Taylor, Porter, Brooks,&Phillips

NEWS

September 5, Office Open with limited staff
Taylor Porter's Baton Rouge office is open and unaffected by Hurricane Gustav. The office will be working with a very limited staff on Thursday, September 4th and Friday, September 5th. The Chase Bank North and SouthTowers are fully open. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this storm. If you need immediate legal assistance, please call the Taylor Porter Disaster Information Line at 888-387-3221 and leave a message. We will contact you as soon as possible. Thank you.

Taylor Porter Adds New Attorneys
Taylor Porter is pleased to announce that Lexi T. Holinga and Margaret G. Patton have joined the firm as associate attorneys.

Taylor Porter Adds New Attorneys to the Health Care Group
Taylor Porter is pleased to announce that Patrick D. Seiter, Ann M. Halphen, Amy C. Lambert and M. Aminthe Broussard have joined the firm.

W. Arthur Abercrombie Admitted to American College of Trial Lawyers
W. Arthur Abercrombie has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in America.

LSU Chancellor Sean O’Keefe has appointed Eugene Groves to the LSU Museum of Art Advisory Board
LSU Chancellor Sean O’Keefe has named three new members of the LSU Museum of Art Advisory Board. They are Sue Anne Cox, chief financial officer of Kleinpeter Farm Dairy; Eugene Groves, attorney with Taylor, Porter, Brooks and Phillips; and Katherine Ragland, partner in Oliver, Ragland and Associates architecture firm.

Vicki M. Crochet nominated for YMCA 24th Annual Women of Achievement Awards
The YWCA of Greater Baton Rouge has announced the names of 26 area women nominated for its 24th annual Women of Achievement Awards to celebrate the women who have distinguished themselves through professional achievement, personal accomplishment and community service.

State of Louisiana hires W. Shelby McKenzie in Allstate case
The state Department of Insurance has hired attorney W. Shelby McKenzie, a partner in Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, to handle its federal lawsuit against Allstate Insurance.

Taylor, Porter Attorney Hiko Miyagi, Other Attorneys Volunteer to Help Victims of Katrina
Still reeling from the lingering after-effects of Katrina, some 30 Asian Pacific American lawyer and law student volunteers from around the country, including Taylor, Porter attorney Hiko Miyagi, gathered in southern Louisiana from April 1 to April 3 for the Asian Pacific American Community Education and Legal Clinic for Hurricane Katrina Legal Aid.

Taylor, Porter Funds Scholarship at Southern University Law Center
Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips L.L.P. recently donated a scholarship at Southern University Law Center. The scholarship will be $2,000 for each of the fall and spring semester for a total of $4,000 per year.

LawPartners Newsletter: Summer 2006
Click on the link above to read the full online version of LawPartners a newsletter for the clients and friends of Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips

Margaret Tooke Appointed to Arts Council Board of Directors
Margaret Tooke was recently appointed to the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge's Board of Directors.

Shelby McKenzie returns from Army War College
Shelby McKenzie recently returned from a week at the Army War College where the US Army holds discussions on current issues with both military and civilian leaders.

LawPartners Newsletter: Spring 2006
Click on the link above to read the full online version of LawPartners a newsletter for the clients and friends of Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips

Clay Johnson Receives the Denman Evangelism Award
Our partner, Clay Johnson, will be the 2006 lay recipient of the “Denman Evangelism Award” at the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Plaintiff’s $2.4 Million Dollar Case Dismissed
Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips attorneys recently defended a manufacturing company in a $2.4 million claim of alleged damage caused by a logging operation.

Corporate Volunteerism Awards Announced
His personal acts of charity and corporate leadership won Dow Chemical's Mike Matlock the Volunteer Executive of the Year at the 14th Excellence in Corporate Volunteerism Awards. Deborah Lamb of Taylor Porter Brooks & Phillips for her involvement with the EveryBody Reads program of Volunteers in Public Schools. The awards are presented annually by the Corporate Volunteer Council of Volunteer! Baton Rouge.

Taylor Porter Partner, Major General Harry J. "Skip" Philips, Assumes New Command
The 377th Theater Support Command, a Belle Chasse-based Army Reserve unit that has had soldiers serving in Kuwait since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, could shift its combat support role to Europe under an Army proposal, the unit's new commanding general said last week.

Major General Harry J. "Skip" Phillips, Jr. to Command 377th Command
Taylor, Porter attorney and U. S. Army Reserve Major General Harry J. “Skip” Philips, Jr. has assumed command of the 377th Theater Sustainment Command based in Belle Chase, LA. In a command change ceremony on May 7, Philips took over as the unit’s commanding general and will lead the 500 Army Reserve combat service support units, totaling more than 40,000 troops for the next three years.

Debbie Lamb Receives "Volunteer Employee Spirit Award"
Debbie Lamb received the “Volunteer Employee Spirit Award” presented by Volunteer Baton Rouge for her community service. Debbie was nominated by Volunteers in Public Schools for her work in the program to teach children to read, which many Taylor Porter attorneys are also involved in. Kelley Corbari was nominated by Court Appointed Special Advocates which is a program where Kelley represents a child who has no one else to really look out for their interest with regard to foster care, adoption, school guidance, etc. Kelley was announced as one of four finalists for the award.

LawPartners Newsletter: Winter 2006
Click on the link above to read the full online version of LawPartners a newsletter for the clients and friends of Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips.

Edward J. Laperouse Governing Counsel for LSBA
Edward J. Laperouse appointed to the Governing Counsel of the Young Lawyers Section of the Louisiana State Bar Association. He will be the district five representative.

