Masters of the Courtroom SM Thursday, December 13, 2018
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NEW ORLEANS BAR ASSOCIATION BRIEFLY SPEAKING December 2018 Marcus V. Brown New Orleans Bar Association’s 2018 Presidents’ Award Recipient The 2017-2018 Get Involved in one of NOBA’s Committees Board of Directors • Appellate Practice • Labor & Employment Law • Bankruptcy & Debtor/Creditor Rights • Maritime & International Law Dana M. Douglas • Business Litigation • Minorities in the Profession President • Business Transactions • Oil & Gas Law • Civil Rights • Pharmaceuticals/Medical Jason P. Waguespack • Class Actions Devices • Complex Litigation President-Elect • Products Liability • Construction Law • Property Law • Criminal Law • Solo & Small Firms Steven J. Lane • Domestic Violence • Study Group on Cuba Vice-President • E-Discovery • Entertainment and Intellectual • Study Group on Panama Darryl M. Phillips Property Law • Tax Law Vice-President • Environmental Law/Toxic Torts • Technology • Family Law • Wellness & Stress Management Jan M. Hayden • Healthcare Law • Wills/Trusts/Successions Vice-President • Immigration Law • Women in the Profession • Insurance Law • Worker’s Compensation Law James C. Gulotta, Jr. Secretary Contact Liz Daino at (504) 525-7453 or [email protected] William B. Gaudet Treasurer BRIEFLY SPEAKING EDITOR: Christopher K. Ralston Philip R. Dore, Liskow & Lewis, APLC Past President Walter J. Leger, Jr. President, Bar Foundation ADVERTISING Alex H. Glaser Young Lawyers Chair If you are interested, please contact Liz Daino at [email protected] for advertising Terms Ending 2018 Rachael D. Johnson information and rates for 2018. Peter E. Sperling Joseph P. Tynan Sharonda R. Williams Terms Ending 2019 Lisa M. Africk Albert J. Derbes, IV Thomas M. Flanagan M. Palmer Lambert Terms Ending 2020 Mark A. Cunningham Kelly Juneau Rookard Kimberly R. Silas Robert P. Thibeaux Helena N. Henderson Executive Director 14043.ADR_NOBA_f_j-4.875x3COLOR.indd 1 6/5/14 10:05 AM 2 | Briefly Speaking December 2018 PRESIDENTS’ AWARD ple out of poverty and into self-sufficiency, Marcus founded a college scholarship that is awarded annually to Peabody basketball players who go on to college. “We think so highly of Marcus and his family and the influence they have had on our school and students. I always knew he would be successful at whatever work he chose to do,” adds Smith. After high school, Marcus seriously considered an engineering career, but his passion for literature led him to instead obtain a B.A. in En- glish from Southern University. Degree in hand, the world of opportu- nity was open to him, but Marcus wanted more. He considered numer- ous paths, but thought he could best serve the greater community by working in the legal profession. He stayed at Southern and received a Juris Doctor in 1988. True to form, he took on leadership roles during law school and served as a member of the Law Review. After graduation, he joined the legal profession at the Stone Pig- man law firm in New Orleans before eventually joining Entergy in 1995. Always one to push himself academically, he received his MBA from the Tulane University A.B. Freeman School of Business in 2002. Wayne Lee, who recruited Marcus to join Stone Pigman, says, “I remem- ber being surprised at first when he wanted to pursue a MBA, which was quite a challenge with everything he already had on his plate. But it Marcus Brown accepts the 2018 Presidents’ Award was typical of his point of view about personal development and learn- from NOBA President Dana Dgoulas. ing what he needed in order to serve the interests of his client—which was Entergy at the time.” The New Orleans Bar Association bestowed the prestigious Presidents’ Award to Marcus Brown at a ceremony held on During his time at Stone Pigman, Lee also recognized Marcus’ interest in October 3, 2018, at the Windsor Court Hotel. The Presidents’ Award rec- both pro bono work and mentoring. ognizes professional excellence, integrity and dedication to service in the highest ideals of citizenship. “I immediately knew he would be a good lawyer and fit in well with our firm, but we quickly learned that he had a willingness to take on pro Those who know Marcus Brown best say the same thing: He would rath- bono work. We were also actively recruiting minority lawyers, and Mar- er do things on behalf of others than be recognized for his own efforts. cus was always willing to meet with them and serve as a mentor when Marcus says “the professional role I have now gives me the opportu- they came to work with us,” Lee says. “Marcus could always see the big nity to help people improve their lives, and for the lawyers and other picture but is still a down-to-earth person. I’m really proud of him and employees I work with, to help people who may not have the all the his accomplishments.” resources they need to help themselves.” EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP