Jade Brown Russell is a proud native of New Orleans and the Principal of The JBR Firm. In 2003, she left her home state of Louisiana to pursue a legal career at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago, Illinois, where she gained experience in mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, corporate governance and securities related transactions. In early 2007, Jade returned to New Orleans to join a regional law firm, Adams and Reese LLP, during a pivotal time in the City of New Orleans' recovery. In 2010, Jade joined Caesars Entertainment to become Counsel of Regional Operations, where she served as general counsel for five of the company’s casino and hotel properties addressing gaming, litigation, corporate and regulatory legal issues. In 2014, Jade Co-Founded Transcendent Legal, the first legal-tech startup in the Gulf Coast Region. In 2016, Jade served as Interim Executive Director of the French Market Corporation (FMC) where she managed an $11 million budget and oversaw operations of the French Market properties, including the historic Upper Pontalba Residencies, the Flea Market, Farmers Market and Crescent Park.  
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Jade remains civically involved in several organizations. Jade is the Co-Chair of the City of New Orleans' 2018 Tricentennial Commission's Community Engagement Committee. She currently serves as the Vice Chair of Bricolage Academy (www.bricolagenola.org); Immediate Past Chairman of the Downtown Development District; and Vice Chairman of the Urban League Greater New Orleans (www.urbanleagueneworleans.org). Jade is the Co-Chair of the Solo and Small Practitioner's Section of the New Orleans Bar Association. She is also a founding member and inaugural President of the Urban League of Greater New Orleans Young Professionals (www.ulgnoyp.org); and former General Counsel and Secretary for the Young Leadership Council (www.ylcnola.org).

In 2012, Jade was honored by New Orleans CityBusiness in its Leadership in Law class. In 2008, she was honored as a New Orleans CityBusiness Woman of the Year, and in 2009 and 2011 she received the Urban League’s Rising Star Award for her professional and civic accomplishments. Jade has been named to both Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s transition team. In addition, she has served as the Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness. Jade earned her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Southern University Law Center where she served on the Student Bar Association as President of the Senior Class, and was Vice Chairman of Moot Court.

Jade earned her Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in Political Science from Howard University, where she was named a Patricia Roberts Harris Fellow. Jade is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Links Incorporated. Jade is the proud mother of 10 year-old daughter, Jadon, and four year old, Dorsett.

RECENT PRESENTATIONS AND ARTICLES:
2012  Diversity is Pressing and Necessary – Published in New Orleans CityBusiness
2011  PACE  Yourself  to  Your  Dream  –  A  Guide  to  Small  Business  Entrepreneurship,
Curriculum  presented  to  CHC Entrepreneurship Initiative
2010  Good Guys, Bad Guys, And the Corporate Governance Police: Should the Corporate
Governance Movement Affect Legal Ethics?, ABA-YLD Spring Conference. CLE
Presentation and Materials
2009  The Seven Cardinal Sins that Lead to a Disciplinary Hearing, CLE Presentation and
Materials 2009  Ethical Considerations for Municipal Attorneys, CLE Presentation and
Materials for City of N.O.
2009  District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro – Juvenile Justice
Transition Team Report, Major Contributor
2009  The Effects of TARP on Small & Midsize Banks, Presentation

Professional Societies:
American Bar Association, Member
Louisiana State Bar Association, Member
New Orleans Bar Association, Member
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Member

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​​Dietra Cummings is a native New Orleanian, with 4 years of legal experience.  Dietra has experience in transactional law, including management agreements, settlements and releases, indemnity agreements and waivers, breach of contract notices, cease and desist letters, responses to subpoenas, responses to regulatory (compliance) inquiries, general correspondence, and other duties as assigned.  Dietra has significant experience in gaming and entertainment law, specifically, casinos, hotels and racetracks.  She also has extensive experience in e-discovery related to pharmaceutical/medical device and personal injury mass tort litigation.

​Dietra is the former law clerk for Justice Greg Guidry, Louisiana Supreme Court, New Orleans, Louisiana.  She has also held clerkships with the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, New Orleans and Judge Patrick McKay, Superior Court-Third Judicial District, Anchorage, Alaska.

​Dietra is an alumni of Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where she graduated cum laude with Certificates in Environmental Law and International Legal Studies. She is a distinguished alumni of the Loyola Law Review.  Dietra has received the Law Excellence Awards in Environmental Law Seminar: Coastal Law and Evidence, where she achieved the highest grade in both courses.  Dietra is also an alumni of  the Alaska Native and Environmental Law Program (sponsored by the Seattle University School of Law); the Cuernavaca, Mexico Summer Legal Studies Program; and the Vienna, Austria Summer Legal Studies Program where she studied European Union law.

Dietra is a former Member of the Board of Directors of CBNO/MAC, and is a graduate of the Bryan Bell Leadership Forum sponsored by the CBNO/MAC.

Jade Brown Russell 

Principal

Experience Collaboration.

The JBR Firm

The JBR Team.

Small Firm, Big Team.

By bringing together professionals with different bases of expertise, our collaborative approach to serving clients has the potential to develop more innovative outcomes that are customized to the specific needs of the client, thereby increasing satisfaction and repeat business. Moreover, our strategic alliances and collaborators provide a distinct expertise and knowledge that form innovative solutions to service our clients.

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We offer the best lawyers and advisors in the business, hands down. We pride ourselves in maintaining a small-firm feel by treating each project with care and consideration. We’ve hand-picked a high-quality team of law professionals qualified to successfully resolve any legal or advisory matter. No issue is too big or too small. If you have a legal problem, our attorneys and strategic alliances can help you meet your business goals.

Dietra Cummings - Associate