Lafayette/Acadiana Chapter

Officers

A Message from the Chapter President

The Lafayette-Acadiana Chapter of the Federal Bar covers the Western District of Louisiana. It is comprised of the parishes surrounding the cities of Lafayette, Opelousas, Lake Charles and Alexandria as well as Shreveport and Monroe. The chapter was chartered in 2002 becoming one of the newest chapters in the Fifth Circuit. There are members from private practice, government agencies, military branches, local law schools and local courts in the Lafayette-Acadiana Chapter. The chapter is committed to serving the needs of the federal practitioner employed or residing in Lafayette and the Acadiana area. Here you will find a listing of the chapter officers and chapter news. If you have not already done so, I invite you to join the Federal Bar Association and the Lafayette-Acadiana Chapter. I look forward to seeing you at our events.

Blake R. David
Lafayette-Acadiana Chapter President

Recent Events

April 26, 2007
Marquis de La Fayette Reception for FBA and LPBA members
Location: Acadiana Center of the Arts
Time: 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Chapter News

First Annual Judge John Shaw "Country Gentleman" Civility and Ethics Seminar

On Thursday, December 16, 2004, the First Annual Judge John Shaw "Country Gentleman" Civility and Ethics Seminar will be held at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. The seminar is a living memorial to Judge Shaw's contribution to the federal jurisprudence and legal scholarship and concentrates on civility in the courtroom trials as well as ethical and professionalismconcerns. This year’s featured topics will cover an ethics panel discussion on witnesses, statements and ethical restraints in investigations, the new electronic filing requirements, a distinguished panel of Fifth Circuit and district judges discussing "How it was done in Judge Shaw's Day." This year’s panelists will include Robert Kennedy, Louisiana Office of Disciplinary Counsel on the interaction with federal attorneys; David Hurlburt, Duke Williams and Bill Hedrick, vice president of Rowan Companies, on practical ethical considerations regarding investigation and reporting; U.S. district clerk of court personnel regarding the new E-Government Act and the federal practitioner; and Judges Eugene Davis, 5th Circuit Court of Appeal, U.S. District Chief Judge Richard Haik, U.S. District Judge Tucker Melancon and U.S. District Judge Rebecca Doherty, as well as other federal judges regarding civility and professionalism in the court room.

First Annual Summer Law Clerks & Younger Lawyer Seminar

During the summer, the Lafayette-Acadiana Chapter will be hosting a Summer Law Clerks & Younger Lawyer Seminar presented by several of the federal judges' permanent or long-term law clerks. The seminar will emphasize the "best practices" and recommended "do's and don'ts" regarding appearing before the judges in the Western District of Louisiana and the Fifth Circuit gleaned by the years of experiences of the collective panels. The local law firms and attorneys will be invited to pre-register their summer law clerks along with their younger or newer attorneys to attend in order to learn more effective methods to practicing in the federal courts of the Western District of Louisiana.