Leslie Turk

Jones Walker law firm makes its move

by Leslie Turk

This month's issue of Acadiana Business, out on newsstands in the The Independent Weekly, breaks the story on the merger between regional law firm Jones Walker and Lafayette-based Longman Russo, formerly Perret Doise.

For the past 17 years a handful of local attorneys has been working in Lafayette to build a solid clientele for the regional law firm Jones Walker, primarily focusing on oil and gas litigation. After the 2005 hurricanes, however, the explosion of growth in Lafayette piqued the regional firm’s interest in the local market, and it began exploring merger opportunities. On Jan. 1 those efforts officially come to fruition as the respected brand, founded in New Orleans in 1937, will merge with the local firm.

With the loss of original partners Hank Perret and Dennis Doise within a month of each other in early 2007 — Perret leaving to serve as in-house counsel for Dynamic Industries and Doise moving in-house at River Ranch (though remaining of counsel at his former firm) — Longman Russo benefits from the leadership and stability of Jones Walker, along with offering clients the resources of a firm with 12 offices in five states and the District of Columbia. And the three-attorney Jones Walker Lafayette office swells to about 18.

Read more on the impact of the merger in Turk File.
(Correction: The print version of this story stated that the merged group is now housed in Jefferson Towers; until it decides on a permanent location, the firm has consolidated its offices in Chase Towers on Jefferson Street.)