Patrick A. Talley, Jr. Installed as 84th LSBA President Patrick A. Talley, Jr., a partner in the New Orleans office of the law firm Phelps Dunbar, LLP, was installed June 6 as the 84th LSBA president during a ceremony at the LSBA’s Annual Meeting in Destin, Fla. Administering his oath of office was Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice John L. Weimer.Talley has served in several LSBA leadership roles over the course of his professional career, including as LSBA president-elect and LSBA secretary, as a member of the Board of Governors and as a member of the House of Delegates over several terms. Now, for his one-year term as president, he has set his sights on timely goals to continue to move the association forward — both for its 23,000+ attorney members and for the residents of Louisiana who interact with attorneys daily. Discussions to update the LSBA’s multi-year Strategic Plan will begin in the fall. Those discussions will include the focus on Access to Justice initiatives that directly impact the state’s residents. “The LSBA already has many Access to Justice initiatives in place for the state’s residents. We have established four Legal Help Access Points in libraries across the state and there are plans to add another location this year. We will continue offering our very successful Lawyers in Libraries program in October and various Access to Justice stakeholders will gather again for another Disaster Law Summit. But there is always the need for more programs. The legal profession will continue to develop and implement ways to increase the availability of free and modestly-priced legal services for the state’s residents. Also, one of my goals is to expand Access to Justice services by including the autism component, something that I feel is left out right now,” he said. Another of Talley’s goals is to address the topic of Artificial Intelligence. “I plan to appoint an Artificial Intelligence Task Force. This group will look at AI in the context of lawyer regulation and the practice of law. The American Bar Association and other states are also researching this area. Ultimately, we will compare our findings with those of other jurisdictions to pinpoint the next steps forward on this emerging topic,” he said. “I am truly humbled that I have been given the opportunity to continue to work for my fellow LSBA members and to move the association to the next level. Our younger lawyers are the future of this association. My wish for these younger lawyers is that their legal careers bring them the same satisfaction that my career of more than 40 years has brought to me,” he added. Talley received his BA degree in 1976 from Armstrong College (Georgia Southern University), his JD degree in 1982 from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center and a LLM in Energy and Environmental Law in 1993 from Tulane University Law School. He served as LSBA president-elect from 2023-24, as LSBA secretary and editor-in-chief of the Louisiana Bar Journal from 2019-21, and as a member of the LSBA’s Board of Governors from 2014-17 for the First Board District. Prior to this service, he was a member of the LSBA’s House of Delegates (since 1994) and was re-elected to the House in 2017. He previously served on the Louisiana Bar Journal’s Editorial Board and currently serves on the LSBA’s MCLE Committee. He served as a member of the board of directors of the Louisiana Bar Foundation and the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program. Additionally, he is a member of the Louisiana State Law Institute, the New Orleans, American, Federal, 5th Circuit and Baton Rouge Bar Associations, the State Bar of Texas, the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel (secretary and Executive Committee member) and the Maritime Law Association of the United States (Proctor member). Talley is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized in several editions of Best Lawyers in America, including as the 2016 and 2021 New Orleans Lawyer of the Year in Railroad Law. He also has been recognized in several editions of Louisiana Super Lawyers and in New Orleans City Business’ “Leadership in Law.” He serves on the boards of the Southeast Louisiana Council of the Boy Scouts of America and Holy Name of Jesus School (president for many years). Following Hurricane Katrina, he was involved in the Louisiana Recovery Authority as a member of the Environmental Task Force and was a co-founder of the New Orleans Charter Schools Foundation (inaugural vice president). He served as the International President of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He is married to Sharon Parker Talley and they have three adult children and two grandchildren.