Richard Ieyoub is a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana and was educated in the Catholic and public schools of that city. He received his B.A. degree in history from McNeese State University.  He entered Louisiana State University Law School in 1969 and obtained his Juris Doctorate degree in 1972.  While in law school, he was elected vice president of the student bar association and served as the secretary of the moot court board which consisted of students with the highest grades in trial and appellate advocacy.

After being admitted to the bar in October of 1972, he served as a prosecutor in the criminal division of the State Attorney General’s Office.  In this position he prosecuted criminal cases and represented the state as appellate counsel in appeals taken by convicted felons to the Louisiana Supreme Court. 

In 1975, he left the Attorney General’s Office and returned to Lake Charles and entered into the private practice of law.  During his nine years in private practice he tried both civil and criminal cases. 

In 1984, he was elected District Attorney of Calcasieu Parish.  In 1990, he was re-elected District Attorney without opposition.  During his tenure as District Attorney of Calcasieu Parish, he served as president of the Louisiana District Attorney’s Association.  He also served as president of the National District Attorney’s Association, and as leader of that association, he was instrumental in helping the administration of President George Herbert Walker Bush pass the Crime Bill of 1991.  This Legislation provided much needed funding for law enforcement agencies throughout the nation and allowed for the hiring of one hundred thousand additional police officers to assist in the fight against crime.  For his work on the Crime Bill of 1991, President George H.W. Bush publicly recognized Mr. Ieyoub as an “All American Hero.”  President Bush also appointed Mr. Ieyoub to serve as a member of the National Commission on Model State Drug Laws.  The commission was charged with the responsibility of developing and preparing model state legislation to prevent the illegal use and distribution of drugs. 

In 1991, he was elected to his first term as Attorney General of the State of Louisiana.  In this election he received the highest vote total any candidate has ever received in the State, more than 1.1 million votes.  He was re-elected to a second term in 1995, once again obtaining over 1 million votes.  No other candidate in the history of the state has ever obtained over 1 million votes twice.  He was re-elected to his third term without opposition in 1999.  During his three terms as Attorney General, he made improving the quality of life for the citizens of Louisiana a top priority by fighting crime and standing up for children and families.  He is responsible for launching highly successful programs including “Operation Safe Keep,” a program to prevent elderly abuse, tough “career criminals” prosecution programs, state-wide campaigns to curb drunk driving, and he lead the fight for safer schools through the development of “Operation Safe Haven,” which resulted in Louisiana’s first comprehensive school safety plan.  He was also responsible for launching the “You Drink, You Drive, You Walk” program which was designed to prevent under-age drinking throughout the state.  This program was eventually chosen as one of the 23 best programs in the United States by the U.S. Commission on Highway Safety. 

While serving as Attorney General, Mr. Ieyoub personally argued more cases before the United States Supreme Court than any other sitting Attorney General.  As a criminal defense lawyer in private practice, he argued numerous criminal cases before the Louisiana Supreme Court.  He also argued before the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal and the United States Supreme Court. 

Attorney General Ieyoub successfully concluded the state’s lawsuit against Texaco for failure to pay the State oil royalties for the lease of state lands.  The settlement of this case resulted in the payment of two hundred fifty million dollars by Texaco to the State of Louisiana.  Texaco also agreed to initiate certain business practices which significantly  increased the amount of oil exploration on state lands and the number of oil related jobs for Louisiana citizens. 

Attorney General Ieyoub also lead Louisiana’s lawsuit against the tobacco companies to recover monies expended by the state Medicaid program for the treatment of smoking related diseases.  Louisiana received 4.6 billion dollars in the settlement of this case and the tobacco companies were forced to cease and desist in the use of cigarette advertisements specifically geared to appeal to minors.  

As a result of Hurricane Katrina, the infrastructure of the Orleans Parish Criminal Justice System was completely destroyed.  New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin appointed Mr. Ieyoub to serve as his representative on a task force which worked with federal agencies to rebuild court rooms, jails, and other criminal justice facilities.  Additionally, the task force made recommendations for improving the administration of criminal justice in Orleans Parish. 

After leaving office in January of 2004, Mr. Ieyoub entered the private practice of law in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  His practice areas include civil and criminal litigation and appellate practice, governmental relations, strategic business developments, negotiations and dispute resolutions.  He joined the law firm of Hymel Davis & Petersen in September of 2010.