Welcome Edmund J. Giering IV of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the 2025-26 president of the Louisiana Bar Foundation (LBF). Other officers are Vice President Michael J. Mestayer of New Orleans; Treasurer Charles C. Bourque, Jr. of Houma; and Secretary Colleen C. Jarrott of New Orleans. The 2025-26 board was installed at the 39th Annual Fellows Gala by Chief Justice John Weimer.
The LBF is the single statewide funder fully committed to ensuring that our civil justice system is accessible to all. Through grants, we assist women, children, elderly, people with disabilities, newly unemployed, those facing loss of their homes, disaster victims, veterans and military families, and many others by providing services that go to the very heart of the health, safety, and security of many of our citizens and their families.
President Edmund J. Giering IV
Giering serves as general counsel to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and his practice emphasizes corporate law & governance, corporate, real estate & complex gift transactions, risk management, and nonprofit & tax-exempt organizations. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1990, a Juris Doctor degree from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1994, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the LSU E.J. Ourso College of Business in 2005.
Vice President Michael J. Mestayer
Mestayer is a solo practitioner in New Orleans, where he handles a broad range of litigation, including admiralty, product liability, and complex civil matters. He received his B.S. from LSU and his J.D. from Tulane University Law School. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Tulane School of Law where he teaches Solo and Small Firm Practice.
Treasurer Charles C. Bourque, Jr.
Bourque is a New Orleans native, but currently resides in Houma, where he is a partner in the law firm of St. Martin & Bourque. He graduated from LSU with a degree in accounting and received his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University School of Law in 1990. Prior to entering law school, Bourque served as an officer and helicopter pilot in the United States Army and continued flying helicopters in the Louisiana Army National Guard until he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2011. He is licensed to practice before all state and federal courts in Louisiana and is an active member of the Terrebonne Parish, New Orleans, Louisiana State, Federal, and American Bar Associations.
Secretary Colleen C. Jarrott
Jarrott is a partner in the law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson where she represents energy companies in oil and gas, mineral law, carbon capture and sequestration, transportation, and other industries in complex commercial litigation, transactional matters, commercial contracts, and regulatory issues. She received her B.A. from The Catholic University of America and her J.D. from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.
New 2025-26 board members as of July 1, 2025: Mark. L. Barbre, Baton Rouge; Camille R. Jackson, Alexandria; Curtis R. Joseph, Jr., Shreveport; Jason A. Matt, Lafayette; Kelly M. Rabalais, Covington; Hon. Raymond S. Steib, Jr. Gretna; and Brooke C. Tigchelaar, New Orleans.
Other members of the 2025-26 board of directors as of April 29, 2025 include: Linda Law Clark, Baton Rouge; G. Adam Cossey, Monroe; Hon. John C. Davidson (Ret.) Alexandria; George D. Ernest, Lafayette; Christopher B. Hebert, Baton Rouge; Hon. Marcus L. Hunter, Shreveport; Jonathan L. Johnson, Lake Charles; Paula E. Miles, Gonzales; Sheri M. Morris, Baton Rouge; Anthony Staines, Metairie; Hon. Karelia R. Stewart, Shreveport; and Edward J. Walters, Jr., Baton Rouge.
