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1950s Norman Francis, J.D. ’55, H. ’82, is stepping down from his position as president as Xavier University after 46 years. Francis, who was actively involved in the civil rights movement and was the first black graduate of the College of Law, was widely credited with improving Xavier’s rise in national stature. He chaired the Louisiana Recovery Authority after Hurricane Katrina and has served on more than 50 boards and received 40 honorary degrees. In 1991, he was awarded the Times-Picayune’s Loving Cup, which honors citizens who have worked unselfishly for the community without expectation of public recognition or material reward. In 2006, for his lifetime of service to civic causes, he received the nation’s highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from then-President George W. Bush, who praised him as “a man of deep intellect and compassion and character.”
1960s John Cummings ’61 (business administration), J.D. ’61, was featured in the New Orleans Advocate and the New York Times, as well as on CBS and NPR, for his work in transforming the circa-1790 Whitney Plantation in Wallace, La., into America’s first and only museum of slavery. The plantation opened in early December 2014. Donald Jansen ’61 (business administration), J.D. ‘63, received the National Eagle Scout Association Outstanding Eagle Scout Award in May in Houston.
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It is awarded to Eagle Scouts for a lifetime of service to their profession, state, and community. Jansen is chief tax counsel at the University of Texas System and is a director of the American Women Writers National Museum in Washington, D.C., which was founded by his wife, Janice Law. Bob Duplantis, J.D. ’66, a member of Gordon Arata who works in the firm’s Lafayette office, was named to Acadiana Profile magazine’s Top Lawyers list in the areas of administrative/regulatory law, energy law, and oil and gas law. Judge Frank Marullo Jr., J.D. ’68, was re-elected to a judicial seat that he has held since 1974. Robert David, J.D. ‘69, a member of Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer in New Orleans, was named one of the Top 10 lawyers in Louisiana by Thompson Reuters’ Super Lawyers 2015.
1970s Richard A. Chopin ’71 (marketing), J.D. ’73, was named to the list of 2014 Top Lawyers by New Orleans Magazine and was named a 2015 Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers. He is a partner at Chopin Wagar Richard & Kutcher LLP in Metairie. Robert A. Kutcher, J.D. ’75, was named by his peers to the 2015 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for his work in the practice areas of Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Real Estate. He was also selected as a 2015 Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers. He is a partner at Chopin Wagar Richard & Kutcher LLP in Metairie. Judge Robert A. Buckley, J.D. ’76, retained his seat in the St. Bernard Parish Division A judicial race, winning 76 percent of the vote. He was first elected judge in a special election in October 1993.
LOYOLA LAWYER • Summer 2015
David Haynes, J.D. ’76, has been selected by the board of directors of the Terre Haute, Ind., Chamber of Commerce to serve as president. James Looney, J.D. ’77, was honored by the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers with the 2014 Justice Albert Tate Jr. Award. The award is presented for outstanding contributions to the Louisiana system of criminal justice and dedication to constitutional principles. The award is designed to honor individuals for dedication to or in defense of those constitutional principles for which Justice Tate stood. This is LACDL’s most prestigious award. Executive director of the Louisiana Appellate Project since 1996, Looney was honored for his work as a public defender, trial and appellate, in Louisiana and his involvement in national criminal defender organizations, especially in appellate training. Mark Surprenant, J.D. ’77, an adjunct professor of law at Loyola and the president of the New Orleans Bar Association, received the 2014 Louisiana State Bar Association David A. Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual LSBA Pro Bono Awards Ceremony held at the Louisiana Supreme Court in New Orleans in May 2014. This award is given to a Louisiana attorney who demonstrates a commitment to the provision of legal services to the poor, has made significant contributions to enhance the pro bono movement in Louisiana over their lifetime, and has shown significant leadership and service on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised. Surprenant was also recognized at the ceremony with an LSBA Pro Bono Century Award for donating more than 100 hours of pro bono service in 2013. Surprenant was further honored with the Glass Honoree award at the 73rd annual meeting of the Louisiana State Bar Association in June 2014. The award recognizes his extensive pro bono work and volunteerism. He is a partner with Adams and Reese in New
Orleans, where he serves as liaison partner of the Pro Bono Services Committee. Leon Cannizzaro, J.D. ’78, was part of a group of law enforcement officials honored with the FBI’s 2014 Director’s Award for Distinguished Service to the Law Enforcement Community for anti-gang task force work. Task forces in both New Orleans and Baton Rouge have implemented a group violence reduction strategy that urges multiple local, state, and federal agencies to coordinate police work and intelligence to help prosecutors produce conspiracy indictments that take groups of violent offenders off the streets. Cannizzaro is the Orleans Parish District Attorney.
1980s Cecelia Bonin, J.D. ’80, is the new head of the 16th Judicial District public defender’s office. Following her graduation from Loyola, she worked in private practice in New Iberia, La., for many years and has been with the public defender’s office for two years before taking over her new position. Paul Dicharry ’69 (political science), J.D. ’81, was included in the 21st edition of The Best Lawyers in America. He is a partner at Taylor Porter in Baton Rouge, where he practices in environmental and administrative law. Paul M. Lavelle, J.D. ’81, has been listed among the world’s leading practitioners in the London-based publication Who’s Who Legal: Products Liability Defence 2014. He is the managing shareholder of Winstead’s New Orleans office and has extensive trial experience in the areas of products liability, admiralty/maritime, commercial disputes, construction, environmental, insurance, and general civil litigation. Graymond Martin ’77 (criminal justice), J.D. ’81, was part of a group of law