Legal Matters

Guidry’s departure from Onebane brings Ogletree Deakins to Lafayette

by Leslie Turk

Longtime Lafayette attorney Greg Guidry has brought one of the largest employment law firms in the country, Atlanta-based Ogletree Deakins, to the city.

Greg Guidry
Photo by Robin May

Longtime Lafayette attorney Greg Guidry has brought one of the largest employment law firms in the country, Atlanta-based Ogletree Deakins, to the city. Guidry is heading up the firm’s satellite office here.

Guidry spent the entirety of his nearly 36-year career at Onebane Law Firm, practicing labor and employment law with focuses in collective bargaining, union avoidance, arbitration, union elections and issues tied to the National Labor Relations Board, as well as litigation stemming from discrimination, wrongful termination and federal labor laws.

Guidry served as chairman of Onebane’s board of directors from 1999 to 2014. “It was and still is a great place to practice law, and I look forward to a continuing positive relationship with the firm,” he tells ABiz.

“I have a very active national practice, along with my local practice, and the practice of labor and employment law at the top level has been moving toward the boutique [focused on one practice area] model for some time,” Guidry continues. “Ogletree is among the largest three labor and employment boutique firms in the world, and its worldwide platform, with over 700 attorneys and 47 locations, allows me to better serve my clients who have the need for ‘boots on the ground’ when labor and employment issues arise. I have been watching the growth of Ogletree for many years, since several of my longtime friends and colleagues practice there, and I felt it was a good time to make the move.”

Onebane is headquartered in River Ranch, where Ogletree Deakins has also decided to set up shop. Its new office is located at 603 Silverstone Road, Suite 102A. “I will be the only attorney in the Lafayette office for now, but will be working as a satellite office with the 15 lawyers in the firm’s New Orleans office, as well as with lawyers in our other offices, as the need arises for our clients,” Guidry says.

Guidry’s wife, Jane, who worked at Onebane for the past 17 years as marketing director, also has joined Ogletree Deakins as practice administrator, splitting her duties between paralegal work and planning events for the entire firm in the client services department.

“Greg is a longstanding labor and employment lawyer who is very well-respected in Louisiana’s legal and employer communities,” says Mark Mallery, managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins’ New Orleans office, in a press release announcing the hire. “Our clients will benefit from Greg’s expansive experience and ability to provide business-oriented solutions to complex legal issues. We are excited to welcome Greg to the firm.”

Guidry is a member of the labor and employment law section of the American Bar Association and serves as president of the Management Labor & Employment Roundtable, in addition to chairing the Louisiana State Bar Association’s annual employment law seminar. He earned his J.D. from LSU and frequently lectures and writes about labor and employment law.