NEW ORLEANS, January 30, 2007 - William K. Slate II, president and chief executive
officer of the American Arbitration Association® (AAA), will present the AAA's
Distinguished Public Service Award to Jerome Reso, Jr., partner with the law firm
of Baldwin Haspel LLC, January 31, at 10 a.m., 1100 Poydras Street, 22nd floor meeting
room, New Orleans. Baldwin Haspel is being awarded for their assistance in providing
meeting space for the Louisiana Hurricane Mediation Program. Warren Byrd, executive
counsel for the Louisiana Department of Insurance, will represent Commissioner Jim
Donelon at the ceremony. The media is invited to attend.
Facility space of eight rooms is being utilized by mediators, New Orleans area insurance policyholders and insurance representatives. To date, 10,107 cases have been filed statewide with a settlement rate of 75 percent.
"We are delighted to recognize Baldwin Haspel for their assistance in securing mediation conference rooms for the Louisiana Hurricane Mediation Program," said William Slate. "The use of the parish's available space eliminated a significant challenge to the success of the program, enabling thousands of Louisiana residents to resolve their homeowners insurance disputes and begin to rebuild their lives."
Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon was the chief author of the Louisiana mediation program established in February 2006 for policyholders with disputed homeowners insurance claims following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The program was designed and continues to serve as a non-adversarial, non-binding alternative to litigation, to facilitate the resolution of homeowners insurance disputes as quickly and as fairly as possible.
As chief legal counsel for the Department of Insurance at the time, Commissioner Donelon said, "I investigated at length any and all additional initiatives that might have assisted our homeowners. I am very proud of what AAA's mediation program has accomplished for Louisiana policyholders and commend Baldwin Haspel for making facilities available at a time when usable space was so difficult to find."
"Baldwin Haspel is dedicated to the rebuilding of the New Orleans area, its home for over 90 years," said Jerome J. Reso, a Member of Baldwin Haspel. "Making its space available for this important program was an easy decision for the firm."
About the American Arbitration Association
The global leader in conflict management since 1926, the American Arbitration Association
is a not-for-profit, public service organization committed to the resolution of
disputes through the use of arbitration, mediation, conciliation, negotiation, democratic
elections and other voluntary procedures. In 2006, more than 137,000 cases were
filed with the Association in a full range of matters including commercial, construction,
labor, employment, insurance, international and claims program disputes. Through
29 offices in the United States, Ireland and Mexico, the AAA provides a forum for
the hearing of disputes, rules and procedures and a roster of impartial experts
to resolve cases. Find more information online at www.adr.org.
About Baldwin Haspel LLC
Since its inception in 1914, Baldwin Haspel has maintained an unbroken commitment
to provide each client the highest quality legal services in a cost-effective manner
in every area of the firm's practice as promptly as possible, utilizing available
modern technological advances while maintaining traditional personal attention to
the client's needs. In line with this commitment, the firm has continually expanded
its capabilities to cover all areas of law affecting its clients.