Press Release

NEW ORLEANS, November 9, 2010—Six Jones Walker attorneys have been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® 2011 (Copyright 2010 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC) as “Lawyer of the Year.”

The six attorneys honored with the Lawyer of the Year designations are:

William M. Backstrom, Jr. (Tax Law, New Orleans)
John C. Blackman IV (Trusts and Estates, Baton Rouge)
Mark Cunningham (Antitrust Law, New Orleans)
J. Kelly Duncan (Gaming Law, New Orleans)
David F. Edwards (Trusts and Estates, New Orleans)
Curtis R. Hearn (Corporate Law, New Orleans)

After more than a quarter century in publication, Best Lawyers began designating “Lawyers of the Year” in high-profile legal practices in specific legal markets. Only a single lawyer in each recognized practice area in that specific legal market is so honored.  The attorneys being honored as “Lawyers of the Year” received high ratings in the surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities. 

Jones Walker Managing Partner William H. Hines stated,  "These rankings reflect the respect these attorneys have earned based on their legal acumen, strength of character, and depth of knowledge in their respective fields of practice.”  He added, “We are pleased as a firm to have our attorneys recognized by their peers for these achievements.”

Best Lawyers, established in 1983, is universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers ratings are based on exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of attorneys cast more than two million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Attorneys are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered, therefore, a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers "the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice."

Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrère & Denègre L.L.P. (www.joneswalker.com), with more than 300 attorneys,  provides a comprehensive range of legal services to a national and international corporate client base, many in highly regulated industries, through offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

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