Liskow & Lewis is pleased to congratulate Cherrell Simms Taplin for being selected to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Women of the Year Class of 2020.
For the past eighteen years, Cherrell has served the legal industry and community alike. Her experiences in all facets of litigation have shaped her career and motivate her to encourage young professionals to strive to make a difference in their careers and community.
Cherrell is a litigator who assists commercial clients, non-profit organizations, and major oil and gas companies in all areas of litigation, including mass tort and environmental actions. As a member of the firm’s diversity and recruiting committees, Cherrell is devoted to increasing diversity & inclusion in the legal profession. She is also the diversity partner for one of the firm’s national oil and gas clients, and in this role, she identifies opportunities for the firm to partner with its clients on diversity and inclusion initiatives. Prior to joining the firm, Cherrell was the first African-American woman partner at a major law firm in New Orleans, served as judge pro tempore in state court, and served as the Senior Chief Deputy City Attorney for the City of New Orleans.
Cherrell contributes to the community in a variety of ways including her service to professional organizations, and she is dedicated to her volunteer work. Always eager to volunteer her time to talk to students, she organized a program for minority high-school students to engage with alumni lawyers and judges from their schools as a part of the National Bar Association’s effort to enhance the pipeline of diverse students for opportunities in the legal profession. She is an advocate for increased diversity within businesses and law firms and has been instrumental in introducing various firm diversity initiatives and seeing them through. She recently spoke to women from the Greater New Orleans area at the firm’s Annual Ladies’ Luncheon on the pros and cons of using social media in business.
Among her many accolades, Cherrell was recently selected to join The National Black Lawyers’ Top 100, an organization dedicated to recognizing African American legal excellence including both plaintiff and defense attorneys in all practice areas. She has also been recognized for her practice by Super Lawyers Magazine and her alma mater, Loyola University as she was recognized as the 2009 Black Law Students Association Distinguished Alumni Award.
Started in 1999, Women of the Year recognizes 50 women from the area whose successes in business and contributions to the community have made them movers and shakers in the region. Honorees are innovative leaders who are making waves with their energy, ideas, achievements and commitment to excellence in the area. Honorees are selected based on business and community involvement and achievement that have set the pace for the overall community.