Last Modified on Oct 07, 2026
Longman Jakuback is proud to share that our Of Counsel, James “Jim” Boren, received the 2026 Impact Award from Innocence & Justice Louisiana. The organization presented the honor at its 25th Anniversary Gala on September 19, 2026, at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans.
The award recognizes his decades of work advancing the innocence movement and helping free and exonerate the wrongly convicted. For a lawyer who has built his career defending the accused, the recognition fits.
What the 2026 Impact Award Recognizes
Innocence & Justice Louisiana, formerly Innocence Project New Orleans, created the Impact Award to mark its 25th anniversary. The organization gave it to people whose long service has advanced the innocence movement and helped free and exonerate its clients.
Boren earned the honor for his years on the organization’s Case Review Panel, the group that independently vets every post-conviction innocence case the organization takes on. For more than 20 years, that review has helped protect a rare record. The organization has freed or exonerated every post-conviction innocence client it has represented.
He shared the recognition with distinguished company. The other 2026 Impact Award went to Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, the attorneys who pioneered post-conviction DNA exoneration.
Five Decades Defending the Accused
Jim Boren has focused on criminal defense since the mid-1970s, handling complex state and federal cases in Louisiana and across the country. He has also taught at LSU Law School for nearly 20 years, leading courses on advanced litigation, capital punishment, and wrongful convictions.
His peers have recognized that work for years. He holds the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Justice Albert Tate, Jr. Award for lifetime achievement and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Champion of Justice Award. The 2026 Impact Award joins that list.
Congratulations from Our Firm
As Of Counsel, Boren brings this experience to the team at Longman Jakuback, working with our attorneys on complex cases and on our post-conviction relief work. His commitment to the wrongly convicted reflects the values that guide this firm.
We congratulate Jim on this well-earned honor, and we thank Innocence & Justice Louisiana for 25 years of work for the innocent and the unjustly sentenced. To reach our team, call 225-383-3644 or contact our firm today.
