Awards Presented to Members at LSBA Annual Meeting
Several Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) members received awards June 4 during the association’s 2026 Annual Meeting in Destin, Fla. All award recipients are listed below. Photos of award recipients are available online.
President’s Awards
Three LSBA members received 2026 President’s Awards. Recipients were chosen by 2025-26 LSBA President Edward J. Walters, Jr. and were recognized for services to the association.
Recognized were Hon. Kelly E. Balfour of Baton Rouge, attorney C.A. (Hap) Martin III of Monroe and attorney Bradley J. Tate of New Orleans.
Judge Balfour was recognized for his leadership and service to the legal profession and support of the LSBA. Judge Balfour serves on the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal and previously served on the bench of the 19th Judicial District Court. Active in bar leadership, he previously served in the LSBA House of Delegates and on the LSBA Nominating Committee and received the LSBA Michaelle Pitard Wynne Professionalism Award in 2008.
Martin was recognized for his leadership and longstanding service to the LSBA. A member of the Monroe firm Shotwell, Brown & Sperry, APLC, Martin previously served as LSBA secretary and editor-in-chief of the Louisiana Bar Journal and remains active in numerous LSBA leadership roles, committees and programs.
Tate was recognized for his leadership and service to the LSBA. An attorney with Sternberg, Naccari & White, LLC, Tate currently serves as LSBA secretary and editor-in-chief of the Louisiana Bar Journal and also serves as president of the Louisiana Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program.
Distinguished Service to the Profession Award
Patrick A. Talley, Jr. of New Orleans received the 2026 Distinguished Service to the Profession Award.
Talley was recognized for his longstanding leadership and service to the legal profession. Recently retired from Phelps LLP, Talley served as LSBA president in 2024-25 and previously served as president-elect, secretary and editor of the Louisiana Bar Journal, member of the Board of Governors and House of Delegates member.
Annette Cambronero Buras received the 2026 Distinguished Service to the Profession Award posthumously.
Buras was recognized for her extraordinary dedication and service to Louisiana’s legal community through more than 33 years with the LSBA. During her tenure, she coordinated more than 1,000 CLE seminars and became widely known and respected throughout the profession for her professionalism, kindness and dedication to members.
Catherine D. Kimball Award for Advancement of the Administration of Justice
Hon. Rachelle D. (Shelly) Dick of Baton Rouge received the 2026 Catherine D. Kimball Award for Advancement of the Administration of Justice.
Judge Dick serves as chief judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana and was recognized for her leadership, commitment to public service and dedication to the fair administration of justice. She became the first woman to serve on the Middle District bench when appointed in 2013.
Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson Trailblazer Award
Hon. Janis van Meerveld of New Orleans received the 2026 Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson Trailblazer Award.
Judge van Meerveld, chief United States magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, was recognized for her leadership, commitment to inclusion and diversity, mentorship of younger attorneys and longstanding service to the profession and community.
Guardian of Diversity Award
The A.P. Tureaud American Inn of Court received the 2026 Guardian of Diversity Award.
Founded in 2005, the Inn was recognized for its longstanding commitment to diversity, inclusion, professionalism and service and for creating programming and outreach initiatives that promote access, mentorship and professionalism throughout Louisiana’s legal community.
Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education’s Judge Benjamin Jones Judges in the Classroom Award
Hon. Bryan D. Haggerty of Slidell received the 2026 Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education’s Judge Benjamin Jones Judges in the Classroom Award.
Judge Haggerty, City Court of East St. Tammany, was recognized for his commitment to civic education and public service. He has remained active in educational initiatives, judicial leadership organizations and outreach programs throughout Louisiana.
Louisiana Bar Foundation’s Curtis R. Boisfontaine Trial Advocacy Award
Judy Y. Barrasso of New Orleans received the 2026 Louisiana Bar Foundation’s Curtis R. Boisfontaine Trial Advocacy Award.
Barrasso, founding member of Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, L.L.C., was recognized for her nationally recognized trial advocacy career, leadership within the profession and decades of mentorship and teaching.
Stephen T. Victory Memorial Award
Carrie LeBlanc Jones of Baton Rouge received the 2026 Stephen T. Victory Memorial Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to the Louisiana Bar Journal, the LSBA’s magazine.
Jones was recognized for her article, “The Role and Regulation of Pharmacy Benefit Managers: A Legal Perspective from Louisiana,” published in the August/September 2025 issue of the Louisiana Bar Journal.
John A. “T-Jean” Hernandez III Memorial Award
John L. (Jay) Dardenne, Jr. of Baton Rouge received the 2026 John A. “T-Jean” Hernandez III Memorial Award, presented for achievements in Francophone leadership.
Dardenne, an attorney with Kennon, Odom & Dardenne and mediator with Perry Dampf Dispute Solutions, was recognized for decades of public service, leadership and support of Louisiana’s Francophone heritage.
LSBA Young Lawyers Division Bat P. Sullivan, Jr. Chair’s Award
Margaret L. Manning of New Orleans received the 2026 LSBA Young Lawyers Division’s Bat P. Sullivan, Jr. Chair’s Award.
Manning, an associate attorney with Stanley Reuter Alford Owen Munson & Paul, LLC, was recognized for her leadership and work with the Young Lawyers Division’s Richard N. Ware IV Memorial Mock Trial Competition for high school students.