Jones Walker Welcomes 16 Associates

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Dec 04, 2024, 15:27 ET

NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Jones Walker LLP is pleased to announce the addition of 16 associates to the firm.

The firm welcomes the following new associates:

From left to right: Holland Crain Aucoin, Thomas (Buddy) Bardenwerper, Hailey Dennis, Brandon DeRojas, Ryan Flood, Tyler Hays, Jordan Heath, Caitlin Kicklighter, Grant Krag, Tamra Manfredo, Stephen Reynolds, Sydney Rusovich, Kathryn Schimmel, Katie Beth Simmons, Patrick Van Burkleo, and Amelie Zimmer.

Holland Aucoin, Litigation
Buddy Bardenwerper, Maritime
Hailey Dennis, Maritime
Brandon DeRojas, Tax
Ryan Flood, Corporate
Tyler Hays, Corporate
Jordan Heath, Litigation
Caitlin Kicklighter, Litigation
Grant Krag, Litigation and Corporate
Tamra Manfredo, Corporate
Stephen Reynolds, Maritime
Sydney Rusovich, Corporate
Katie Schimmel, Litigation
Katie Beth Simmons, Corporate
Patrick Van Burkleo, Litigation
Amelie Zimmer, Tax

Holland Crain Aucoin is an associate in the Litigation Practice Group and a member of the property and personal injury team in the Lafayette office. While earning her JD and DCL from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Holland served as a judicial extern at the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana and as a legal clerk at various firms. She served as managing editor of the LSU Law Journal for Social Justice & Policy, as a research assistant, and as an academic tutor. Holland was also the recipient of several notable scholarships. Prior to law school, she worked as a litigation paralegal.

Thomas (Buddy) Bardenwerper is an associate in the Maritime Practice Group and a member of the litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution team in the Miami office. As a former US

Coast Guard officer who served both at sea and ashore, he has unique insight into marine casualty and dispute investigations, with hands-on experience with vessel and crew operations under domestic and international maritime law. Before joining Jones Walker, Buddy served as a staff attorney for Justice John D. Couriel of the Florida Supreme Court and as a law clerk to Judge Roy K. Altman of the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He earned his JD from Harvard Law School.

Hailey Dennis is an associate in the Maritime Practice Group and a member of the litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution team in the Miami office. While earning her JD from Tulane Law School, Hailey served as president of the Maritime Law Society. Prior to joining Jones Walker, she interned with the US Coast Guard, researching maritime law and policy, and spent a summer working with Carnival Australia's legal team in Sydney, handling corporate risks, claims, and contracts. Hailey has also clerked for maritime law firms and presented at conferences on topics including the Safer Seas Act and the International Maritime Organization's 2050 decarbonization initiatives. Before law school, she worked shipboard for Carnival Cruise Line, where she gained firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of the maritime industry.

Brandon DeRojas is an associate in the Tax Practice Group and a member of the state and local tax team in the New Orleans office. While earning his JD cum laude from Tulane Law School, Brandon interned at the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and was an active member of the Business Law and Sports Law societies. He also received the CALI Award for the state and local tax class and the highest grade for the federal income taxation class. Additionally, Brandon was inducted into the 2024 Tulane Pro Bono Krewe for completing over 150 hours of pro bono services.

H. Ryan Flood is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the New Orleans office. Ryan advises clients on a broad range of corporate law, governance, transactional, and related matters. He earned his JD from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2024, where he graduated first in his class. While in law school, Ryan was published twice in the Loyola Law Review, where he was the editor-in-chief, and competed in multiple Moot Court competitions. Ryan worked as a summer associate for various firms, where he gained legal experience in real estate, criminal defense, and constitutional law and worked on issues involving obligations, successions, and donations; insurance; personal injury; and medical malpractice.

Tyler Hays is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the Baton Rouge office. Tyler advises clients on a broad range of corporate law, governance, transactional, and related matters. While earning his JD and DCL magna cum laude from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, he served as a senior editor of Volume 84 of the Louisiana Law Review.

Jordan M. Heath is an associate on the Construction Industry Team in the Atlanta office. Jordan represents a variety of clients in the construction industry, ranging from owners and general contractors to subcontractors and suppliers. While earning his JD cum laude at the University of Georgia School of Law (UGA Law), he served as an extern with multiple public defense offices in Georgia and was an active participant in UGA Law's Mock Trial program and the Clarke-Carley Inn of Court. Prior to and during law school, Jordan assisted with litigation work at various law firms.

