Bradley Byrne Joins Jones Walker

BIRMINGHAM and MOBILE, Ala., Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Bradley Byrne, former Chancellor of the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education, Alabama state legislator, and recent Alabama gubernatorial candidate, has joined the law firm of Jones Walker as a partner in the firm and will practice from the firm's Mobile and Birmingham, Ala. offices. He will be a member of the Business & Commercial Transactions Practice Group.

William H. Hines, Managing Partner of the firm, commented, "Bradley Byrne has a long history of service to the state of Alabama. He is recognized for his commitment to improving education in the state, as demonstrated by his work to revamp and revitalize Alabama's community college system, as well as for his acute legal mind, his integrity, and his problem-solving skills. He plans to continue his commitment to economic development by working on behalf of the firm's business clients throughout Alabama and focus his practice on assisting with business transactional matters and legislative and administrative advocacy. His work with educational institutions, as well as his support for conservation and economic development programs, is widely recognized."

In 2007, Mr. Byrne was appointed by the Alabama State Board of Education to serve as Chancellor of the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education, serving as the chief executive officer of Alabama's two-year college system. In that role, he served as chairman of the State Workforce Planning Council, where he oversaw all of Alabama's workforce development efforts. During that time, he also served on the governor's economic development cabinet. Mr. Byrne served in the Alabama legislature from 2002–2007, where he was a member of the Education Committee, the Education Budget Committee, and the Judiciary Committee. He chaired the Joint Oversight Committee on State Parks. From 1994–2002, he was a member of the Alabama State Board of Education. Mr. Byrne was recently a gubernatorial candidate in Alabama, and was endorsed by more than a dozen of the state's business and economic development organizations.

Mr. Byrne stated, "When considering my return to the practice of law, I was impressed with the attorneys at Jones Walker, the complexity of the firm's practices, and the wide range of clients they serve. I chose to join Jones Walker because of the firm's strong reputation of serving business clients, the firm's commitment to improving the community, and particularly, the firm's commitment to Alabama, as demonstrated by Jones Walker's phenomenal growth in the state."

Mr. Byrne practiced law in Mobile for more than 27 years, providing legal services to a wide range of businesses. He obtained his juris doctor degree from The University of Alabama School of Law, after earning his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Duke University.

Mr. Byrne can be reached in Birmingham at 205.244.5269 or in Mobile at 251.439.7517.

Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere & Denegre L.L.P. (www.joneswalker.com) provides a comprehensive range of legal services to a national and international corporate client base in highly regulated industries through offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

SOURCE Jones Walker