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Biography |
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Biography of J. Bart
Kelly, III |
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Biography of Jeanne Demarest |
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Biography of Richard P. Voorhies III |
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Roderick “Rico”
Alvendia
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Was born in 1970 in New Orleans, LA. Although he was born and raised primarily in New Orleans, Rico traveled internationally as he was growing up while his Father, Ernesto M. Alvendia, served as a Diplomat for the Philippines. In fact, he attended Jesuit High School in the Philippines from 1984 to 1987, where he also witnessed firsthand the historic Filipino Peaceful Revolution in 1987.
In 1994 Rico graduated with high honors from Loyola University, New Orleans, with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science. At the same time he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army Reserves. In 1994, he was awarded an academic scholarship to Loyola University Law School in New Orleans. As a student at Loyola Law School he excelled in the Moot Court Program and earned a spot as a member of Loyola’s renowned National Moot Court Team. He earned his law degree from Loyola in 1998 and immediately passed the Louisiana Bar exam. He started with his partners the Law Firm of Alvendia, Kelly, and Demarest, LLC in 2003. |
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While he gained valuable experience in trying over 150 civil and criminal trials in both State in Federal Court, Rico was also recruited into the US Army Reserve JAG Corps. In 2004, he was mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom for 18 months with the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade. In Iraq, he was promoted to the rank of Major. While in downtown Baghdad, Rico was part of an international team of lawyers who assisted Iraqi prosecutors in the criminal trials of over 300 insurgents. His efforts resulted in the 1st successful prosecution of an Iraqi for the murder of a U.S. soldier. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service during combat operations.
After returning to the U.S. from Iraq in the Fall of 2005, Rico and his Partners were immediately faced with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. After opening its Downtown New Orleans office, Rico and his firm continued to focus on complex personal injury cases, as well as representing hundreds of homeowners and local business owners in their battles with their insurance companies. His Firm fought to successfully recover millions of dollars for his clients who were in need of money to rebuild their homes and businesses.
Since Katrina he has also been appointed to multiple Plaintiff Steering Committees in class actions related to Katrina, including the Orleans Parish School Board teachers’ class action and several New Orleans hospital class action cases based on the failure to timely evacuate patients, which include the Memorial Hospital class action case.
Rico remains active in local charities and with Loyola Law School, where he is a member of the Alumni Board of Directors and he has established the Martha A. Alvendia Endowed Scholarship in honor of his mother. Recently, he was honored by the Loyola Law School Moot Court program as the 2007 Distinguished Alumni of the Year and he was also honored by the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association with the 2008 President’s Award for his service to the legal profession. |
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J. Bart Kelly, III
The George Washington University, BA Economics 1992. Tulane Law School, Juris Doctor 1996.
Assistant District Attorney, New Orleans, 1997-98.
Over 10 years of civil litigation experience, including 30 jury trials.
Admitted to practice in Louisiana, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Eastern District Court of Louisiana.
Member of the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association.
Handled the successful litigation of several multi-million dollar civil cases, to include the landmark Louisiana cases
Hampton v. Nix, et al and Burke v Choctaw Transport, Inc., et al
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Jeanne Demarest
Jeanne was born on April 9, 1969 in Big Spring, Texas while her father was in pilot training for the U. S. Air Force. At the age of five, she moved with her family back to New Orleans, Louisiana.
She graduated from St. Mary’s Dominican High School in 1987 and went on to Louisiana State University. She graduated from LSU in 1991 with a Bachelors degree in Journalism. While at LSU, she was a member and officer of Delta Gamma Fraternity.
Jeanne began law school at Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans in the fall of 1991. She graduated with a Juris Doctorate degree in 1994. She immediately passed the bar and began to develop an active civil law trial practice. She joined forces with Rico Alvendia and Bart Kelly in 2003 forming the firm of Alvendia, Kelly and Demarest, LLC.During her years of practice, Jeanne has successfully tried hundreds of judge and jury trials. She has also successfully mediated or settled hundreds of civil cases.
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Post Katrina, she has aggressively represented hundreds of home owners and businesses for property damage they sustained as a result of the hurricane, helping them to get millions of needed dollars for home and business repair.
She is an active member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and the Louisiana Association for Justice. She is also admitted to practice in all Louisiana State Courts, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal and the Eastern District Court of Louisiana.
Jeanne is married to Seth Schaumburg and has three beautiful daughters. She is active in local charities, her church parish and her children’s school. |
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Richard P. Voorhies III
Though born on a U.S. Air Force base overseas, Richard was raised from an early age in southern Louisiana.
In 2003, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. During his tenure at ULL, he was awarded the faculty’s Crisler-Levine award for his paper on plaintiffs’ rights.
In 2006, he received his Juris Doctor from Loyola School of Law, graduating with honors, Cum Laude. While in law school, Richard excelled in Loyola’s Moot Court Program. He competed nationally as an oralist and brief writer and, in his senior year, sat on the Moot Court Board.
Following law school, Richard served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Dee D. Drell, United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana. As a federal law clerk, he worked on complex litigation, gaining valuable experience in several practice areas, including employment law and civil rights litigation.
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Immediately after his clerkship, Richard returned to New Orleans to practice law and to contribute to the City’s re-building process. In January of 2009, he left his defense practice to team up with Rico, Bart and Jeanne.
Professionally, Richard is an active member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and is licensed to practice in all Louisiana state courts. He also is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
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