafayette Bar Association’s board of directors suffered a great loss with the passing of board member, Eddy Williams. Eddy passed away on November 4, 2012, after a courageous battle with cancer.

Eddy was born in Demopolis, AL on December 18, 1961 to George E. Williams, Sr. and the late Frances Miller Williams. Eddy fell in love and married his high school sweetheart, Donna. They were blessed to be married for twenty nine years and have a son named Josh, who was the center of his universe.

He earned his Bachelors of Arts Degree from the University of Alabama and his Juris Doctorate Degree from Louisiana State University. Eddy was proud to be an attorney and had a busy litigation practice. He was known for the courteous and professional manner in which he treated his clients and opposing counsel.

BOCHM-CABAÑAS

CHIROPRACTIC

Dr. Bochm is a native of Mexico

Languages fluent:

Spanish & English

Flexible scheduling

Same day appointments

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Workers compensation

Personal Injury

105 Independence Blvd. Suite 2

Lafayette, LA | 70506

Phone 337-991-0600

Fax 337-984-5851

Apart from his service with the Lafayette Bar Association, Eddy served: AOC Board of Directors, Advisory Board for AOC Foundation, Community Advisory Board for the Lafayette Junior League, Invited Member to the Oxford University Round Table, LSU Alumni Association, LSU Law Alumni, Honorary Member of Pi Kappa Alpha/LSU, Louisiana State Bar Association and the Louisiana Bar Foundation.

Eddy was a huge LSU fan and enjoyed hunting, fishing, golfing and spending quality time with his beloved family.

The Lafayette legal community will miss Eddy and the insightful remarks he was known for at our monthly board meetings.

CLE By the Hour Thursday, December 20th– Full Day & Night School

Friday, December 21st– Full Day Thursday, December 27th– Full Day

Friday November 28th– Full Day Monday, December 31st– Half Day

December 24th-25th OFFICE CLOSED

December 31st-January 1st OFFICE CLOSED

Friday, January 11th Red Mass

St. John’s Cathedral– Noon Luncheon Immediately Following

Court Opening Acadia Parish Courthouse– 4pm

Court Opening Reception Grand Opera House of the South

Monday, January 21st OFFICE CLOSED

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Wednesday, January 23rd Champions of Justice Breakfast

City Club in River Ranch 7:30am

Tuesday, February 12th OFFICE CLOSED- Mardi Gras

Friday, March 23rd Shoot for Justice– Clay Shoot

GOL Shooting Range

Friday, March 29th OFFICE CLOSED– Good Friday

Friday, May 10th Running in Heels LBA Headquarters

Friday, May 17th Family Fun Day

Oakbourne Country Club

Monday, May 20th Birdie with the Bar Golf Tournament

Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club

,

attorneys from around Louisiana met at City Club in

River Ranch for an outstanding CLE hosted by The

Perret Group, LLC. The CLE’s speakers included the

Honorable Chief Judge Ulysses Gene Thibodeaux,

Honorable Sylvia Cooks, Honorable John Saunders,

Honorable David Painter, Honorable Phyllis M. Keaty,

Honorable Jimmie Peters, Honorable James T.

Genovese, Honorable Chief Judge Charles Jones and

Honorable Edwin Lombard. Afterwards, attendees made

their way to a wine party to celebrate the arrival of

Beaujolais Nouveau with a wine tasting and hors

d’oeuvres. Thanks to The Perret Group, LLC for a great

day.

Durio, McGoffin,

Stagg & Ackermann

Association held another one of their fantastic socials

on Thursday, October 18th at Jefferson Street Pub

Downtown. Lafayette judges and attorneys all gathered

to socialize and check out the recently renovated Bar in

Downtown Lafayette. A big thank you to all of the

incredible sponsors who helped make this event such a

smashing success. Sponsors include Thibodaux,

Hebert, Deshotels, & Leblanc; Travel Machine Inc.; Jim

Lambert Law Firm; Andrus & Boudreaux Complete

Title; and Durio, McGoffin, Stagg & Ackermann.

LYLA Fall Social

at Jefferson Street Pub

hosted their annual Holiday Party on Thursday,

December 6th at the LBA Headquarters. Every

year, the Mediation Center is transformed into a

magical winter wonderland with beautiful

decorations and lights. LBA Members, their guests

and friends of the LBA showed up for drinks,

appetizers and of course holiday cheer. Thanks to

our members for another great year at LBA!

If you feel you have something that is worthy of being included in the Grapevine section of the

Promulgator, please send it to Marketing Director, Claire Oliver, via email at claire@lafayettebar.org

Condolences to LBA board member, Steven “Buzz” Durio on the recent loss of his brother Greg.

Preis & Roy is pleased to announce that Craig R. Bordelon II, Jared O. Brinlee, Christopher M. Ludeau, John L. Robert III and Kellye E. Rosenzweig have joined the Firm’s Lafayette office.

Juneau David, APLC is pleased to announce that Jonathan T. Jarrett has joined our firm as an associate attorney.

Condolences to Jason Boudreaux at Gibson Gruenert on the recent loss of his father.

Liskow & Lewis is pleased to announce that Christopher M. Rhymes and Nicholas S. Wise have joined the firm’s Lafayette office.

Condolences to LBA member, Harold L. Domingue, Jr on the loss of his father.

Jeansonne & Remondet is pleased to announce that Dyan Schnaars has joined their firm.

Congratulations to Tyson and Danielle Cromwell on the birth of their third child and first son, Tate

Anthony Cromwell who made his way into the world on November 1st weighing 7 lbs 4 oz and 19 inches.

Congratulations to Torie Viator with Laborde and Neuner on her recent nuptials to Blake Theroit.

Juneau David, APLC is pleased to announce that Jonathan T. Jarrett has joined our firm as an associate attorney.

Andrus, Boudreaux, Landry & Coussan is pleased to announce that Adam A. Abdalla has joined the firm. Adam will focus his practice on commercial and residential transactions and corporate law.

LSU Law Center Chancellor Jack M. Weiss announced on November 1 the creation of The Preis and Roy Director of Advocacy and Professional Practice Endowed Professorship, an endowment established through a $250,000 gift by the Preis and Roy law firm.

Professional Law Firm seeks a part time front desk receptionist beginning January 2, 2013. Requires excellent communication skills and computer knowledge.

Salary commensurate with experience. Send resumes to mrj@judice-adley.com or Office Manager, P.O. Box 51769, Lafayette, LA 70505.

AV rated Commercial, Litigation and Transactional law

firm, with offices in Lafayette and Houston, seeking Associate

Attorney for its Lafayette office with 3+ years experience.

Excellent academic credentials and superb writing and

research skills are required.

Please send confidential resume to

Administrator

Gibson, Gruenert, PLLC

Post Office Box 3663

Lafayette, Louisiana 70502

By email: lblackburn@gibson-gruenert.com

Website: www.gibson-gruenert.com

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