I began my involvement with the FBA through the National YLD’s Moot Court Program under a new appointment to the National FBA YLD Board of Directors. I chaired this program, until 2005 and implemented two different plans – the first, providing a free membership to all competitors and the second, recruiting former competitors to work on this board program.
I was also asked to serve as a representative of the chapter’s Younger Lawyers on the New Orleans Chapter’s Board of Directors. I preformed this job individually for a couple of years and then with the chapter president’s permission, I wrote a set of bylaws, had them approved by the chapter’s Board of Directors and appointed a local YLD Board within the chapter. These bylaws offered a means or election and succession and established an active board. This chapter YLD Board conducts a large portion of the programs for the chapter maintaining an active presence in the New Orleans Chapter. I worked diligently on programming and preparation for the chapter and was elected chapter president for the 2006-2007 term. I feel that I was able to strengthen the chapter and National FBA relations along with maintaining the service and connection as the largest Chapter in the country even after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. I currently an active relationship with the Chapter through many of the programs from institutional history to co-chair of the Host Committee for the 2010 FBA Annual Convention.
Contemporaneously with my chapter work, I rose to the position of National YLD Chair and sat as an ex-officio member of the last Executive Committee in 2005-2006 before being elected to a three year term to the national FBA Board of Directors, 2006-2009. I have always considered membership and, more recently in my involvement with the National Board of Directors, the technology change to be essential factors to the success of the FBA. After one three-year term on the Board of Directors, I was appointed as General Counsel for the association, 2009-2010. More recently, I was elected to the Board of Directors again in 2010 to serve a term from 2010-2013; a position which I am proud to hold.
My practice at the Becnel Law Firm in New Orleans, Louisiana involves primarily mass torts and plaintiff’s general litigation issues. With experience with products liability, mass disaster recovery and pharmaceutical litigation, my work keeps me primarily in Federal Court nationwide.