Family members continue legacy
For 100 years, Sidney E. Cook Jr.’s family has represented Shreveport-Bossier City as one the region’s most reputable law firms, Cook, Yancey, King and Galloway.
Cook is a third generation at the practice. The firm now has 33-members.
The firm was founded in 1914 by Sidney M. Cook and Frank M. Cook, his great uncles.
After graduation from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Sidney embarked upon a brief career as an English teacher, eventually becoming the superintendent of city schools in Baton Rouge. He decided to become a lawyer and used his savings from teaching to go to the University of Michigan Law School.
After his brother Frank finished law school, the firm Cook & Cook was formed.
Sidney E. Cook, Cook’s father, graduated from LSU Law School in 1950. He practiced with the firm from 1950 until his death in 1989.
Cook’s practice principally involves tort litigation, construction litigation and products liability litigation. He represents numerous energy and transportation companies. In the energy arena, he advises in contractual disputes of oil and gas partners and handles both injury and casualty on oil sites and rigs.
Cook was named the Best Lawyers’ 2013 Shreveport Product Liability Litigation – Defendants “Lawyer of the Year.” He is also listed in Best Lawyers in America and by SuperLawyers as having attained a “high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement in the areas of Personal Injury Defense: Products, and Personal Injury Defense: Insurance Coverage.” He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
The Forum caught up with Cook to ask him a few questions about his practice and Shreveport:
Q: Why did you choose law as a career?
Cook: While in high school and again in college, I had the opportunity to watch my father try several jury trials in subjects ranging from medical malpractice to a case involving a dispute between the heirs of H.L. Hunt (political activist) in which billions of dollars were at stake. I admired his ability to take very complex subjects and distill them down into simple and persuasive arguments. I saw the good that he was able to do both with his clients and within the community and thought that I would enjoy a career in law.
Q: How long have you been with the firm?
Cook: I have been with the firm since September of 1982, having graduated from LSU Law School in May of 1982.
Q: What made your uncles decide to open their practice in Shreveport?
Cook: That’s a great question. I wish I knew what inspired an English teacher to become a lawyer. I can understand that he would want to partner with his older brother, Frank M. Cook, in the practice of law. I guess he decided that Shreveport was the best opportunity for advancement. Several of his friends were prominent within the banking community, and as a result he came to represent Commercial National Bank, the firm’s first major client.
Q: Why do you continue practicing law in Shreveport?
Cook: From an economic standpoint, I continue to believe in Shreveport-Bossier City and this region. In the past few years, we have seen substantial economic growth in the region generally and with our clients in particular. With that growth comes the need for more legal services.
From a professionalism standpoint, I don’t think you could ask for a better place to practice law. I still consider the Shreveport-Bossier City bar to be a relatively small group in which I either know the other lawyer or can find out about him or her with relative ease. Seldom have I had difficulty with another local lawyer, which makes Shreveport- Bossier City a great place to practice law.
Q: What do you believe has been the firm’s biggest achievement in its 100 years?
A: Our biggest achievement, I believe, is being graced with repeat business from good clients who have a choice about who to hire.
Many clients have been using Cook Yancey for 10-, 20-, 30-plus years, and that really is gratifying. The loyalty of our clients reflects our ability to work in many areas of practice, to weather the economy’s ups and downs, and to adapt to new practices when it makes sense. We are glad to be here, and we look forward to the next 100.
–Derick Jones
