Lemle & Kelleher Names Archon Hardy As Chairman Of The Firm’s Management Committee

The law firm of Lemle & Kelleher, L.L.P. has named Timothy W. Hardy as the Chairman of the firm’s Management Committee for 2008. Mr. Hardy is the first African-American elected to this position in the firm’s 100-year history.

A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Mr. Hardy joined the firm in 1994 and is the Leader of the firm’s Environmental Law Practice Group. He serves on the firm’s Executive and Management committees and is the Head of the firm’s Baton Rouge office. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Environmental Law at Southern University Law Center. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and a Juris Doctor Degree from Southern University.

“Tim is a leader in all areas of his professional and community life. His focus on the firm’s clients, their needs, and the firm’s best interests makes him an excellent choice to lead the firm,” says Patrick Johnson, Jr., 2007 Chairman of the Management Committee. “His management skills, dedication to the firm, and commitment to diversity will be great assets to the firm and our clients.”

Mr. Hardy left the firm in 2003 to serve as Executive Vice President for The Shaw Group, one of two Fortune 500 Companies based in the State of Louisiana. He rejoined the firm in 2004.

He has served on transition teams for five consecutive Louisiana Governors. In 2007, he served as the Vice Chair of the Environmental Group for the Transition Advisory Council for Governor Bobby Jindal. He also previously served on former Governor Kathleen Blanco’s Department of Natural Resources Transition Team (2004), former Governor Mike Foster's Environmental Quality Transition Team (1995), former Governor Edwin W. Edwards's Environmental Transition Team - Chairman (1991) and former Governor Buddy Roemer's Environmental Transition Panel (1987).

Mr. Hardy's early legal career includes an appointment from 1982 to 1988 as an Assistant Attorney General in the Louisiana Department of Justice under former Louisiana Attorney General William J. Guste in the Environmental Enforcement Section. In 1988, he was appointed by former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer to serve as Assistant Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. In 1990, Governor Buddy Roemer appointed him to serve as his top advisor for Environmental Affairs within the Louisiana Governor's Office. In 1992, he was appointed to the position of Director of the Public Protection Division within the Louisiana Department of Justice by former Louisiana Attorney General Richard P. Ieyoub.

Prior to attending law school, he held several technical laboratory and research positions. He was employed in the laboratory at a water purification and wastewater treatment facility in Shreveport, Louisiana where his primary duty was quality control. In 1977, he was employed by Pennzoil Research in Shreveport, Louisiana where he did research on the stabilization of transformer oils. In 1978, he was employed as a laboratory technician for Allied Chemical in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he performed quality control for the manufacture of high-density polyethylene.

Lemle & Kelleher is one of the oldest major law firms in Louisiana, tracing its origins to the late 19th century when New Orleans was experiencing a boom as the shipping and commercial center of the South. Building on that genesis, we have diversified and expanded our capabilities for more than 100 years to meet the growing needs of our clients regionally and nationally. Today, with offices in Louisiana and Texas, Lemle & Kelleher offers responsive, innovative, and experienced legal representation covering a broad range of practice areas including antitrust, maritime, commercial transactions, real estate, tax, bankruptcy, litigation, oil and gas, environmental, public utility regulation, casualty and products liability, medical and legal malpractice, and employment law. For more information, please visit www.lemle.com.