Lawyers honored for work pro bono
LAFAYETTE — The Lafayette Bar Foundation has honored its “Champions of Justice,” local lawyers and firms who commit to pro bono service in the community.
About 75 attorneys volunteered their time through the foundation’s service projects, said Tammy DeRouen, program director for the Lafayette Volunteer Lawyers.
The foundation operates three pro bono programs: the Protective Order Panel; the Lafayette Volunteer Lawyers program, which handles civil issues; and the Homeless Experience Legal Protection program, which helps the homeless obtain documents, such as copies of their birth certificates, to secure identification cards.
An awards ceremony was held Wednesday at the John M. Shaw Federal Courthouse. DeRouen said the foundation annually recognizes its volunteers for their service.
The following lawyers received “Outstanding Attorney Awards” based on a points system for their work in any of the foundation’s service programs and each received 15 points or higher: Michael V. Ardoin, John Derek Aswell, Paula Bertuccini, Jaclyn Bridges, Marianna Broussard, Jeffrey Coreil, Elizabeth Dugal, Bradford Felder, Valerie Garrett, Judith Kennedy, Gregory Koury, Lindsay Meador, Charles William Montz, Jennifer Robinson, Sara Rodrigue, Dwazendra Smith, Grady Spears, K. Wade Trahan and Cassie Willis.
Coreil received the Protective Order Panel Award for representing the most protective order clients, and Trahan received the HELP Award for his work assisting the homeless in Acadiana.
Koury received the “Top Lafayette Volunteer Lawyer Program Attorney Award.” In 2011, Koury handled 11 family law cases and also received numerous awards for his pro bono efforts.
For the third consecutive year, the “Small Firm Award” was presented to Huval, Veazey, Felder & Renegar. In 2011, the firm worked 12 pro bono cases. The award is presented to a firm with six or fewer attorneys.
For the fifth consecutive year, the “Large Firm Award” was presented to Laborde & Neuner, which represented 103 clients through the Lafayette Volunteer Lawyer program in 2011.