Edwin F. Hunter III graduated with honors from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2001 and then graduated cum laude from Tulane University School of Law in 2004. Through the years, Mr. Hunter has served on the board of directors for dozens of clients and has been the chairman of the board of directors for multiple entities including both federal and state licensed multiple location work-release programs. For many years, Mr. Hunter has served as the compliance officer (or such similar position) for various Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, and Texas-based hospitals as well as for brick-and-mortar gaming operations and gaming management software companies. 

A seasoned corporate and transactional attorney who has closed over four billion dollars in commercial transactions, Mr. Hunter has been lead counsel on a broad spectrum of matters including eight to nine-figure closings in both strategic and private equity-backed mergers and acquisitions, private placements, debt workouts, and/or commercial restructuring in spaces such as:

• gaming (brick and mortar - both Class II and Class III/slot development, manufacturing and distribution - both Class II and Class III/server based gaming/casino management systems/cashless processing systems)
• healthcare (nursing home/LTACH/behavioral/pharmacy/billing)
• transportation (airline/barge/tug/trucking/dredging)
• automotive (new and used dealerships/repair-shops/body-shops)
• communication (rooftop, cable-supported, free-standing, and monopole base stations across six states)
• biotechnology
• construction supply
• staffing
• hospitality
• refining and refining service or products providers 

He has negotiated, drafted, and implemented dozens of program-related investments in the technology and research sector – some of which have ultimately resulted in treatments or cures for hitherto dread diseases - and regularly works with institutions such as Tulane University, Louisiana State University, and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Though rarely handling litigation personally, Mr. Hunter has interviewed, consulted with and supervised lawyers from dozens of firms around the United States, Mexico, Belize, Great Britain, and Hong Kong in opportunities or disputes for his clients in a wide range of complex commercial matters.

On a personal level, Mr. Hunter was president of the Jennings Rotary Club in 2006 and was an observer to the Louisiana State Law Institute in 2009 and then a full voting member to that prestigious organization in 2010 and 2011 as one of the two representatives of the Louisiana Young Lawyers Association.

Mr. Hunter served as a director of the South West Louisiana Community Foundation from 2005-2013 and spearheaded that organization’s merger into BRAF while also serving as Chair of the Foundation’s CLE program for attorneys and certified public accountants for three of those years. Mr. Hunter has served on numerous committees and boards for the Louisiana Bar Foundation over the years and currently oversees Pro Bono Project grant requests from the Shreveport MSA, Lake Charles MSA, and Lafayette MSA. 

Mr. Hunter was adjunct faculty at McNeese State University for upper-level accounting and commercial law courses from 2018-2021.

Mr. Hunter proudly dedicates a significant portion of his vocational time to working with private foundations, private operating foundations, and community foundations on their charitable programming.

History

Curriculum Vita

Education. Edwin K. Hunter enrolled in Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1961. While there, he wrote a weekly opinion column for The Daily Reveille, the school’s newspaper, received recognition as the Outstanding LSU Debater in each of the three years he competed, served on the first Program Council of the LSU Student Union, created the LSU Free Speech Ally which endured for more than fifty years and joined with two of his friends to form the first chapters of the Young Republicans and the Young Americans for Freedom in Louisiana. He belonged to Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies and became a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity.

At LSU law school, he was an editor of issue 26 of The Louisiana Law Review, contributed an article analyzing the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and a note on Muhammad Ali’s ultimately successful claim as a conscientious objector. He had the pleasure of meeting Ali years later who he found witty and exceptionally bright although then suffering from neurological issues.

During the Summer of 1966, Edwin interned with Sub-Committee Five of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. In 1967, he received a Juris Doctor degree from the law school and graduated as a member of the Order of the Coif.

Public Service. Louisiana Governor John McKeithen created a task force to explore and implement public broadcasting, appointing Edwin to this body. Based on the report and recommendation of the task force, the Louisiana legislature established the Louisiana Educational Television Authority in 1970 which, apart from creating original material operates six Louisiana Public Broadcasting stations in the state.

Governor McKeithen appointed him to this board and Governor Edwin Edwards reappointed him. Governor Edwards also tasked Edwin to find a prominent business leader to assume the role of Louisiana Commissioner of Indian Affairs (later the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs and now the Native American Commission). David Garrison, Jr. accepted this office and the Governor appointed Edwin as Council for the Commissioner. Garrison using his personal resources successfully restored Federal status to the Coushatta tribe in Southwest Louisiana, an essential step for that tribe’s gaming activities.

Military Service. Edwin joined the Louisiana Army National Guard while in law school, serving initially as a military policeman and subsequently as an aid to the Adjutant. After graduating, he joined the United States Navy Reserve as a law (JAG) officer. He held the rank of Lieutenant Senior Grade when he was assigned to the inactive reserves.

Bar, Institutes, and Publications. Edwin is currently a member of the Texas and Louisiana Bar Associations. At the suggestion of Professor A. N. Yiannopoulos, Edwin was appointed with Judge Alvin Rubin and Max Nathan as advisors to the Louisiana Civil Code project the professor had undertaken for the Louisiana Law Institute.

Edwin was among the first Louisiana lawyers to be recognized as a certified specialist in tax law by the Louisiana Bar Association. He also served as Chairman of the LBA Section on Taxation, and a member of the Tax Specialization Committee charged with certifying candidates for this designation.

With Professor Thom Harrell, then director of the Louisiana Mineral Law Institute, he conducted a series of classes in Texas for in-house lawyers and landmen associated with exploration and production. Edwin has made numerous continuing legal and professional education presentations in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Utah, California, and Hawaii. He has published articles on the Louisiana Mineral Code, the Louisiana Civil Code, trust law, valuation of assets for spouses, Chapter 42 of the United States Internal Revenue Code, tax-exempt organizations, split-interest trusts, asset protection, and other matters in the field of estate planning. Edwin chaired, and made presentations, for many years at the Private Foundation Trustee Tax Conference at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Philanthropy. Edwin led a Boy Scouts of America Sea Explorer Troop, enlisting the assistance of fellow Navy reservists in the 1970s. He served on the first board and drafted the initial documentation for the Southwest Louisiana Community Foundation and the Calcasieu Community Clinic.

He is currently a trustee of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and is also a trustee of the LSU Health Foundation based out of New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a member of the governing body of numerous other charitable organizations and is the founder of the ENA Fellowship Program. His major interests include biomedical research and encouraging women to pursue careers in mathematics, science, and engineering.

Almost all of Edwin's current vocational time is dedicated to furthering charitable objectives and assiting private foundations, private operating foundations, and research institutions.

History