Phillip A. Wittmann

Phillip A. Wittmann is a member of the firm Stone Pigman . He concentrates his practice in commercial litigation, class actions, toxic tort litigation, products liability and antitrust matters. He has extensive trial experience, maintains an active litigation practice and is a frequent lecturer. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court; the United States Fifth, Sixth and Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals; and all Louisiana federal and state courts.

Mr. Wittmann graduated from the Tulane University School of Law in 1961, where he was named to Phi Beta Kappa, Order of the Coif, Omicron Delta Kappa and served on the Tulane Law Review Board of Editors. He received his undergraduate degree at Tulane University in 1956.

Mr. Wittmann is a past president of the New Orleans Bar Association. He has served as a member of the Civil Rules Advisory Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States and as a member of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association. He has chaired the Louisiana State Board of Legal Specialization and is a member of the House of Delegates, the Continuing Legal Education Committee and the Antitrust Section of the Louisiana State Bar Association. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers. He is the 2000 recipient of the G. Duffield Smith Outstanding Publication Award from the Defense Research Institute and he is the 2005 recipient of the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award in the Fifth Circuit. Mr. Wittmann has been named to The Best Lawyers in America in the field of business litigation since its initial publication. He has been named to Chambers USA in the field of General Commercial Litigation. He has been named to Louisiana Super Lawyer. He has co authored an article for the Defense Research Institute with Al Cortese on the subject of Class Action and Mass Tort Litigation: Recent Developments, Legislation and Jurisprudence.

George A. Frilot III

George A. Frilot III received the 2007 Louisiana Bar Foundation's (LBF) Curtis R. Boisfontaine Trial Advocacy Award. The award was presented on Thursday, June 7, at the Louisiana State Bar Association's (LSBA) General Assembly in conjunction with the 66th Annual Meeting in Sandestin, Florida.

Mr. Frilot was selected for his long-standing devotion to excellence in trial practice and for upholding the standards of ethics and consideration for the courts, litigants and all counsel in his practice of the law. He received a plaque signifying the honor bestowed to him. In addition, the award carries a $1,000 cash stipend, which the LBF donates to a non-profit law-related program or association providing services in the state of Louisiana in the honorees name.

Mr. Frilot is a founding partner of Frilot Partridge, L.C. and is a leading attorney in the firm's Energy & Environmental Practice Group. Over the course of 49 years of practice, he has tried cases in 23 states and has actively participated in proceedings in two foreign countries. His practice has involved the trial of cases resulting from major offshore catastrophes, energy and environmental issues stemming from class action proceedings, commercial litigation and products liability.

Mr. Frilot is a member of the LSBA, the New Orleans Bar Association and is a Fellow with the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has been selected to Best Lawyers in America-10 year Distinction, listed in Chambers USA and recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in New Orleans by CityBusiness. In addition Mr. Frilot has been identified as one of 93 "All-Star" attorneys is the U.S. and the only one from Louisiana. He has an undergraduate degree from Loyola University and received his law degree from Loyola University School of Law, New Orleans.

John R. Martzell

John R. Martzell received the LBF 2006 Curtis R. Boisfontaine Trial Advocacy Award. The award was presented at the Louisiana State Bar Association's (LSBA) Annual Meeting in Sandestin, Florida.

Mr. Martzell was selected for his long-standing devotion to excellence in trial practice and for upholding the standards of ethics and consideration for the courts, litigants and all counsel in his practice of the law. He received a plaque signifying the honor bestowed to him. In addition, the award carries a $1,000 cash stipend, which the LBF donates to a non-profit law-related program or association providing services in the state of Louisiana in Mr. Martzell's name.

John R. Martzell practices in New Orleans, Louisiana with the firm of Martzell & Bickford. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in Accounting and a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame Law School; he also served on the Editorial Board of the Notre Dame Lawyer. He was law clerk to the Honorable J. Skelly Wright, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana and the Honorable Frank B. Ellis, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

He served as Director of the Louisiana Commission on Human Relations, Rights and Responsibilities for six years. He is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He is also a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the American College of trial Lawyers and the Council of the Louisiana State Law Institute. He served as President of the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association and as Chairman of the Department of Public Affairs with the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He is also listed in the in the Best Lawyers of America under Personal Injury, Maritime Law, Criminal Defense and Business Litigation categories. He lectures widely to lawyers and law students on a variety of subjects.

H. Alston Johnson III

H. Alston Johnson III, of Baton Rouge received the 2005 LBF Curtis R. Boisfontaine Trial Advocacy Award. The award was presented in June during the Louisiana State Bar Association's (LSBA) Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.

Johnson was selected for his long-standing devotion to excellence in trial practice and for upholding the standards of ethics and consideration for the courts, litigants and all counsel in his practice of the law.

Johnson received a plaque signifying the honor bestowed to him. In addition, the award carries a $1,000 cash stipend, which the LBF donates to a non-profit law-related program or association providing services in the state of Louisiana in Johnson's name.

H. Alston Johnson III is a managing partner of Phelps Dunbar's Baton Rouge office. He graduated cum laude in 1967 from Georgetown University. He received his J.D. in 1970 from Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center where he was a senior associate editor of the Law Review . Prior to joining Phelps Dunbar in 1984, he was a full-time member of the law faculty at LSU for twelve years. He continues to teach as an adjunct member of that faculty, teaching primarily conflict of laws, federal courts and insurance.

His practice concentrates primarily in litigation, particularly at the appellate level and with particular emphasis in the areas of tort, insurance coverage, and administrative law. He has extensive experience in legislative, regulatory and governmental matters and has represented numerous public entities in both counseling and litigation capacities.

Johnson served on the LSBA Board of Governors from 1975 to 1976. He is a member of the LSBA, the American Bar Association, and the American Law Institute and a former member of the council of the Louisiana State Law Institute. He is a past president of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel and in 1988 he served as chair of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Tort, Workers' Compensation and Insurance Reform. From 1973 to 1984, he served as consultant for the LSBA Law Reform Committee.

He is the author or co-author of three treatises on Louisiana law published by Thomson/West Publishing Company: Louisiana Workers' Compensation (4th ed.), Louisiana Insurance Law (3rd ed. in manuscript) and Louisiana Civil Jury Instructions (2nd ed.).