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Adams and Reese Partner and Diversity Committee Chair Deborah Rouen was recognized among the “2011 Most Powerful and Influential Women in Louisiana,” at the third annual Louisiana Women's Conference, hosted by the National Diversity Council. The awards breakfast was held at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel on September 23rd. This award is presented by the National Diversity Council for leadership excellence and for serving as a role model for the promotion of diversity in the workplace. Rouen was one of 14 women from Louisiana receiving the award.
The award is given to those who provide leadership excellence in the public and/or private sectors; sustain a record of accomplishments and/or contributions to field of work throughout scope of her career; demonstrates leadership and commitment to community well-being and/or high visibility in the community; and exhibits and demonstrates a commitment to the highest ethical standards and professional excellence.
Within the last year, Rouen’s work with the Diversity Committee has led the firm to become a recipient of a prestigious national award - the Corporate Counsel Women of Color® Diversity Award of Excellence. The firm has also received a Commendation of Diversity Principles from the Louisiana State Bar Association; Encouraging Diversity Award from Birmingham Business Journal; and a Lighthouse Award for fostering diversity in the legal profession.
Adams and Reese is ranked among the top 200 law firms in diversity by the Minority Law Journal; nationally ranked among the nation’s best law firms for women by American Lawyer Magazine; ranked among the Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity by MultiCultural Law Magazine; and among the Top 100 Law Firms for Women by Women 3.0 Magazine.
After serving a three-year term as the first woman elected to the Executive Committee at Adams and Reese, Rouen was appointed Chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee in 2006. She has worked to expand cultural inclusion, partnered with clients to meet diversity requisites, improved recruitment, mentoring and retention of women and minority lawyers; obtained firm recognition in national rankings of women and minority lawyers and increased firm support of minority-sponsored legal, cultural and social events. She has frequently participated in client-sponsored diversity conferences, panels and roundtables.
Rouen, a litigation partner in the New Orleans office, has been practicing law for 28 years and has extensive experience in defending class actions, mass torts and complex litigation involving tobacco, refineries, pharmaceuticals, crop fertilizer and Hurricane Katrina and Road Home suits. She is the former leader of the Class Action/Complex Litigation team and focuses her practice on defense of product design, toxic tort, environmental, maritime, fraud, misrepresentation, conspiracy and punitive damages.
Rouen was selected among the “Women of the Year” by New Orleans CityBusiness in 2003 and 2010, and in 2008, she was named among the “Leadership in Law” class. She is ranked by Best Lawyers® in the practice area of Product Liability Litigation.
In the community, Rouen serves as Secretary of the Board of the New Orleans Bar Foundation and is a former board member of the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. In the community, she serves as Vice-President/President-Elect on the Board of the Jefferson Performing Arts Society. She coordinates the firm’s participation in the Dress for Success program and the volunteer program at The Good Shepherd School, a downtown school for at-risk children.
Adams and Reese is a multidisciplinary law firm with offices strategically located throughout the southern United States and Washington, DC. American Lawyer includes Adams and Reese on its distinguished list of the nation's top law firms - "The Am Law 200.” The National Law Journal also includes the firm on the "NLJ 250" list of the nation's largest law firms.