Employment and salary statistics show that 92% of LSU Law graduates from the class of 2012 were employed within nine months of graduation. Some 77% of the graduates were employed in positions where bar passage was required; an additional 7% were employed in positions where J.D. was an advantage. 

The LSU Law Center ranked 11^th in the nation in the percentage of 2011 graduates employed in full-time, long-term legal jobs within 9 months of graduation, according to an analysis published on June 25, 2012, by the Wall Street Journal. The ranking was based on detailed legal employment data reported by all accredited law schools to the American Bar Association. 

In addition to the impressive employment statistics of LSU Law graduates, LSU Law continues to move upwards in a number of state and national rankings of law schools.  The school recently moved up three spots to #76 in the 2014 U.S. News rankings.  The #76 ranking is the second highest in LSU Law history, bested only by the school’s ranking of #75 in 2010. 

LSU Law students have historically had high success rates on passage of the state Bar Exam.  In February 2012, the National Jurist magazine recognized LSU Law as the #1 school in the nation in terms of first-time bar passage ratios in a predictive statistical model based on LSAT scores. LSU Law Center students achieved the second highest passage rate among all examinees on the latest Louisiana State Bar Exam, according to results released October 12, 2012 by the Committee on Bar Admissions of the Supreme Court of Louisiana.

An important element in the school’s continuing success is its focus on strong academics and practical experience.  LSU Law students have the opportunity to “learn by doing” through a number of experiential opportunities at the Law Center.  Through the LSU Law Clinic, the Law Center offers second- and third-year students the opportunity to practice law and represent indigent clients in Baton Rouge and surrounding communities. Current clinic offerings include: Civil Mediation; Family Law; Family Mediation; Immigration Law; and Juvenile Defense. 

The Externship program places selected students with local, state, and federal government agencies, judicial chambers at the state and federal level, and not-for-profit agencies.  Placements during the regular academic year include: Louisiana Supreme Court; Louisiana Department of Justice; Catholic Charities; and Innocence Project New Orleans.

Left to Right: Harry J. “Skip” Philips, Jr.; Honorable Thomas Stagg; David LaCerte; Lorraine Meyers; Chancellor Jack M. Weiss; John P. Laborde; Len Kilgore; and W. Arthur Abercrombie. Not pictured: Norma Bennett and Lauren Wolfe

The alumni of the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center have a long tradition of service to our country.  At this year’s Chancellor Council Dinner, held on March 9 at the LSU Union Ballroom, the Law Center paid tribute to decades of Law Center graduates who have valiantly and faithfully served our nation.

A highlight of the evening was the viewing of a Louisiana Public Broadcasting/Law Center-produced video tribute to our veterans.  Featured in the video are seven outstanding LSU Law graduates: John P. Laborde (’49), Honorable Thomas Stagg (’49), William Meyers (’48), W. Arthur Abercrombie (’69), Norma Bennett (’00), David LaCerte (’08), and Lauren Wolfe (’12).  Sadly, Mr. Meyers passed away on February 22, 2013 not long after the taping of the video.

The National World War II Museum’s charming vocal trio, the Victory Belles, took the crowd on a nostalgic journey through World War II-era musical classics.

The Chancellor’s Council annual dinner recognizes alumni and friends of the LSU Law Center who are Chancellor’s Council members and others who have provided major gifts to the Law Center. Annual contributions from Chancellor’s Council members are used to support a variety of student and faculty activities, academic programs and alumni services. Student financial aid, facility and technology improvements, as well as other initiatives that enhance the standing of LSU Law, would not be possible without the generosity of our Chancellor’s Council members and major gift donors. 

Click here to view photos of the event.

Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson

Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson, LSU Law ’69, will return to her alma mater to deliver the Commencement address at the LSU Law Center’s 2013 commencement ceremonies, Chancellor Jack M. Weiss has announced.  The commencement ceremonies will be held on Friday, May 31, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on the LSU campus.

“We are delighted to welcome our new Chief Justice back to LSU Law as our 2013 commencement speaker,” said Chancellor Weiss.  “Her dedication to the law, advocacy of social justice, and unique perspective as one of the first African American females to attend the Law Center will make for an inspiring address.”  A 1969 graduate of the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Chief Justice Johnson was one of the first African American women to attend the law school.  She was inducted into the LSU Law Center’s Hall of Fame in 1996, and in 2004, she delivered the John H. Tucker, Jr., Lecture in Civil Law at the Law Center.  Today, her portrait hangs in the Robinson Courtroom at the Law Center.

