Butler Snow attorney Jim Letten was recently appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to serve as 1 of 14 board members on the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (LADB) for a three-year term. Before serving as a board member, Letten previously chaired disciplinary hearing committees in the state for the last three years.
The Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (LADB), established in 1990 by the Supreme Court, became the first attorney disciplinary system in the nation to incorporate the American Bar Association’s Model Rules for Disciplinary Enforcement that is primarily used by non-lawyers in the disciplinary process today. The LADB is responsible for investigating all allegations of lawyer misconduct and making recommendations to the Court when discipline is warranted. The agency consists of a statewide board, hearing committees, disciplinary counsel, and administrative staff appointed by the Board and disciplinary counsel. It is comprised of 14 members who are appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court. Each year, one member is nominated by the Louisiana State Bar Association and must have prior lawyer discipline experience. Of the 14 members, four are members of the general public with diverse backgrounds. The term of office for all Board members is three years, and no Board member may serve more than two consecutive terms. All members volunteer their time and services. The Board is divided into two committees: a nine-member adjudicative committee and a five-member administrative committee.
At Butler Snow, Jim Letten is a member of the Commercial Litigation Practice Group and concentrates his work on Corporate Compliance, including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Anti-Money Laundering/Bank Secrecy Act; Internal Investigations; Corporate Immigration and Trial Advocacy, Government Regulatory Liaison and Anti-Corruption Warranties in Mergers and Acquisitions. Prior to joining the firm, Jim served continuously as the longest-serving United States Attorney in the nation at the time of his retirement, with almost 12 years of continuous service. In all, he served 30 years with the Department of Justice prosecuting virtually every type of federal White Collar, Narcotics and Corruption offense (including extensive experience with RICO prosecutions).
Letten’s impressive career includes an extensive list of accolades and well-deserved honors. He is AV®-Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® along with the distinction of AV®-Preeminent™ Attorney – Judicial and Top 1%. He previously received the Torch of Liberty Award from the Anti-Defamation League, the Superintendent’s Special Achievement Award from the New Orleans Police Department, and the Champion Award from the New Orleans Family Justice Center. He has also been recognized by the United States Coast Guard receiving the Commandant’s Meritorious Public Service Award and has been named previously as a City Business Leader in Law. Jim Letten has authored countless papers and presented in many public forums on various aspects of his legal work. His work with Butler Snow on international anti-corruption policies has included presentations and publications in China in and most recently in the EU.
He is an active board member of the Boys Scouts of America (Southeast Louisiana Council) having previously served as President and an Executive Board Member for the organization.
Alongside these distinctions, Letten has also participated in a number of professional and community organizations. He has previously served as a Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section and as Disciplinary Board Committee Chair of the Louisiana State Bar Association. Prior to these recent leadership roles, among others he has served as a Board Member of the Center for Law and Civic Education, a board member of the Military Order of Foreign Wars, Executive Board Vice Chair of the New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission; (current) Executive Board Member and Secretary-Treasurer of the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, and Executive Board/past Co-Chair for New Orleans Crimestoppers. He is also a newly-elected member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Former United States Attorneys (NAFUSA).
Jim Letten obtained his bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of New Orleans and his Juris Doctor from Tulane University, and is a retired Commander and credentialled NCIS Agent in the U.S. Navy Reserve (20 years).
