New faces: Fort Worth, Texas-based Kelly Hart & Pitre will open its second Louisiana office in Baton Rouge, led by former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Louis M. Phillip and attorney Peter Kopfinger. According to a news release, those two attorneys coming to Baton Rouge and Rick Shelby heading to New Orleans gives the law firm 13 attorneys in Louisiana. Phillips has a well-respected bankruptcy/debtor-creditor practice and served as the U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Middle District of Louisiana from 1988 to 2002. Kopfinger represents clients in all types of commercial real estate deals and also has experience in bankruptcy law. The new office will be located in Suite 1600 at 301 Main Street in downtown Baton Rouge.
High praise: The master’s of public administration and master’s of science in finance degrees from LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business have placed ninth and 11th, respectively, among the top master’s programs across the country by Eduniversal in its annual rankings. According to a news release from LSU, the MPA program took the top spot in the public administration/management category, while the finance program ranked as the best in corporate finance. Eduniversal compiles its rankings by looking at more than 4,000 master’s programs from 30 majors. The criteria include the program’s reputation, alumni feedback and the career prospects and salary of graduates in their first year.
Backlash: Republicans on Thursday criticized Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ decision to waive work requirements for thousands of food stamp recipients, saying the assistance program should only be a short-term safety net. The Associated Press reports Edwards won approval to sidestep a federal requirement that childless adults aged 18 to 49 have to work at least 20 hours per week or be enrolled in a federally approved job training program to receive the food aid. States that meet certain U.S. Labor Department criteria have been able to get waivers from the work requirements in federal law. Former Gov. Bobby Jindal had sought to let Louisiana’s waiver expire, with his administration saying the job mandate would help people “break the cycle of poverty.” The Associated Press has the full story.
