Roy J. Rodney, Jr.
Roy J. Rodney, Jr. is the founder and managing partner of the law firm of Rodney & Etter LLC, a diverse group of lawyers formerly involved in academia, government and private practice. The firm has evolved into a powerhouse in the New Orleans legal community, specializing in complex litigation in the areas of commercial, environmental, construction, class action and intellectual property laws. The R&E law firm has provided representation in almost every type of civil dispute, including contracts, business torts, unfair trade practices and civil and constitutional rights. The firm’s attorneys have appeared in federal and state court, administrative agencies throughout the region and the United States Supreme Court. He is a graduate of Tulane University and Loyola University School of Law.
Roy has an extensive history of defending against injustice and infringement of civil liberties. In Wallace v. State of Louisiana, he argued for the rights of New Orleans residents dispersed by Hurricane Katrina to vote in the city’s 2006 mayoral election. In the historic case of Chisom v. Edwards, Roy was part of the effort to desegregate the Louisiana State Supreme Court, which resulted in Justice Revius Ortique being installed in 1993 as the first African American Justice on the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Over the years, Roy has been repeatedly recognized by national, state and local legal associations, including the New Orleans Martinet Legal Society’s Trailblazer of the Year, A.P. Tureaud Award, Louisiana State Bar Association Pro Bono Award and the National Bar Association President’s Award. He is past chairman of the National Bar Association Civil Trial Advocacy Section. Roy is a lecturer and adjunct professor at Southern University in Baton Rouge and has participated in forums for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. He has also been a featured speaker at the Loyola University School of Law and Texas Southern University on the subject of First Amendment and Public Protest.