Eugene Groves Featured Speaker at LSU CLE Course
Eugene Groves is a featured speaker at The Practitioner's Guide to Successfully Mediating a Personal Injury Case- Tips from the Pros. He will speak from the defendant's perspective on the Pros and Cons of Joint Meetings of the parties.

Amy Groves Lowe President Elect of the Junior League of Baton Rouge
Amy Groves Lowe was elected to the position of President Elect for the Junior League of Baton Rouge for 2006-2007.

Cyrus J. Greco joins Taylor Porter
Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, L.L.P. is pleased to announce that Cyrus J. Greco has joined the firm as special counsel.

Taylor Porter Announces New Partners and Associates
Taylor, Porter, Brooks, and Phillips, L.L.P. is pleased to announce that Jennifer Sigler has become partner in the firm. In addition, the Firm is pleased to announce that Matthew L. Mullins, William H.L. Kaufman and Kathryn Colvin Goodson have joined the firm as associates.

Amy Groves Lowe Named to 40 Under 40
Amy Groves Lowe was selected by the Baton Rouge Business Report as one of this years 40 under 40.

Taylor Porter Attorneys Named to The Best Lawyers of America
The Best Lawyers in America, the leading attorney referral guide, has named six of Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips’ attorneys to their list of The Best Lawyers in America. John S. Campbell, Jr. is recommended for his abilities in corporate law. In addition, Michael G. Pharis and Vicki Crochet are recommended for their abilities in employment law. James L. Ellis is recommended for his abilities in energy law. Gerald Walter and Paul Dicharry are recommended for their abilities in environmental law.

Property Insurance Issues Following Katrina
This memorandum will give an overview of property insurance coverage issues arising out of Hurricane Katrina affecting mortgagees with a security interest in the insured property.

Coverage Disputes, Suits Inevitable on Flood vs. Wind After Katrina
It's a hot-button issue that Louisiana's property insurers likely don't even want to think about, but it's bound to happen in the aftermath of the widespread destruction of Hurricane Katrina. The inevitable, say industry experts and attorneys, is that disputes and lawsuits are certain to erupt over whether policyholders whose homes were destroyed should be paid the full face value of their homeowners policies when hurricane damage was caused by flooding.

Taylor, Porter Partners named to America’s Leading Lawyer List
Chambers USA, the leading attorney referral guide in Europe, has named four of Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips’ Partners to their list of America’s Leading Business Lawyers in Louisiana.

LawPartners Newsletter: Summer 2005
Click on the link above to read the full online version of LawPartners a newsletter for the clients and friends of Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips.

Nancy Dougherty Selected 2005 Influential Woman in Business
Nancy Dougherty was selected by the Baton Rouge Business Report as one of the 2005 Influential Women in Business.

Delay Claims: When is a contractor entitled to more money?
One of the largest factors in turning a profit on a project is the contractor's ability to complete the project on time. Too often, delays by others can hamper the contractor's ability to realize this goal.

LawPartners Newsletter: Spring 2005
Click on the link above to read the full online version of LawPartners a newsletter for the clients and friends of Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips.

LawPartners Newletter: Winter 2005
Click on the link above to read the Winter online version of LawPartners a newsletter for the clients and friends of Taylor, Porter, Brooks and Phillips.

Gregory E. Bodin elected 2005 President of the Baton Rouge Bar Association
Continuing a tradition of firm service, Gregory E. Bodin was recently sworn in as the Baton Rouge Bar Association President for 2005.

Taylor Porter is Calling Baton Rouge
Taylor Porter is supporting our troops by donating over 75 cell phones to help overseas soldiers call home.

Changes to the "White Collar" Exemptions to the Fair Labor Standards Act
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently revised the "white-collar" exemptions to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) with the publication of new regulations defining the executive, administrative and professional exemptions under the federal wage-hour law. These new regulations are found at 29 CFR Part 541 and went into effect on August 23, 2004.

Tax-Free Exchanges: Don't Overlook This Opportunity to Save Taxes
Have you missed a potentially valuable tax savings opportunity? To find out, conduct a simple test. Look on the first page of your most recent income tax return. In the income section, look for the line for "other gain" or "net gain" from form 4797. A positive entry on that line indicates that your business may be one in which you can use a deferred like-kind exchange to reduce your taxes. However, the tax advantage of a deferred like-kind e x change does not occur automatically; you must plan to create the opportunity. Fortunately, the planning is not difficult, and what you must do has been clearly defined by the federal government.

Taylor Porter News: Fall 2004
After seven years of service as our comanaging partners, Shelby McKenzie and John Campbell retired from their positions in August, 2004. McKenzie and Campbell, both of whom have been with the firm for 40 years, will continue to practice law, now with more time to personally serve their clients' needs.

LawPartners Newsletter: Fall 2004 (213k .pdf)
Click on the link above to read the Fall 2004 online version of LawPartners: A Newsletter for Clients and Friends of Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips.

LawPartners Newsletter: Summer 2004 (2.9 MB .pdf)
Click on the link above to read the Summer 2004 online version of LawPartners: A Newsletter for Clients and Friends of Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips.

Rights of Life Insurance Beneficiaries
Louisiana Supreme Court recently held that life insurance is a separate contractual right not governed by the principles of Louisiana community property law.

Copyright And Trademark Implications On The Internet
Not surprisingly, the rapid development of the Internet and growing proliferation of domain name registrations have created an unsettled new environment for legal disputes and a corresponding increase in litigation, particularly within the intellectual property law realm of copyrights and trademarks.

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