James Ortego is Executive Director of The Southwest Louisiana Law Center (previously named Southwest Louisiana Legal Services), a not for profit law firm and United Way Agency, in Lake Charles. He holds law degrees from Tulane (J.D. 1969) and Toronto (LL.M. 1972). He has been a law professor in the United States and Canada, a Visiting Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School and a Visiting Law Professor at the LSU Law Center. He has served for 16 years on the Council of the LSBA's Family Law Section, including 2 years as Chair. He has served on the Louisiana Legislative Committee on Revision of Child Support Guidelines and its Task Force on Artificial Insemination and Reproductive Technologies. He is a Board Certified Family Lawyer and a member of the Family Law Advisory Commission. He is a charter member of the LSBA's Access to Justice Committee. He has received numerous awards for his efforts to make the legal system available to everyone, including the LSBA Pro Bono Award (1994).
