- Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced an upcoming hire at a New Orleans-based law firm Thursday.
- Mr. Edwards will retire from his position on January 8th to take up a position of special counsel at Fishman Haygood LLP.
- “I look forward to returning to the legal profession and continuing to serve our state by establishing Louisiana as a leader in green energy while remaining commercially competitive,” Edwards said in a news release.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Thursday that when he leaves office next week, he will join a New Orleans-based law firm to focus on renewable energy litigation.
During Edwards' past two terms as governor (eight years), the Democrat has prioritized developing and expanding Louisiana's renewable energy sources and reducing the state's carbon footprint. Before entering politics, Mr. Edwards was unable to run for governor again because of consecutive term limits, but he was a trial lawyer who opened a civil law firm in his hometown of Amite.
“Serving as governor of Louisiana is the greatest honor of my life,” Edwards said in a news release Thursday. “I look forward to returning to my law practice and continuing to serve our state by establishing Louisiana as a leader in green energy while remaining commercially competitive.”
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Upon his retirement on January 8, Mr. Edwards will join Fishman Haygood as a special prosecutor, working with the firm's business and litigation teams.
“We are thrilled to have the governor join our team,” Fishman Haygood partner John Warner said in a statement. “John Bell has proven himself as a leader throughout his career, including his recent efforts to grow Louisiana's renewable energy sector. We are thrilled that you have chosen to join us.”
Democratic Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards testifies before the Senate Budget Committee at the Dirksen Senate Building on July 26, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Founded in 1996, the law firm has worked on high-profile cases such as the Allen Stanford Ponzi scheme and the BP Deepwater Horizon settlement, as well as negotiating complex land transactions and corporate mergers. The Advocate reported.
Over the past two decades, Louisiana has been on the front lines of the effects of climate change, with hurricanes making landfall more frequently, coastal areas being eroded by erosion, land subsidence, and rising sea levels, and the Mississippi River reaching record lows. ing. Water levels rise, causing barges exporting agricultural products to become stranded. Additionally, the state, which shares its southern border with the Gulf of Mexico, is home to tens of thousands of jobs related to the oil and gas industry.
Efforts to expand Louisiana's renewable energy opportunities have come to the forefront recently. Last month, the state's first offshore wind operating agreement was approved.
Edwards previously told reporters that after leaving the governor's mansion, he and his wife would return to Tangipahoa Parish and “go back to private practice.” Although he has repeatedly said he has “no expectation or intention” of running for political office in the future, he has not completely ruled out the possibility.
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Edwards' successor, Republican Gov.-elect Jeff Landry, will be sworn in on Monday.
