Adams and Reese attorney John Duck, in the firm’s New Orleans office, has been selected among the 25 members of the Young Leadership Council Role Model Class of 2013, honoring business leaders in the New Orleans community who have distinguished themselves by actively contributing to the betterment of the city.
The YLC, a non-profit civic organization, will honor each Role Model at the 27th Annual YLC Role Model Gala on Saturday, August 10, 2013, at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans Hotel.
Each year, the YLC selects 25 individuals who promote a positive attitude and unyielding desire to enhance the quality of life in the community, unite the community in collaborative efforts for its further prosperity, serve as an exemplary role model to young professionals, take an effective and vigorous leadership role in the community, and make significant contributions in his or her specific field of endeavor.
Duck joined Adams and Reese in 1979 and has served two terms as Chair of the firm’s Executive Committee. He is a former Team Leader of the Commercial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Team. His practice focuses on complex corporate restructuring matters in both bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy contexts.
In the community, Duck has served as Senior Vice Chairman for the Urban League of Greater New Orleans. He also is the Vice Chair for the New Orleans Ballet Association and a member of its Executive Board. He is a Fellow of the Louisiana Bar Foundation. He is a former member of the Greater New Orleans High School Football Officials Association and was a high school football referee for more than 20 years.
Duck’s pro bono work in the legal community ranges from volunteering for bankruptcy matters with Louisiana Appleseed, a nonprofit that fights for chronic injustice, and volunteering with the New Orleans Pro Bono Project by helping to represent a child placed in foster care on a pro bono basis for the last five years. He visits with him frequently to check up on his status and takes him to court for his cases. Around the firm, Duck periodically organizes CARE packages and supply donations to send to United States troops serving in Iraq.
Duck’s success at the firm has enabled him to be a role model for young associates coming into Adams and Reese, and he often participates in the firm's informal mentoring program for all new attorneys.
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.