Washington, D.C. and New Orleans – September 28, 2004.  Jones Walker is pleased to announce that  Lionel R. Collins, Jr. is joining the firm as a government relations specialist in its Washington, D.C. office.  Collins joins Jones Walker’s government relations group after serving as Chief of Staff (1993-2004) to Congressman William Jefferson.  At Jones Walker, Collins will focus on appropriations, tax and trade issues.

“I have worked for many years in Washington with Jones Walker, whose reputation and outstanding government relations work are well known and highly respected on the Hill,” said Collins.  “Joining Jones Walker is a great opportunity for me to continue to work on projects that are important to my home state of Louisiana and other critical regions of the United States.”

“Lionel’s experience and reputation in Washington continues our bipartisan approach to government relations to best serve the interests of our clients in the Nation’s capital,” said Chris Johnsen, Managing Partner of Jones Walker’s Washington office.  “Lionel will be of tremendous help to us in Louisiana and with clients from across the country.”

Prior to joining Congressman Jefferson’s staff, Collins served as the Legislative Director and Chief of Staff to Congressman Pete Geren of Texas for five years.  He also served for one year as the Legislative Director to Congressman Ron DeLugo, delegate for the Virgin Islands.  Before moving to the House side of Capitol Hill, Collins was a professional staff member for two years to the Senate Banking Committee and also served as a legislative assistant on Louisiana U.S. Senator Russell B. Long’s staff for five years. 

Collins received his J.D. from Howard University School of Law and his B.S. from the University of New Orleans.

Jones Walker, founded in 1937, is a full-service law firm with 215 attorneys located in Baton Rouge, Houston, Lafayette, Miami, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. The firm handles regional, national and international legal matters for clients doing business in the United States and abroad.