Thank You for Your Service!

When Baton Rouge Attorney Anderson O. Dotson III filed his application to serve as an LADB hearing committee member in 2009, he likely had no idea that he would serve the agency in nearly every volunteer capacity over the course of the following ten years. But that is what happened. After handling numerous matters and presiding over multiple disciplinary hearings as a hearing committee member, Andy was appointed as a board member by the Louisiana Supreme Court. As a Board member, he served on both the adjudicative and administrative committees and eventually was selected as the Board’s chair. During his tenure as chair in 2018, Andy was the driving force in the creation of the ELLI program, the Board’s learning initiative directed toward the needs of newly-admitted lawyers. At the end of this month, Andy’s second term as an LADB Board member will come to an end.

Also ending her service to the Board this month is Carrie LeBlanc Jones of Baton Rouge. When Carrie was first appointed to the Board in 2013, she had been in practice only five years. Particularly aware of the challenges faced by newly-admitted attorneys, and with a keen sense of the importance of a lawyer’s ethical obligations to clients, the legal system, the profession and the public, Carrie always brought a thoughtful and well-reasoned approach to her work at the Board. After her appointment by the Louisiana Supreme Court to a second term, Carrie served as the Board’s chair in 2017, the youngest Board member to hold this position.

The primary purpose of the lawyer discipline and disability system is to protect the public and the participation of public members within the system is crucial. This month marks the end of the volunteer service of Sheila E. O’Leary as a member of the Board. Sheila, a resident of Monroe, began as a hearing committee member in 2015 and was later appointed to serve as a member of the Board. Her extensive knowledge and experience in marketing, management and finance provided valuable perspective in the decision-making process. Her strong work ethic, practical approach and sense of fairness were evident in her work for the Board.

Andy, Carrie and Sheila have faithfully and admirably served the Court, the LADB, the members of the legal profession and, most importantly, the citizens of the State of Louisiana. As their service comes to an end, the LADB extends its sincere thanks for their dedication and leadership.

In addition, the Board would like to recognize and thank a number of outgoing hearing committee members for their service and dedication. The following hearing committee members have handled hundreds of matters and contributed countless hours for the good of the profession and the public:

Dara Baird (Lawyer, New Orleans), Carolyn Bruder (Public Member, Lafayette), Vallan Corbett (Public Member, Baton Rouge), Bobby Delise (Lawyer, New Orleans), Elaine Dill (Public Member, Abbeville), Barry Dowd (Lawyer, Monroe), Linda Ellis (Public Member, Slidell), Jean Finch (Public Member, Lafayette), Darryl Foster (Lawyer, New Orleans), Sandra Guidry (Lawyer, New Orleans), Kristen Hartley (Lawyer, Metairie), Francinia Henry (Public Member, New Orleans), Teresa Jones (Public Member, Baton Rouge), Frederick King (Lawyer, West Monroe), Edythe Koonce (Lawyer, Baton Rouge), Vanessa LaFleur (Lawyer, Baton Rouge), Joseph LaPlace (Lawyer, St. Gabriel), John LeGrand (Public Member, Bossier City), Kenneth Matthews (Lawyer, Mandeville), Terrence McCay (Lawyer, Lake Charles), V. Ed McGuire III (Lawyer, Lake Charles), Timala Melancon (Public Member, Gueydan), Kenneth Orie (Lawyer, Metairie), Leonor Prieto (Lawyer, New Orleans), Terrance Prout (Lawyer, New Orleans), Jennifer Steel-Bourgeois (Public Member, Gretna), Thomas Thompson (Lawyer, Abbeville), Wade Webster (Lawyer, New Orleans), Tiffany Wilken (Lawyer, Harahan), Margaret Woodward (Lawyer, New Orleans).