ROLE AT ENTERGY In a Pro Bono Project article, he once wrote, “I grew up in a community where people rarely had access to lawyers, so I know first-hand how dif- Today, Marcus serves as Entergy Corporation’s executive vice presi- ficult it can be to solve many of life’s problems without their assistance. dent and general counsel, providing legal counsel to the chairman I often think about why I went to law school in the first place. It may be and chief executive officer, board of directors and senior manage- a cliché, but I genuinely wanted to make a difference.” ment. Marcus also leads the company’s ethics and compliance; cor- porate communications; federal policy, regulatory and governmental EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION affairs; and corporate security and governance groups. A native of Alexandria, Louisiana, Marcus was in the first graduat- ing class at Peabody Magnet High School. There, he played basketball for Louisiana Hall of Fame coach Charles Smith, who still coaches the team. Coach Smith remembers Marcus as someone with both basket- ball and leadership skills even as a young kid. “His mother was a highly regarded, lifelong educator in Rapides Parish,” Smith says. “So it was natural that Marcus was an exceptional student. He was very active, even serving as president of the student body. And he remains active with the high school to this day, always reaching out and helping in any way he can.” Recognizing the important role that education plays in bringing peo- December 2018 3 | Briefly Speaking PRESIDENTS’ AWARD The organizations he leads include nearly 270 professionals located lawyer, but one who also had the rare quality and exceptional ability throughout the U.S., among them is a dedicated legal team of more to know people and how to motivate them. With his great sense of than 75 lawyers located in 10 cities from New Orleans to New York. humor and steady, calm demeanor, he could bring order to chaos and encourage everyone to work together for a common goal. Headquartered in New Orleans, Entergy is an integrated energy com- pany engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distri- “He is a natural leader. He also had to put up with my kids wandering bution operations with more than 13,000 employees. The company’s over to his office on Saturdays to chat or ask him if he wanted to play utility business serves approximately 2.9 million customers in Louisi- with them, and of course he did. To this day, they all love Marcus.” ana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas; its merchant portfolio includes nuclear plants that primarily serve the country’s northeastern states. Stanley says he was privileged to work with Marcus after both moved Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 on to other jobs. “He approaches every case and every problem with megawatts of generating capacity, including nearly 9,000 megawatts personal integrity, and never hesitates to remind others to ask them- of nuclear power. selves what is the right thing to do, not what is expedient or what may be the solution advocated by the majority of voices in the room. To Providing power is essential to the well-being of every community, but Marcus, it is critical to make the right choice, not the easy one. what attracted Marcus to Entergy was its desire to be more than just the power provider to its stakeholders. “For those who know Marcus well, the other hallmarks of his person- ality are balance and perspective. He is a devoted husband and father, The company has been in business for more than a century and has responsibilities that he undertakes in harmony with his responsibilities always focused its attention beyond providing power to include an as the chief legal officer of a major corporation who oversees doz- emphasis on economic and workforce development, employee volun- ens of tasks simultaneously. He has a lifetime of success that he has teerism, environmental stewardship and educational initiatives. achieved with grace and dignity, and in a way that leaves the rest us to wonder what his secret must be and inspires all of us to do better.” This company was the right fit for Marcus, and it has enabled him to do the most good for the most people. “HE NEVER ASKS FOR RECOGNITION” Marcus serves on the board of directors for Energy Insurance Mutual, “We first met during our second year of law school,” says Nannette the Pro Bono Institute Advisory Board, the board of trustees for the Jolivette Brown, Chief Judge, United States District Court, Eastern Dis- Norman C. Francis Leadership Institute and the advisory council for trict of Louisiana. “Then one day in the summer of 1987, we saw each the Louisiana State University Laborde Energy Law Center. He is also a other on a crowded streetcar after work in New Orleans, and we have frequent lecturer and publisher on topics affecting the utility industry been together for 31 years since then.