Chief Justice Johnson is the first African American Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.  Her formal investiture ceremony was held February 28, 2013.  She was first elected to serve on the Louisiana Supreme Court in 1994 and was re-elected, without opposition, in 2000 and 2010. She serves on the Louisiana Supreme Court’s Judicial Council and has served on the Court’s Legal Services Task Force, as well as the National Campaign on Best Practices in the area of Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts. Justice Johnson has worked closely with the Court’s Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Committee and the Committee on Bar Admissions. She has served as the Louisiana Supreme Court’s appointee to the Louisiana Law Institute, housed at LSU Law.

For much of her life, Chief Justice Johnson has worked as an advocate for social justice, civil rights, and community organizing.  During the 1960’s, she worked as a community organizer with the NAACP, Legal Defense & Educational Fund.  While in law school, Chief Justice Johnson worked at the U.S. Department of Justice (Civil Rights Division) in Washington, D.C., examining cases filed by the Department to implement the 1964 Civil Rights Act.  She also served as a Federal Observer during elections in Greenwood, Mississippi.

Following law school, Chief Justice Johnson became the Managing Attorney with the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation, where she provided legal services to over 3,000 clients in socio-economically deprived neighborhoods.  In 1981, Chief Justice Johnson joined the City Attorney’s staff, and later became a Deputy City Attorney for the City of New Orleans.

Chief Justice Johnson’s judicial career began in 1984 as the first woman elected to serve on the Civil District Court of New Orleans.  She was re-elected, without opposition, in 1990 and was elected Chief Judge by her colleagues in 1994.

Chief Justice Johnson is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2009 Distinguished Jurist Award presented by the Louisiana Bar Foundation and the Louisiana Bar Association President’s Award for Exceptional Service as co-chair of the Task Force on Diversity in the Profession.  She has twice been presented with the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society’s President’s Award, in 1997 and 2008. 

In addition to her judicial responsibilities, Chief Justice Johnson has been actively involved in serving the community. She has served as an Executive Committee Member of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College (1991-1994); Chair of the New Orleans Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1989-1994); Member of the Martin Luther King National Holiday Planning Committee; Member of the Board of Directors of the Young Women Christian Association; and Life Member of the NAACP.

 Chief Justice Johnson is the parent of two adult children: a son, David, an accountant who lives in Atlanta with his family, and a daughter Rachael, who is a licensed attorney in Florida and Louisiana.

LSU Law graduate and Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne (’79) served as ceremony emcee. LSU Law Professor Randy Trahan spoke about the Louisiana Supreme Court’s role in the preservation and development of Louisiana’s civil law tradition. LSU Law Professor Paul Baier serves as secretary of the Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society. For more information about the history of the state Supreme Court, please click here.

Front: Professor Randy Trahan; Back: Justice Marcus Clark (’85), Justice John Weimer (’80) and Justice Jeffrey Victory

Justice Marcus Clark (’85), Justice John Weimer (’80), Justice Jeffrey Victory, Chief Justice Bernette Johnson (’69) and Justice Jeanette Knoll

The #76 ranking is the second highest in LSU Law history, bested only by the school’s ranking of #75 in 2010. The U.S. News ranking of top law schools is a closely watched list among the nation’s public and private law schools.

“Taken together, the U. S News ranking, the #3 Best Value ranking by National Jurist/Pre-law Magazine (2012), our students’ consistently high rate of success on the Louisiana Bar Exam, and our graduates’ continuing strong performance in obtaining employment, confirm that we are providing our students with a valuable legal education at reasonable price,” according to LSU Law Chancellor Jack M. Weiss.

The LSU Law Center ranked 11^th in the nation in the percentage of 2011 graduates employed in full-time, long-term legal jobs within 9 months of graduation, according to an analysis published on June 25, 2012, by the Wall Street Journal. The ranking was based on detailed legal employment data reported by all accredited law schools to the American Bar Association.

Some 194 accredited law schools in the nation are reviewed by the magazine. LSU Law is one of only 6 public law schools from Texas to Florida, and only one of 3 law schools in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, public or private, ranked in the Top 100.

LSU Law entered the U.S. News Top 100 for the first time in 2004. The new ranking accentuates the Law Center’s positive movement in the rankings in recent years. “I’m pleased to report that we moved up three places, from # 79 to # 76,” said Chancellor Weiss. However, Weiss expressed some caution over the latest ranking.

“As I’ve said in previous years, the U.S. News rankings are notoriously unpredictable and are, in part, very subjective. Every law school dean holds his breath until the rankings are announced,” said Weiss. “As always at LSU Law, we will continue to make decisions that are in the best interest of our students and the state of Louisiana. A good U.S. News ranking is lagniappe, not our overriding goal.”

Factors in the rankings include Quality Assessment (peer assessment and assessment scores by lawyers and judges); Selectivity (undergraduate GPA at 25^th-75^th percentile, and acceptance rate); Placement Success (graduates employed at graduation, graduates employed 9 months after graduation, school’s bar passage rate in jurisdiction, and jurisdiction’s overall bar passage rate); and Faculty Resources (student/faculty ratio and expenditures per student for instruction, library, and supporting services).

