Fishman Haygood Marks 30th Anniversary with Launch of Employee Charitable Giving Program

Fishman Haygood, LLP today announced the launch of its Employee Charitable Giving Program with two $30,000 donations awarded to Ubuntu Village, a New Orleans-based nonprofit addressing violence, economic immobility, and systemic inequity, and Line4Line, a creative literacy nonprofit in Baton Rouge. The firm’s inaugural giving cycle is held in conjunction with Fishman Haygood’s 30th anniversary this month, with one gift celebrating the firm’s first 30 years and one made in anticipation of the next three decades.

A program built on firm values

Established by Fishman Haygood’s Board of Directors, the Employee Charitable Giving Program reflects the firm’s value of Commitment by investing in the communities where its attorneys and staff live and work. This year’s theme, creativity in service, also honors the firm’s value of Creativity, directing support to organizations that take new or innovative approaches to reach the people who need them most.

The program is purposely designed to encourage employee engagement and foster civic participation. Recipients were selected through a process open to the entire firm: Employees nominated eligible charitable organizations, the Giving Program Selection Committee determined the top finalists, and nearly the entire firm cast votes. The winning organizations’ nominators will follow up with recipients later in the year and provide an update to the firm.

Going forward, the program will continue to run on an annual giving cycle with an allotted pool of funds and designated themes aimed at addressing the unique needs of our communities.

“This program is a true expression of who we are as a firm,” said Lori Mince, Partner and Board Member. “We are elated by how many of our team members engaged with this process: identifying and nominating organizations, making the case for them, and voting. This response, directed toward the communities where we live and work, is proof that our values aren’t just words. The organizations our employees chose embody Creativity in everything they do.”

Ubuntu Village: Environmental Audit Project

Ubuntu Village is a Black-led, multiracial community nonprofit that mediates neighborhood conflicts, offers alternatives to incarceration, and directly supports families navigating the legal system. Its Environmental Audit Project deploys community violence interrupters to conduct block-level audits across New Orleans neighborhoods, documenting infrastructure and maintenance conditions, and working to facilitate repairs. A $30,000 grant will allow Ubuntu Village to expand this work into additional communities, giving residents a direct role in improving safety and economic conditions where they live.

Line4Line: Building Readers Program

Line4Line began in 2016 with barbers volunteering time to give young men a free haircut in exchange for reading a book aloud. The organization has since expanded into schools and community spaces across Baton Rouge. Its Building Readers program strengthens literacy, communication skills, and attitudes around reading for young people using a creative exchange to build lifelong habits. The $30,000 grant will also support Line4Line’s high school barbering program and youth mentoring initiatives.

“Both of these organizations are doing the kind of work that makes a measurable difference in people’s lives — in New Orleans and Baton Rouge,” said John Bel Edwards, Partner and Board Member. “Fishman Haygood has deep roots in Louisiana, and this program is a natural extension of what that means. Supporting communities that are building literacy, safety, and economic opportunity is not a departure from the firm’s mission. It reflects exactly the kind of long-term investment that defines us.”

Thirty years, and the work ahead

Founded in New Orleans in July 1996, Fishman Haygood is a litigation and transactional firm built for complex, high-stakes work. Lean by design and intentional about the matters it takes on, the firm has spent three decades building long-term relationships with clients who need trusted advisers — attorneys who identify what matters quickly, communicate clearly, and move forward with purpose. The firm’s Baton Rouge office opened in 2015.

Fishman Haygood presented both gifts in person in June. As it enters its next 30 years, the firm remains committed to investing in future generations of leaders and deepening its roots in the Gulf South and beyond.

“Thirty years is a milestone worth marking with intention,” said Partner and Board Chairperson Jim Swanson. “Ubuntu Village and Line4Line are doing work that matters in communities we care deeply about, and we are proud to invest in what they are building.”