Tulane Law’s Professor Ron Scalise Honored with Good Apple Award for Pro Bono Service
Tulane Law Professor Ron Scalise has been recognized by Louisiana Appleseed with its Good Apple Award for Pro Bono Service, honoring his years-long effort to reform Louisiana’s law.
Scalise (TC’97, L’00), the John Minor Wisdom Professor of Civil Law, received the award Oct. 16 at Louisiana Appleseed’s annual Good Apple Luncheon.
The Good Apple Award is given each year to attorneys and advocates who use their legal expertise to serve the public interest. Scalise was honored for his leadership in drafting legislation to reform Louisiana law and assist those with fewer economic resources.
Last year, Scalise successfully led an effort to reform Louisiana’s law on wills and to allow indigent applicants to proceed without prepaying fees for successions. His work on the reformation of wills culminated in Act 30 (2025), which streamlines and simplifies will formalities in Louisiana, thereby making the law more accessible to those without sophisticated legal representation. In addition, he spearheaded legislative reform to allow those with limited resources to proceed in forma pauperis in succession cases, an effort that resulted in the enactment of Act 34 (2025).
He has also drafted legislation aimed at bringing fairness and stability to Louisiana families who inherit property jointly through multiple generations – a problem commonly referred to as “Heirs Property.”
“Heirs property” refers to land that passes through families over time without formal succession, leaving numerous relatives—sometimes distant cousins—each owning a small share. Under current Louisiana law, any co-owner can demand that the property be sold to dissolve the co-ownership, a process that often leads to forced sales or auctions at far below market value. Developers can exploit this system, buying family land for a fraction of its worth while longtime owners receive only minimal compensation.
To address this inequity, Scalise has led a four-year effort within the Louisiana State Law Institute, serving as Reporter for its Successions Committee, to craft a Louisiana version of the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act. His proposed legislation would allow family members to buy out a developer’s share before a sale and establish a fair-market-value floor to ensure owners are not forced to part with their property at unjust prices.
The bill, House Bill 175, sponsored by Rep. Wilford Carter of Calcasieu Parish, was introduced this year in the Louisiana House Civil Law and Procedure Committee. Although the measure did not advance this session, advocates are optimistic it will return next year.
Dean Marcilynn A. Burke praised Scalise’s achievement and his service to both the profession and the community.
“Ron’s unwavering commitment to pro bono service exemplifies the heart of Tulane Law’s mission,” Burke said. “His work on heirs’ property reform is helping to preserve family legacies and protect the economic dignity of Louisiana families for generations to come.”
Louisiana Appleseed, part of a national network of nonprofit organizations dedicated to systemic legal reform, presents the Good Apple Award annually to individuals whose public service has had a significant impact on access to justice in the state.
Scalise, who teaches both common-law trusts and estates as well as civil-law successions (and numerous other civil-law courses) at Tulane Law, has long established himself as a leader in trusts and estate law, locally, nationally, and internationally. He serves in top legal organizations that both study trusts and estates law and recommend law reform in that area.
Last fall, he was elected to the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law (TIAETL), further cementing his global expertise in the field. He is the editor of the Louisiana Civil Code, the body of laws that govern Louisiana jurisdictions and is internationally recognized as a leader in civil law and trust and estates law.
