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Attorney General Jeff Landry Terminates Government Legal Contracts with District Attorneys

General Landry Pledges to Continue Leading More Efficient and Effective DOJ

BATON ROUGE, LA – Today, Attorney General Jeff Landry announced several changes at the Department of Justice aimed at ensuring accountability and improving the public’s trust in government.

“For too long, Louisiana’s reputation of backroom deals has eroded the public’s trust in government,” said General Landry. “It is my intent to help restore public trust and to build credibility in our justice system.”

General Landry is terminating all outside government legal contracts with District Attorneys and their law firms.

“The potential for conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety, whether actual or not, erode the public’s trust in our judicial system,” said General Landry. 

“Many Louisiana citizens may be surprised to learn that some of these elected government officials are receiving a salary for their position and also running private legal practices on the side,” added General Landry.

General Landry also is implementing a new office policy that any lawyer employed by the Department and engaged in the legal representation of the State on behalf of the Department will be precluded from practicing law outside of the Department. His decision does allow for the completion and transfer of existing cases and representations so the lawyers may provide proper due diligence for their clients.

Additionally, General Landry announced that he recently terminated existing contracts with outside counsel in the BP litigation. As he continues to evaluate all arrangements with outside counsel, other contracts may be canceled in the future.

“Reform at the Department of Justice does not end today. We will continue to find ways to make the office an honest, ethical, and hardworking agency that the citizens of our State can rely upon and be proud of,” concluded General Landry.

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