Press Release

NEW ORLEANS—Jones Walker is pleased to announce that the firm has been recognized as a leading litigation firm in Louisiana in the 2009 edition of Benchmark Litigation, the definitive guide to America's leading business litigation firms and attorneys. Jones Walker is listed as a "highly recommended" litigation firm in Louisiana for the second consecutive year. Furthermore, partner Pauline F. Hardin and partner R. Patrick Vance are highlighted as "local litigation stars" for the second consecutive year, and associate Amelia Smith Rinehart is listed for the first time as a "future star."

Mr. Vance serves as the Practice Group Leader of the Business & Commercial Litigation Practice Group, and focuses his practice on business litigation, creditors' rights litigation, and bankruptcy. Ms. Hardin heads the firm's White Collar Defense practice area, and has more than 30 years of experience litigating criminal matters with more than 20 years of experience litigating business, commercial, and labor matters. Ms. Rinehart focuses her work on intellectual property cases, prosecuting and litigating  patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret matters.

Jones Walker's Business & Commercial Litigation Practice Group attorneys provide litigation counsel, advice, and support to many of the world's largest corporations, as well as to prominent local and regional companies. The firm's litigation practice has considerable experience managing and resolving class actions in a variety of substantive areas, including antitrust, securities, and products liability, among others. We are pleased to have served as defense counsel in class actions on behalf of BellSouth Telecommunications, CSX Corporation, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., General Motors Corp., Stewart Enterprises, Inc., and many others.

Benchmark Litigation was first published in 2008. The publication focuses exclusively on the United States' national and regional litigation markets with research compiled during extensive face-to-face interviews around the country over a 12-month period.

Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrère & Denègre L.L.P. provides a comprehensive range of legal services to a national and international corporate client base through offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.

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