Three Adams and Reese attorneys have been recognized as leading professionals in the field of law as partners Jaimmé A. Collins, Jeffrey E. Richardson and Laurie Briggs Young were named to the 2018 Leadership in Law Class by New Orleans CityBusiness.
They will be officially recognized at the 14th Annual Leadership in Law event on May 14 at the New Orleans Museum of Art. The Class of 2018 will also be featured in a special Leadership in Law insert set to run in the May 25 issue of New Orleans CityBusiness.
Collins joined Adams and Reese in 2008, providing general corporate governance advice and handling related litigation for clients while also serving as the chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee. She is a Board Member of the University Medical Center and the Children's' Bureau of New Orleans, serving as Chair of the latter from 2011-16. In addition, Collins served on the Cabrini High School President's Advisory Board from 2008-2014 and the New Orleans City Board of Trust from 2011-12. She is currently a member of the Young Leadership Council of New Orleans and The Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society. Most recently, Collins was elected a board member of the New Orleans Bureau of Governmental Research for 2018.
Recognized in the 2018 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America® (by BL Rankings, LLC) in the field of insurance litigation, Collins has received several awards for her work in the legal field and in the community. The winner of the 2014 Urban League Empowerment Award from the National Urban League, she was among the New Orleans CityBusiness Women of the Year in 2011 and was honored by the National Diversity Council as The Glass Ceiling Award winner in 2013 and among the Top 15 Business Women in Louisiana in 2018. Collins also received the Karl Connor Award from the A.P. Tureaud Chapter of the Black Law Students Association at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, was a Class of 2012-13 member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute and a 2013 Fellow of the Norman C. Francis Leadership Institute.
Richardson, who came to Adams and Reese in 1994 as a member of the litigation group, has not only been a contributor within the firm but has also been a national leader in implementing technology among legal professionals, and has been a game-changer in the realm of pro bono work. The firm’s Technology Committee chair, Richardson previously served as an adjunct professor at Tulane University, teaching “Computers in Law,” and his blog iPhoneJD.com has been recognized on numerous occasions for its contributions to the legal community. As a pro bono advocate, Richardson was instrumental in revising how CLEs can be earned by attorneys – allowing them to earn credit via hands-on pro bono work rather than simply in a classroom setting.
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® (by BL Rankings, LLC) since 2012 and Louisiana Super Lawyers® (by Thomson Reuters) since 2014, Richardson is designated by Best Lawyers® as 2018 “Lawyer of the Year” in the category of Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions-Defendants (by BL Rankings, LLC). In addition, he was named a Future Star by Benchmark Litigation® in 2017, received the LSBA Catherine D. Kimball Award for the Advancement of the Administration of Justice and the Louisiana Appleseed “Good Apple Award” in 2016, and was among the Fastcase 50 Leaders in Law in 2012. His blog iPhone J.D. (iPhoneJD.com), the oldest and largest website for attorneys around the world who use iPhones and iPads in their law practice, was named the No. 1 Legal Tech Blog by the American Bar Association Journal from 2010-13, was part of the ABA Blawg 100 Hall of Fame in 2014 and was recognized as the Top Legal Tech Blog by The Expert Institute in 2017.
Young joined Adams and Reese in 1991 and is a partner in the litigation group, focusing her practice on the litigation of maritime and energy, labor and employment, and general litigation matters. She has been active as a member of the Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans’ Board of Governors since 2012 and serves on its executive committee. Young is also involved in fundraising efforts for other non-profits serving students, including the Children’s Bureau of New Orleans, Boys Hope/Girls Hope of Greater New Orleans, and community organizations such as the Jefferson Performing Arts Society.
A frequent guest lecturer at Louisiana law schools as well as at private seminars and in-house programs developed for individual clients or groups, Young has been twice recognized among New Orleans CityBusiness Women of the Year (2012 and 2016) and was selected among the 2013 Loyola Alumni “Women in Law”, which recognizes female graduates who have demonstrated professional achievement in the practice of law as well as strong community involvement. She is active in representation of pro bono clients, primarily in juvenile courts in the greater New Orleans area and recently spearheaded the firm-sponsored YouthForce NOLA Day, which had students from a Sophie B. Wright Charter School (a firm client) designed to illuminate to the group the myriad of other job opportunities beyond attorney that exist in a law firm.