Caitlin R. Kicklighter is an associate on the Construction Industry Team in the Atlanta office. Caitlin represents a variety of clients in the construction industry, ranging from owners and general contractors to subcontractors and suppliers. While earning her JD with honors from Emory University School of Law, Caitlin externed at the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Prior to law school, Caitlin worked with Jones Walker's construction team as a construction litigation case clerk.

R. Grantham Krag is an associate in the Litigation and Corporate practice groups and a member of the commercial dispute resolution and arbitration team in the Jackson office. Before joining Jones Walker, Grant completed clerkships with Judge Taylor B. McNeel of the US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi and Presiding Judge Jack L. Wilson of the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Prior to his clerkships, Grant spent nearly three years as in-house counsel for a Mississippi state agency, where he worked alongside the agency's special assistant attorney general and handled legislative drafting, employment disputes, contract review, and policy implementation. He earned his JD cum laude from the Mississippi College School of Law.

Tamra J. Manfredo is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the Baton Rouge office. Tamra advises clients on a broad range of corporate law governance, transactional, and related matters. While earning her JD and DCL magna cum laude from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, she was a research assistant and served as the production editor of the Louisiana Law Review, where she was a published author. Additionally, Tamra received multiple academic merit scholarships, was a top 16 finalist in the Tullis Moot Court Competition, and served as a judicial extern at the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.

Stephen B. Reynolds, Jr., is an associate in the Maritime Practice Group and a member of the litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution team in the New Orleans office. Stephen earned his JD from Tulane Law School, where he also achieved a Certificate in Maritime Law. While in law school, he served as the senior notes and comments editor of the Tulane Maritime Law Journal. Prior to earning his law degree, Stephen worked as a paralegal.

Sydney G. Rusovich is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the New Orleans office. Sydney advises clients on a broad range of corporate law, governance, transactional, and related matters. While earning her JD summa cum laude from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, she served as managing editor of the Loyola Law Review and earned awards for her contributions. Additionally, Sydney co-founded the Catholic Law Student Society, served as vice president of the Loyola Law Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and was a research assistant. Prior to starting her legal career, she served as project coordinator for the University of Mississippi's Arabic Language Flagship program, one of six US Department of Defense-sponsored foreign language programs in the country.

Kathryn E. Schimmel is an associate in the Litigation Practice Group and a member of the Energy, Environmental & Natural Resources Industry Team in the New Orleans office. While earning her JD magna cum laude at Tulane Law School, Kathryn served as senior associate editor of the Tulane Law Review, where she was also published, and as a student attorney at the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic. She also earned a Certificate in Environmental Law.

Katie Beth Simmons is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in the Jackson office. Katie advises clients on a broad range of corporate law, governance, transactional, and related matters. While earning her JD summa cum laude from the Mississippi College School of Law, Katie interned at the Neshoba County District Attorney's Office of the Eighth Judicial District of Mississippi and at the Office of the State Treasurer of Mississippi.

Patrick M. Van Burkleo is an associate in the Litigation Practice Group and a member of the dispute resolution team in the New Orleans office. While earning his JD and DCL cum laude from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Patrick externed for Chief Judge Shelly Dick of the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. He also served as an academic tutor for Federal Civil Procedure and Obligations and was on the editorial board as the notes and comments editor for Volume XII of the LSU Journal of Energy Law and Resources, where he is also a published author. Prior to his career in law, he was a client manager and consultant at a healthcare technology and consulting company with a multinational presence.

Amelie J. Zimmer is an associate in the Tax Practice Group and a member of the trusts and estates team in the New Orleans office. Amelie focuses her practice on estate and tax planning for high net worth individuals, families, and closely held businesses. She earned an LLM in taxation from New York University School of Law, where she was awarded several notable scholarships, and a JD from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where she graduated first in her class and served as a research assistant and the casenote and comment editor for the Loyola Law Review. Additionally, Amelie has completed the certified public accountant examination and is awaiting licensure.

About Jones Walker
Jones Walker LLP (joneswalker.com) is among the largest 145 law firms in the United States. With offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, and Texas, we serve local, regional, national, and international business interests. The firm is committed to providing a comprehensive range of legal services to major multinational public and private corporations, Fortune® 500 companies, money center banks, worldwide insurers, and emerging companies doing business in the United States and abroad.