|
JONATHAN C. AUGUSTINE a founding member of Satchel Augustine LLC, is an experienced attorney, consultant and government relations liaison. Mr. Augustine is currently serving under gubernatorial appointment as deputy executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Immediately prior to his September 2010 appointment, in addition to his private sector career, he also served in locally elected office as vice president of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board. He has been an adjunct professor and visiting lecturer at Louisiana State University, a member of the faculty of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, and has lectured for National Business Institute and other continuing legal education programs. Mr. Augustine has authored articles published in the Louisiana Law Review, Louisiana Bar Journal, Tulane Maritime Law Journal and Southern Law Review. He successfully defended the state of Louisiana against a major corporation's damages claim in multimillion dollar complex litigation and also represented the Louisiana Department of Education in a first-of-its-kind charter school litigation, and defended the constitutionality of local bonding districts in one of the longest running school desegregation cases in the United States. Similarly, Mr. Augustine has successfully represented numerous municipalities in Section 1983 Civil Rights matters, Fair Labor Standards Act litigation, as well as Americans with Disabilities Act and Civil Rights Act of 1964 matters. He has represented numerous insurers in insurance defense litigation and serves as general counsel to the Personnel Board for the City of Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton Rouge. He is admitted to practice law before all Louisiana state and federal courts, the United States Supreme Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Mr. Augustine earned his B.A. degree from Howard University, and served as a decorated officer in the United States Army before graduating from Tulane Law School. He began his professional career as a law clerk to Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson. CHARLES L. DIRKS III is an attorney in the law firm of Avant & Falcon, where he focuses his practice on employment law, specifically within the public sector. His representation focuses on providing advice to clients on a wide range of employment and labor issues, which includes federal employment laws, state employment laws, collective bargaining agreements, and administrative matters. Mr. Dirks has represented law enforcement officers in 37 officer involved shootings. He also has represented hundreds of police officers during Internal Affairs investigations performed by various agencies around the state. Mr. Dirks has defended in excess of one hundred police officers during formal disciplinary proceedings, including matters before all five Circuit Courts of Appeal, as well as the Louisiana Supreme Court. He earned his B.A. degree from Louisiana State University and his J.D. degree from LSU Paul M. Hebert School of Law. Mr. Dirks is a member of the American, Louisiana State and Baton Rouge bar associations. JOY C. RABALAIS is an attorney in the law firm of Borne & Wilkes, L.L.P., where she focuses her practice in police and municipal liability and workers' compensation defense. Over the last seven years, she has devoted 80% of her practice to defending police officers and municipalities in both federal and state courts. Ms. Rabalais is a current lecturer on civil liabilities at the ALETA training academy. She earned her B.A. degree from Nicholls State University and her J.D. degree from Louisiana State University. Ms. Rabalais is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, Federal Bar, and the Lafayette Parish Bar.
|