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Community Service

At Phelps Dunbar, our dedication to community service is as strong as our commitment to excellence in the field of law.  Since our inception in 1853, the firm has fostered an environment that values reinvesting in the communities that sustain us. In the 1940s Charles E. Dunbar, Jr. dedicated his energies toward the promotion and enactment of civil service reform laws in Louisiana. He was so successful in this campaign that he is still known today as "The Father of Civil Service" in Louisiana and was awarded the Times-Picayune's "Loving Cup" in 1941. Mr. Dunbar's legacy lives on in the community service initiatives that the firm participates in each year.

Our goal is to support initiatives that touch three criteria:  children, education and the community.  This definition gives us overall direction to become sponsors and engage the firm in numerous service initiatives, our attorneys and professional staff help build and strengthen our surrounding communities.  Phelps Dunbar supports civic, charitable and cultural endeavors throughout our offices’ respective communities.  Recently, we have involved our firm in a number of diverse projects dedicated to a range of issues including municipality, healthcare, education, the arts, and legal associations.

Firm-sponsored activities provide opportunities to benefit our local communities, and additionally, our attorneys take the extra step to involve themselves in various civic and community organizations.  While many serve on the boards of charitable organizations and are members of professional associations at the national, state, and local levels, our attorneys also maintain active memberships and affiliations with numerous significant community and charitable organizations.  All of these activities in combination reinforce our dedication to the positive growth of the communities in which we live and work.

Additionally, Phelps Dunbar values the promotion of higher education, and we annually support scholarship funds to law schools located in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.  Our attorneys are often also active in their respective alumni associations, to support the advancement and growth of these academic institutions.