Alum. Hon. Darrel Papillion to Deliver LSUE Commencement Speech

EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice is proud to announce that the Honorable Darrel J. Papillion will deliver the keynote speech at LSU Eunice’s Fall Commencement on Friday, December 15 inside the HPRE Center on the LSUE campus.  The fall graduation ceremony is set to begin at 10:00AM.

Judge Papillion currently serves as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District in Louisiana.  He was confirmed by the United States Senate earlier this year after receiving the judicial nomination from President Joe Biden.

A native of Swords just outside of Eunice, Judge Papillion is an alum of LSU Eunice where he served as Student Government Association President.  He would go on to graduate from LSU’s main campus in Baton Rouge in 1990 and receive his law degree from LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1994.

“We are honored to have Judge Papillion speak to our fall graduates as he is proof what you can achieve after your time at LSU Eunice,” LSU Eunice Chancellor Dr. Nancee Sorenson said.

A trial lawyer before his appointment to the district bench in New Orleans, Papillion practiced with McGlinchey Stafford, a large regional firm headquartered in New Orleans, before joining the law firm of Moore, Walters & Thompson in 1999 which would eventually become Walters, Papillion, Thomas, Cullens, LLC.  Before that, he began his legal career as a law clerk for Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Catherine D. Kimball.

During his legal career, Judge Papillion has taught classes at Southern University Law Center, LSU Law Center, and NITA’s Trial Advocacy Program.  He was also the 2016-2017 President of the Louisiana State Bar Association and a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.