“This is a remarkable achievement for the Law Center,” Chancellor Weiss said in offering his congratulations to the students, faculty, and staff. “Here’s hoping for an even brighter future for LSU Law,” he concluded.

The investiture ceremony took place on the steps of the Louisiana Supreme Court in New Orleans.  Justice Johnson took the official oath of office in a courtroom ceremony held on February 1.  She succeeds retiring Chief Justice Catherine D. “Kitty” Kimball (LSU Law 1970), who served as the Court’s first female Chief Justice.

“On behalf of the entire LSU Law family, I offer my congratulations and best wishes to Chief Justice Johnson,” said LSU Law Chancellor Jack M. Weiss, who attended the February 28 ceremony.  “She has served the Court and the legal community with dedication and distinction.  We are proud to claim Chief Justice Johnson as a “law Tiger.”  We look forward to working with Chief Justice Johnson as she seeks to improve our state’s system of justice for the benefit of all of our citizens.” 

Chief Justice Johnson’s judicial career began in 1984 when she was elected to the Civil District Court of New Orleans, becoming the first woman to hold that office. She was re-elected without opposition in 1990 and was elected Chief Judge by her colleagues in 1994.  Chief Justice Johnson was elected to serve on the Louisiana Supreme Court in 1994 and was re-elected, without opposition, in 2000 and 2010.  She represents the Seventh Supreme Court District which includes Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. 

Of the seven justices on the Louisiana Supreme Court, four other sitting Justices are graduates of the LSU Law Center, including the Honorable John Weimer (1980), Honorable Greg Guidry (1975), Honorable Marcus Clark (1985), and  Honorable Jefferson Hughes (1978).

Link to full biography of Chief Justice Johnson. 

The procedural landscape of multidistrict litigation (MDL) has been rapidly evolving and become a critical focal point of complex litigation. MDL cases have generated a vast array of procedural and administrative innovations aimed not only at efficient management of massive numbers of cases, but also forging new pathways to global settlements. The Eastern District of Louisiana has been the source of many of these innovations, offering path making approaches to managing, administering, and ultimately resolving some of the most complicated disputes in the nation. How have these innovations come to be, and what do they mean for the future of MDL in Louisiana and the nation? The Louisiana Law Review is proud to bring together leading federal judges, attorneys and scholars to explore these questions. 

Presenters include the following: Honorable Lee Rosenthal, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas; Honorable Eldon Fallon,United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Honorable Kurt D. Engelhardt, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Honorable Stanwood Duval, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Francis McGovern, Professor of Law, Duke University School of Law; Elizabeth Cabraser, Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann, & Bernstein, LLP; Samuel Issacharoff, Professor of Law, NYU School of Law; Teddy Rave, Furman Fellow, NYU School of Law; Calvin Fayard, Fayard & Honeycutt, APC; Patrick Juneau, Juneau David, APLC; Jeremy Grabill, Phelps Dunbar LLP; Allan Kanner, Kanner & Whiteley, LLC; Leonard Davis, Herman, Herman & Katz, LLP and Herman Gerel, LLP; and Philip Garrett, Philip Garrett, CPA. 

The Louisiana Law Review was established to encourage legal scholarship in the student body, act as an incentive to and provide a method of training in individual research, contribute to the development of the law by scholarly criticism and analysis, foster the study of civil and comparative law, and serve the bar of the state by comments on and discussion of current cases and legal problems. It is edited by a board of student editors, with faculty cooperation. The Law Review selects student editors by considering first-year academic performance and participation in an annual writing competition.

The 60^th annual Mineral Law Institute will be held March 14 and 15 in the McKernan Auditorium at the LSU Law Center. 

This two-day event attracts energy leaders from across the state and country.  Topics that will be addressed include Recent Changes to the Conservation Act, Developments in Hydraulic Fracturing Technology and an Oil & Gas Law Update.  For registration information, please visit www.LSUcle.org or contact the LSU Law Center Continuing Education Department at 225-578-5837.

The Louisiana Mineral Law Institute recently published a new treatise for academicians and practitioners.  Edited by LSU Law Center Professor Emeritus and Emeritus Director of the Louisiana Mineral Law Institute Patrick Martin, the 16 chapter treatise was written by mineral law scholars and practicing attorneys. 

“I expect the Louisiana Mineral Law Treatise to be a valuable resource for oil and gas lawyers and landmen throughout the State,” said Professor Keith Hall, Director of the Louisiana Mineral Law Institute.  “Although I’ve had my copy for only a short time, I’ve already turned to it several times.”

The treatise is available at Claitor’s Law Books and Publishing, www.claitors.com.

