Introducing the A-List
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Staying Connected with A-List Colleagues Old and New Staying Connected with Colleagues Old and New Winter 2015 This is an advertisement. Introducing the A-List The Baker Donelson A-List is a formal alumni program for our former attorneys and advisors who wish to stay connected with their colleagues and friends. The A-List offers our alumni an impressive professional Table of Contents network, numerous educational and informational opportunities and continued relationships with Alumni Profile colleagues. In the Community Since 1888, Baker Donelson has grown to be one of the largest law firms in the country, with more than 650 attorneys and advisors across 19 offices. Those attorneys and advisors – both past and present – Practice Spotlight helped us become the organization we are today. And, as the Firm grows, it becomes even more important to stay connected to the alumni who played important roles in our development as a leading law firm. Alumni Career Moves As an attorney or advisor who previously worked for Baker Donelson, please take a moment to connect Looking For An “OnRamp” with us: Back Into Legal Work • Register as a member of the Baker Donelson A-List and let us know if you would like to receive In the News timely legal updates for particular industries or practice areas and invitations to upcoming CLE New to the Firm seminars or networking events, as well as community service and pro bono opportunities. • Join the Baker Donelson A-List LinkedIn Group to connect with other Baker Donelson alumni, attorneys and advisors. If you have questions about the Baker Donelson A-List, please contact the chair of Baker Donelson’s Alumni Program, Claire Cowart Haltom. 1 Staying Connected with A-List Colleagues Old and New Staying Connected with Colleagues Old and New Winter 2015 This is an advertisement. Alumni Profile: Joan Lucas, the General Counsel of Mississippi State University Mississippi State University Following the retirement of your received national attention on predecessor, you served as interim the football field this year. Amy general counsel before being Champagne recently sat down permanently appointed to the with Baker Donelson Alum Joan position. Did you face any particular Lucas, the general counsel of challenges in leading the organization during Mississippi State University, to talk about Joan’s that time of transition? role advising one of the largest universities in the Absolutely. When I started as assistant general Southeast, what she enjoys most about the job counsel, there were three full-time attorneys in and whether she owns a cowbell. the office including myself. After being here for only a little over a year, the two senior attorneys Tell us a little bit about Mississippi both retired when the university offered an early State University and how your retirement incentive. I then became the interim position is of importance to its general counsel and the sole attorney. I had both operations. a great deal to learn quickly and a great deal of work to do by myself. Mississippi State University is a comprehensive, Upcoming Events land-grant university which was created by the In addition to serving as the Click here for a list of Mississippi legislature in 1878. We currently university’s general counsel, upcoming events at have over 20,000 students, approximately 9,000 you are also a special assistant Baker Donelson offices employees, and a presence in all of Mississippi’s attorney general. What does across the southeast. 82 counties. The mission of the university is that position entail? three-fold: service, research and learning. Our The designation as special assistant attorney office provides guidance to our university general allows me the ability to represent president, Dr. Mark Keenum, the vice presidents, Mississippi State University in court without athletic director, deans, department heads and obtaining additional authority to do so from other administrators regarding all aspects of the attorney general’s office. university life. We routinely handle everything from contract negotiations, employment matters and student conduct issues, to NCAA investigations, litigation and external investigations. How long have you been in this position and what were your prior positions with the organization? I have been in this position for about four years. Prior to becoming general counsel, I served as assistant general counsel and as interim general counsel. Continue on next page 2 Staying Connected with A-List Colleagues Old and New Staying Connected with Colleagues Old and New Winter 2015 This is an advertisement. Alumni Profile, continued What do you enjoy most about your Your assistant GC, Brandon Jolly, job? is also a Firm alum. What is it like The overall culture of working on a working so closely with a former university campus – the energy and colleague in a non-Firm setting? enthusiasm of the students; the desire of the employees to truly impact lives whether It is excellent. At Baker Donelson, I was fortunate that is through service, teaching or research; the to be a part of a number of litigation teams who excitement that comes along with athletics; the worked closely together on lawsuits. Brandon variety of speakers, performers and others that and I continue that team approach at MSU. It is you get the opportunity to interact with on excellent to have someone to bounce ideas off of, campus; even just being able to walk across a to collaborate with and, most importantly, to point beautiful campus on a daily basis – it all out to me when I am wrong. combines to create a great place to work. What do you do in your spare time? I am the mother to two wonderful What is the toughest thing about children, and I spend most of my your current position? spare time with them. We live on the The toughest and perhaps my far end of Starkville and spend most of favorite part of the job is knowing our time outdoors riding horses and four-wheelers, that no matter how long I am here, I will or just enjoying the country. never have a routine week. There is always something new that a student or faculty member What would you most like to be does or asks or wants to do. Helping work through doing in the proverbial “perfect these situations can be both challenging and world” sense? rewarding. Fortunately, I am able to help this university daily and to see the positive Prior to joining Mississippi State impact that it makes on the students who University, was there a particular attend. If I had more time, though, I would love reason you chose to work for Baker to do more to advocate for children in need. I am Donelson? currently praying about and exploring my options to become a foster parent, because there Yes. When I evaluated where to work, I loved the are so many wonderful children who are not new litigator option at Baker Donelson. Other firms fortunate enough to be born into stable families. offered positions within a particular department, These children need people fighting for them to but Baker Donelson allowed me the opportunity help them have some sense of security and to try different areas of litigation. It was the perfect stability that I was fortunate to have as a child. foundation for me to have coming into an office where every day is different. Continue on next page 3 Staying Connected with A-List Colleagues Old and New Staying Connected with Colleagues Old and New Winter 2015 This is an advertisement. Alumni Profile, continued What advice do you have for young We at the Firm remember you as an lawyers starting out? enthusiastic fan of your alma I would recommend that young mater, Ole Miss. Who were you lawyers be open to all opportunities cheering for during the Egg Bowl that are presented to them. I had no idea this year? what the General Counsel’s Office at a university did prior to joining the office, but I am thankful Ha! I love Ole Miss and always will. You can’t daily that I took the opportunity to learn. work with the people that make up the MSU Athletics’ Department daily and not cheer for Mississippi State enjoyed national them though. I am honored to get to work with attention on the football field this such a great group of administrators, coaches past season. Has that affected your and players, and I cheer for each and every one work for the university? of them during the Egg Bowl. It has certainly increased our workload. Our Mississippi State fans are known office is responsible for the university’s trademark for ringing cowbells at football and licensing program. Due to the additional games. Do you have your own attention, we had far more people infringing on cowbell? our trademarks than ever before and using our players’ names and likenesses for profit. We have I don’t, but my children both have hand-painted been fortunate to have one of Baker Donelson’s bells that they love to ring! intellectual property attorneys help us with this. In the Community: Wounded Warrior Project Each year the Firm adopts Our kickoff event was a special Firm lunch for one nationwide organization to which Wounded Warrior and America’s Got Talent support through an awareness contestant Sal Gonzales visited our Nashville office and fundraising campaign. In and spoke via videoconference to our offices across 2014, Baker Donelson’s the Firm. He was hit by an IED while serving in employees chose to Iraq and eventually had his leg amputated. He told support the Wounded our attendees that all hope was nearly lost until Warrior Project, an organization he became involved with the Wounded Warrior that serves veterans and service members who Project.