New Orleans

Lacey Rochester and Patrick H. Willis have been elected as shareholders in Baker Donelson‘s New Orleans office.

Rochester focuses her practice on creditors’ rights and she regularly represents oil and gas companies, financial institutions and various secured and unsecured creditors in state and federal bankruptcy courts.

She earned a bachelor’s, summa cum laude, from LSU and a law degree, magna cum laude, from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. She served as a clerk to U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Wendy Hagenau.

Willis focuses on advising and representing clients in connection with mergers and acquisitions, corporate financings, joint ventures, reorganizations and other general corporate matters.

He earned a bachelors from Georgetown University and a law degree, cum laude, from LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. 

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Melissa Lee has been named a partner at Deveney.

Lee first joined the agency in 2005 to help the firm with its communications in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She returned to her job leading the public relations efforts at Audubon Aquarium, before rejoining Deveney in 2018. Before entering public relations, Lee was a reporter and manager with television stations in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Monroe.

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Debra Vaughan has been named vice president for research and evaluation for the Urban League of Louisiana.

Vaughan has more than 20 years of experience conducting equity research and evaluation and developing policy and practice recommendations. She served as budget consultant for New Orleans, senior managing consultant for PFM Consulting Group and director of research at Tulane University’s Cowen Institute.

Baton Rouge

Melissa M. Grand and Christopher Vitenas have been elected as shareholders in Baker Donelson‘s Baton Rouge office.

Grand is an experienced education law attorney who represents independent schools, charter schools, charter school management organizations and other educational institutions.

She earned a bachelor’s, cum laude, from LSU and a law degree from LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Grand served as senior editor on the board of editors for the Louisiana Law Review.

Vitenas, a member of the firm’s Construction Law Group, focuses his practice on all aspects of construction law, commercial litigation and appellate work.

He earned a bachelor’s in finance from St. Louis University, a master’s in finance from LSU and a law degree, cum laude, from LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Vitenas served on the Moot Court Board and was on the Moot Court Corporate Law External Team while in law school.