(New Orleans, LA / August 12, 2014) Nancy Scott Degan of Baker Donelson has assumed the role of chair for the American Bar Association's (ABA) Section of Litigation, the ABA's largest specialty section.
Ms. Degan begins her one-year term as chair of the ABA's Section of Litigation at the conclusion of the 2014 ABA Annual Meeting in Boston today. She has previously served in various other positions for the ABA Section of Litigation, which has more than 50,000 members.
Among the initiatives Ms. Degan has planned for her term are a law school outreach program and the expansion of Project H.E.L.P (Homeless Experience Legal Protection). Begun in New Orleans by Federal Judge Jay Zainey in 2004, Project H.E.L.P. provides pro bono services on a regular basis to homeless people. Project H.E.L.P. is now in 20 cities throughout the United States, and Ms. Degan hopes to expand the program to 10 more cities including Miami, Houston and Washington, D.C.
A shareholder in the New Orleans office of Baker Donelson, Ms. Degan serves on the Firm's Board of Directors and is a member of the Firm's Business Litigation Group. Her practice is focused on helping businesses and business people resolve their disputes through negotiations, trials, arbitrations and appeals. She handles bank litigation, oil and gas disputes, shareholder actions and other securities litigation, and various business torts. Ms. Degan has been recognized by Louisiana Super Lawyers as one of the top 10 lawyers in Louisiana, and was named among the "Top 250 Women in Litigation" by Benchmark Litigation in 2013 and 2014. She is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business.
With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional association in the world. Founded in 1878, the ABA is committed to supporting the legal profession with practical resources for legal professionals while improving the administration of justice, accrediting law schools, establishing model ethical codes, and more.