Mr. Meyers, a prominent oil and gas lawyer who helped found the Liskow and Lewis law firm in New Orleans, died Friday, February 22, 2013, in Covington. He was 90.  The LSU Law Center awarded him the “Distinguished Achievement Award” in 2012, in recognition of his exemplary career and dedication to the Law Center. He earned his LSU Law degree in 1948, and while in law school, Mr. Meyers served as associate editor of the Louisiana Law Review and president of Phi Delta Phi, a fraternity for law students.  He graduated The Order of the Coif.

Mr. Meyers worked with the Liskow and Lewis law firm for over 40 years, serving as managing partner for several years. He was particularly concerned with legal and environmental issues related to the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, and the waters bordering Alaska. He was a frequent presenter at legal seminars and hearings, and at industry seminars. His system for recording lease files at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act is in use today.  He was a long-time Senior Member of the Louisiana Law Institute, helping to revise portions of the Louisiana Civil Code and the Louisiana Mineral Code.

Mr. Meyers was a member of the Law Center’s Chancellor’s Council, a Law Fellow, and a former practitioner-in-residence at the Law Center. He was inducted into the LSU Law Center Hall of Fame in recognition of his achievements.

Mr. Meyers was a member of the Board of Governors and the Board of Delegates of the Louisiana Bar Association. He also was a former research fellow and trustee of the Southwestern Legal Foundation, now the Center for American and International Law, and was on the board of editors of the Oil and Gas Reporter.

He joined the Marines in 1942, serving as a gunnery officer aboard the U.S.S. Washington which provided support for landings at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Mr. Meyers was awarded four battle stars. The Law Center will recognize Mr. Meyer’s military service during the annual Chancellor’s Council dinner on March 9. 

In addition to Mr. Meyers’ wife, Lorraine, survivors include four sons, Dr. William Meyers Jr. of New Orleans; Mark Meyers (LSU Law ’79) of Houston; Andrew Meyers (LSU Law ’84) of Lafayette; and John Meyers of Covington; two daughters, Meg Meyers Smith of Houston and Mary Meyers Howard of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and 11 grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held March 16 at 3 p.m. at Christwood Retirement Community, 100 Christwood Blvd. in Covington. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m.  In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made in Bill’s memory to the William M. Meyers Endowed Scholarship at the LSU Law Center. Gifts may be made to the scholarship via the LSU Foundation’s online giving process at https://www.lsufoundation.org/contribute.php

Federal Judge Frank Polozola, a 1965 graduate of the Law Center, passed away on Sunday, February 24, 2013 and was buried on Wednesday, February 27 in Baton Rouge.

Judge Polozola was sworn in as a U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Louisiana in 1980, following his nomination by President Jimmy Carter. He served as Chief Judge of the Middle District of Louisiana from 1998 – 2005.  Judge Polozola became a Senior Judge in January 2007.  He served almost 40 years on the bench, first serving as a U.S. Magistrate Judge. 

He attended LSU on an athletic scholarship and was a catcher for the 1961 Southeastern Conference Championship baseball team. During his years at LSU Law, he served on the Law Review and graduated The Order of the Coif.

He served as an adjunct professor at the Law Center for many years.  Judge Polozola formerly served on the Law Center’s Alumni Board of Trustees and was inducted in the LSU Law School Hall of Fame in recognition of his achievements.

He was instrumental in establishing the Guard Youth Challenge Program and the Job Challenge Program for at-risk youth.  He served for 22 years on the Board of Directors for Catholic High School in Baton Rouge.

He is survived by his wife, Linda, children Gregory Polozola (LSU Law ’95), Sheri Polozola Vutera, Gordon Polozola (LSU Law ’95), and numerous grandchildren. 

The First Circuit is one of five Louisiana intermediate appellate courts.  The First Circuit’s territorial jurisdiction extends over sixteen parishes in the southeastern part of Louisiana.  The court is domiciled in Baton Rouge and normally holds hearings at its courthouse located at 1600 North Third Street.  As part of its educational outreach program, the First Circuit on occasion travels to various locations within its jurisdiction, such as Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, to hold court. 

Attorneys representing clients with appeals pending before the First Circuit will be presenting oral arguments before three-judge panels.  The panel comprised of Judges James E. Kuhn, John T. Pettigrew (’72), and J. Michael McDonald (’77) will conduct hearings at LSU on February 18, 2013, and the panel comprised of Judges Randolph H. Parro (’67), Jewel E. Welch, Jr. (’80), and William Kline (’60) (retired, sitting pro tempore) will conduct hearings on February 19, 2013.  On behalf of their panels, Judge Parro and Judge Kuhn, as panel chiefs, invite the public to attend the hearings, with a special invitation extended to law, government, criminal justice, and civics classes. 

Current copies of the court’s docket are available on the court’s website.  For additional information, visit www.la-fcca.org.