ALEXANDRIA, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–aWayne
J. Lee, Esquire, has been selected to receive the prestigious 2019
American Inns of Court Professionalism
Award for the Fifth Circuit. Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Brigadier General Malinda E.
Dunn (Retired) of the American Inns of Court will present the award
during the Judicial Conference of the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans on
May 6.
An attorney at Stone Pigman Walther Wittman LLC in New Orleans since
1974, Lee now chairs the firm’s commercial litigation practice group. He
specializes in insurance and class action claims. Named one of the Best
Lawyers in America in several categories, Lee has also been inducted
into both Tulane Law School’s Hall of Fame and the National Bar
Association’s Hall of Fame. He is a member of the Tulane Law School
American Inn of Court and the A.P. Tureaud American Inn of Court, where
he is a member of the executive committee.
The first African American to join Stone Pigman, Lee initiated and
continues to lead the firm’s diversity efforts. He has provided
mentorship to dozens of young lawyers, with a particular aim of
increasing the legal profession’s diversity. Lee was also the first
African American to serve as president of the Louisiana State Bar
Association, where he focused his attention on diversity issues.
“Although he has accomplished many ‘firsts,’ he has always been
determined not to be the only and has worked tirelessly to open the door
for others,” says Dana M. Douglas, U.S. magistrate judge for the Eastern
District of Louisiana, who supported Lee’s nomination.
On a national level, Lee has served in many capacities with the American
Bar Association. In addition to serving as a member of the association’s
House of Delegates, he was a member of its Commission on Racial and
Ethnic Diversity in the Profession.
Born in New Orleans, Lee is dedicated to improving the lives of
residents of the city and Louisiana as a whole. He has served on the
boards of Louisiana’s Board of Regents for Higher Education, Greater New
Orleans Foundation, Kingsley House, and Audubon Nature Institute, for
example.
Lee earned his undergraduate degree from Tulane University and his law
degree from Tulane Law School, where he was a member of the Tulane
Law Review Board of Editors and Order of the Coif.
The American
Inns of Court, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, inspires the
legal community to advance the rule of law by achieving the highest
level of professionalism through example, education, and mentoring. The
organization’s membership includes more than 31,000 federal, state, and
local judges; lawyers; law professors; and law students in nearly 380
chapters nationwide. More information is available at home.innsofcourt.org.
Contacts
American Inns of Court
Contact: Cindy Dennis
Awards &
Scholarships Coordinator
(571) 319-4703
[email protected]
