Lawyers Elwood F. Cahill, Jr. and Frank X. Neuner Jr., will jointly receive the 2021 Outstanding State Chair Awards from the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation (ABF). The award will be presented during the 65th Annual Fellows Awards Banquet, which will be held virtually on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
The Outstanding State Chair Award is given annually to an ABF Fellows State Chair who has demonstrated dedication to the work of the ABF and the mission of the Fellows through exceptional efforts on behalf of the Fellows at the state level. Cahill and Neuner are Fellows State Co-Chairs for the state of Louisiana.
“We are honored to recognize both Frank and Elwood with this award,” said Honorable Eileen A. Kato (Ret.), National Chair of the ABF Fellows and Patron Fellow. “As Co-Chairs of the Louisiana State Fellows, they exemplify a dedication to the mission of the American Bar Foundation Fellows and the highest principles of the greater legal profession.”
Elwood F. Cahill, Jr. is a founding member of the Business Group of Sher, Garner, Cahill, Richter, Klein & Hilbert, L.L.C. in New Orleans. His practice is concentrated in commercial real estate, business, and finance law, as well as creditors’ rights, workouts and foreclosures and commercial bankruptcy and other commercial transactions.
He is also active in the United Way of Southeast Louisiana. He is also a Fellow and past President of the Louisiana Bar Foundation and served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Children’s Hospital in New Orleans.
“I would like to thank the ABF Fellows for the incredible recognition and continued support,” said Cahill. “It is gratifying to know that our efforts on behalf of the Fellows help to support the cutting-edge research of the American Bar Foundation.”
Cahill practices before and works closely with political entities and public administrative boards and agencies at the local, parish (county) and state levels. As part of his practice, Mr. Cahill has been actively involved with many professional and trade organizations, including the American Bar Association’s Sections of Business Law, and Real Property Probate & Trust Law, the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).
Frank X. Neuner Jr. is a founder and managing partner at NeunerPate based in Lafayette, Louisiana. His practice focuses on commercial litigation, admiralty and maritime law, insurance employment law, and toxic tort litigation. Neuner is also the Chairman of the Innocence Project in New Orleans (IPNO) and the President of the Louisiana Client Assistance Foundation (LCAF).
“I am honored to be of service and to be recognized by the ABF with this award,” said Neuner. “I know how dedicated all of the ABF Fellows Chairs are to the responsibilities of the job, and I’m pleased to support the ABF in this way.”
Neuner has served in various professional and community services organizations. Neuner is a Presidential appointee to the Legal Services Corporation Board of Directors. He is a former President of the Louisiana State Bar Association (2005-2006) and the United Way Acadiana. Neuner is the Louisiana State Delegate to the American Bar Association. He is also a past Chair of the Louisiana Public Defender Board (2008-2013), Chair of One Acadiana, Inc., Co-Chair of the Lafayette Outreach for Civil Justice, and a past Chair of Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center.
He was a recipient of the ABA Solo & Small Firm Lifetime Achievement Award, the Louisiana Bar Foundation 2013 Distinguished Attorney Award, Louisiana State University Law School Distinguished Alumni of the Year in 2008 and been listed in Louisiana Super Lawyers since 2004.
Neuner has been married to Tracy Owens Neuner for 49 years and they have four children and five grandchildren.
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About the American Bar Foundation
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is the world’s leading research institute for the empirical and interdisciplinary study of law. The ABF seeks to expand knowledge and advance justice through innovative, interdisciplinary, and rigorous empirical research on law, legal processes, and legal institutions. To further this mission the ABF will produce timely, cutting-edge research of the highest quality to inform and guide the legal profession, the academy, and society in the United States and internationally. The ABF’s primary funding is provided by the American Bar Endowment and the Fellows of The American Bar Foundation.