The Voice of Southwest Louisiana

SWLA
James Sudduth, III: Visionary
with a
SWLA
Pictured L-R: M. Scott Ogden, Jr. (Associate Attorney), James E. Sudduth, III (Managing Partner)
and Ryan D. Smith (Office Administrator)
By Trina Morgan
James Sudduth loves Lake Charles.
And not just because his family history is
here. He is passionate about the vision he
sees for Lake Charles as a place for young
people to grow.
But he has more than a vision. He has a
plan.
Three years ago, just out of law school,
James Sudduth, III, the grandson of former
Lake Charles mayor Jim Sudduth, returned
from Baton Rouge to hang out his shingle.
Most of his classmates were headed out to
Houston or New Orleans or Washington,
but James purchased a property
on Pithon Street, just down from
the courthouse, and spent his
first two years as a practicing
lawyer researching and organizing
a business plan for Sudduth &
Associates. He has already begun
construction of the new offices and
says he expects that, within a few
years, the building will be filled with
lawyers, paralegals, and clerks. He
has one other lawyer in his office
already. “Young, hungry, and willing
to learn” are the required qualities
for working at Sudduth & Associates.
James feels that, outside of medicine, the
legal profession is the only field that can
really help people in need. He says he
wanted to do more than to provide a service;
he wanted to truly help people. He says a
lawyer can make a difference in the world. In
fact, he says, the legal profession can change
the world, as has been demonstrated by
cases such as Brown vs. Board of Education
of Topeka which ended racial segregation in
public schools.
James is doing more than talking; he is
living his philosophy. One of his cases is
at the Federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
Plan
in New Orleans, Louisiana. He took the
case when no one else would, because he
believed his client was right.
James says that at the present time, Lake
Charles can be a quiet place for young
professionals, and he believes that the
growth of the area will bring more young
people in. He feels that the timing is perfect
for his dream to come to life. He listens to
his former classmates gush about their fancy
offices and lavish vacations and reminds
himself that the work he is doing now to
build a future for himself and the company
will lead to the fulfillment of his vision
of Lake Charles as a place with a strong
community of young people growing toward
their dreams.
James E. Sudduth, III, Esq.
SUDDUTH & ASSOCIATES, L.L.C.
1109 Pithon Street
Lake Charles, Louisiana 70601
Phone: 337 480-0101. (main)
Email: JAMES@SAA.LEGAL
By Kay Andrews
My papa, George Washington Hall, was a
kind and gentle man who loved working
the land. Papa grew vegetables, raised
hogs and cows that provided the food
on the table for his family of five girls and
four boys.
My dad, Javey Thomas Hall, was much
like his dad, kind and gentle and he
too provided for his family, four girls;
not in the sense that Papa did, with the
animals, but he enjoyed planting and
harvesting his gardens. My sisters and I
were not quite as thrilled when we were
encouraged to assist with the harvesting
of said gardens. Of course, we did not
hesitate to consume the fruits of the
harvest prepared by our mom.
Dad was as involved in our upbringing
as was our mother. It was not unusual
for dad to assist with our baths, cooking,
cleaning and in whatever capacity
needed. Some things I remember are the
chickens he had from which we gathered
eggs and had fried chicken on occasion.
Rabbits were also a regular fare in the
wintertime. But my dad's passion was
fishing.
Making cornmeal dough for bait, tying
lures, getting fishing poles and rods
ready are some of my first memories
of the many times we went fishing at a
lake. We all went, mom and us four girls.
Skinning catfish on the side of the garage
is a visual that comes easily as I stood
alongside dad many times and watched.
He could fillet even the smallest of fish,
and they were all keepers, he rarely
threw one back, I think dad invented fish
nuggets. Flounder gigging at Holden
Beach, NC was another favorite activity.
Dad didn't just catch fish, he loved
to cook them as well. Catfish, bream,
trout, and flounder he cooked them
all. Lining up his deep fryers to
accommodate the filleted, battered
fish and homemade hushpuppies,
daddy fried the platter full. Add
some homemade coleslaw; it just
doesn't get any better than that.
Daddy had his own special recipe for
hushpuppies and always used House
of Autry Seafood Breader.
We all have memories of our dads,
and those memories vary as much
as we vary as individuals. Whatever
your memories,
the fact that
dads are dads
is something in
itself. Reality tells
us that all dads
make choices,
some better than
others but dads
nonetheless.
Javey Thomas Hall showing off his catch.
Happy
Father's
Day
to all dads
everywhere!
JUNE 2016 WWW.THEVOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM Volume 3 • Number 11 Volume 3 • Number 11 WWW.THEVOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM JUNE 2016