Continues to hold leadership roles in organization: Burton LeBlanc, a Baton Rouge attorney, has been named vice president of the American Association for Justice. LeBlanc heads Baron and Budd’s Baton Rouge office, where he specializes in environmental law. Recently, he was hired by the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration to provide counsel related to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. LeBlanc has held several leadership roles with the national trial lawyer group, including being secretary, treasurer and parliamentarian and leading the AAJ’s chief fundraising arm. Twice, LeBlanc has been honored with the AAJ’s Wiedemann Wysocki National Finance Council Award, which goes to attorneys who continue to work to improve the justice system.
Public-private partnership paying for program: Limousine Livery, a New Orleans–based company, is converting 20 vehicles in its fleet to run on propane autogas. Limousine Livery is the only Louisiana business to participate in the conversion program. The program is funded by the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program, a private group that has teamed with the U.S. Department of Energy to put more than 1,000 autogas vehicles on the road in the next four years. It will cost $160,000 to convert the limos to run on propane autogas. Propane autogas, or liquefied petroleum gas, is a clean-burning fuel produced in the U.S. that costs less than gasoline.
