Tulanians among legal leaders honored by the GNO Martinet Society

Marcus Brown, a Tulane University alumnus and member of the Board of Tulane, received the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Jazz Brunch and Scholarship Gala on Sept. 19, at the Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans.

Brown was among a group of honorees and scholarship recipients at the event with ties to the university and Tulane Law School.

Brown, who earned his executive MBA from Tulane’s A. B. Freeman School of Business in 2002, also has been a longtime member of the advisory board of the Tulane Energy Law & Policy Center, lending his experience to the center and the training of future energy lawyers as one of the region’s leading corporate attorneys. 

Brown spent more than three decades at Entergy, rising to executive vice president and general counsel and overseeing legal, ethics and compliance and other key functions, before retiring in the spring of this year. He also built a substantial record of civic and pro bono service.

Another Tulane alumnus and honoree was Calvin Duncan, who received the Dr. Norman C. Francis Award, given to exemplary educators who have made outstanding contributions to the legal community, scholarly discourse and civic education.

Duncan earned his bachelor’s degree in general legal studies from Tulane’s School of Professional Advancement in 2019 after spending more than 28 years incarcerated for a crime for which he was later exonerated. He went on to earn his law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School and later returned to Tulane as an adjunct instructor in the School of Professional Advancement’s General Legal Studies Program. 

Also among this year's honorees was Judge Regina Bartholomew-Woods of the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, who received the A.P. Tureaud Award given to members who are active in local or state bar associations. Bartholomew-Woods is an adjunct associate professor at Tulane Law, where she has taught Louisiana civil procedure.

“Seeing so many members of the Tulane community recognized by the Martinet Society speaks to the extraordinary breadth of their contributions to the legal profession and to New Orleans,” said Tulane Law Dean Marcilynn Burke. “All have each made an impact in very different ways-- through leadership, teaching, service and a deep commitment to the community. And to see our students recognized alongside them makes the occasion especially meaningful for Tulane Law.”

The gala supports community service initiatives as well as scholarships for undergraduates and law students as part of the organization’s longstanding investment in aspiring members of the legal profession. Two Tulane Law students, Kelsey Rainey and Karrington Hasty, both third-year law students, received scholarships at this year’s event.

The Martinet Society also recognized local attorneys and jurists:  Janell McFarland-Forges with the Louis A. Martinet Award; attorneys Jaina D. Green with the President’s Award and Pearlie H. Elloie with the Earl J. Amadee Award; and Hon. Lee V. Faulkner Jr. received the Ernest N. Morial Award.