Member C. Michael Parks was recognized as an honoree for the New Orleans CityBusiness 2022 “Leadership in Law” class at a reception held at the New Orleans Museum of Art on Monday, October 24.

As noted in a special “Leadership in Law” 2022 insert in CityBusiness, “The 18th edition of “Leadership in Law” stands as a record of local professionals who have distinguished themselves within the legal industry as well as the larger community. Their work encompasses a variety of commercial and public interests, and their expertise reveals how the legal industry has evolved just in the short time CityBusiness has recognized the top attorneys in the region.”

“Leadership in Law” identifies individuals in four categories: court-associated professionals, including judges, magistrates, clerks and support personnel; educators, both in the law school setting and professional realm; firm-associated, which includes attorneys, paralegals and other staff professionals; and in-house counsel, which include full-time representation of for-profit companies, nonprofits and governmental entities.

Mike chatted with reporter Jaime Guillet to discuss what he enjoys about being a litigator, his mentors and his hopes for the future of his profession. Following is his interview, which appears in the New Orleans CityBusiness “Leadership in Law” 2022 insert.

C. Michael Parks, Firm Associated

Michael Parks revels in the mechanics of being a litigator — trial preparation, witness depositions, discovery, and argument crafting — but it is the client relationships he values even more.

As a top trucking, transportation, and delivery defense attorney for more than 30 years, Parks enjoys helping the people he represents and mentoring lawyers as they come up.

“It could be the truck driver, the company rep, the insurance claims adjustor — you’re dealing with different people from all walks of life,” said Parks. “Getting to help each of those persons through the process is very rewarding.”

Parks was mentored early in his career, largely by two attorneys: André J. Mouledoux and Georges Legrand. Mouledoux taught him about “big picture” thinking, and client and court negotiations. Legrand instructed him on the importance of hard work and an exacting attention to detail.

“I was mentored along the way by a lot of different, really good attorneys with different styles, but now it’s helping [younger lawyers] navigate the styles to become really good lawyers,” he said.

Parks as been active as a longtime member of the Trucking Industry Defense Association and a current board member of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel. He sees this phase of his career as a time to crumble the gates blocking diversity, equity, and inclusion in his profession.

“I am proud of our firm’s efforts to diversity…really at every level of employment, to attract and keep more diverse talent,” said Parks, who heads the company’s DEI committee.