(New Orleans, LA / April 5, 2016) Nancy Scott Degan has been named managing shareholder for the New Orleans and Mandeville offices of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC. Ms. Degan assumes the role held for 12 years by Roy C. Cheatwood, who will continue to focus on his litigation practice with the Firm.
"The New Orleans and Mandeville offices have seen tremendous growth and endurance under Roy's steadfast leadership," said Ms. Degan. "I look forward to building on a culture of success and excellent client service that has been instilled in these offices since their inception."
While serving as office managing shareholder, Ms. Degan will remain on the Firm's Board of Directors and maintain her litigation practice where she has extensive experience helping businesses 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. From 2014-2015, Ms. Degan served as chair of the American Bar Association's (ABA) Section of Litigation, the ABA's largest specialty section comprised of more than 50,000 members. During her tenure as chair, one of Ms. Degan's initiatives was to expand Project H.E.L.P. (Homeless Experience Legal Protection), which originated in New Orleans, into additional U.S. cities. In 2015, she was recognized as Baker Donelson's Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for her success in the expansion of legal clinics at homeless shelters across the country.
A graduate of Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, Ms. Degan has been recognized by Louisiana Super Lawyers as one of the top 25 female attorneys in Louisiana since 2009 and has been named among the "Top 250 Women in Litigation" by Benchmark Litigation since 2013. She has also been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2003 and has been ranked in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers since 2010.