Jones Walker Appoints Laura D’Angelo Co-Chief of Nationally Ranked Gaming Industry Team

Gaming and Equine Attorney Takes Reins from Industry Stalwart Tommy Shepherd

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Jones Walker LLP is happy to announce the agency has appointed Laura D’Angelo, a associate within the Lexington workplace, as co-leader of the Gaming Industry Team. Laura will serve alongside present co-leader Kelly Duncan, a associate within the New Orleans workplace. She succeeds associate and longtime co-leader Tommy Shepherd, who will proceed to apply within the agency’s Jackson workplace.

“We are thrilled Laura will join Kelly as a co-leader of our impressive Gaming Industry Team,” stated Bill Hines, the agency’s managing associate. “Her extensive equine and gaming law knowledge, together with Kelly’s globally recognized leadership in the field, will allow for further expansion of the team across state lines and overseas.”

Over the course of her profession, Laura has developed a big apply in horse racing, sport horses, gaming, and leisure legislation, serving to purchasers guarantee compliance with the advanced and infrequently overlapping state, federal, and tribal legal guidelines and laws that govern these distinctive industries. She routinely works with main gaming officers, legislators, and firms worldwide, and gives counsel to purchasers on acquisitions and gross sales, financing, state and federal regulation, state licensing of accounting wagering and sports activities betting corporations, and service-provider agreements. Laura has particular expertise in on-line betting and gaming operations, together with fantasy sports activities contests. She concurrently serves because the chief of the agency’s equine business crew.

The crew acquired recognition within the 2025 version of Chambers USA, incomes a nationwide rating within the Gaming & Licensing apply space. Additionally, crew members have acquired main particular person rankings. Kelly is nationally ranked for Gaming & Licensing and acknowledged within the Chambers Global Guide as one of many world’s main Gaming & Gambling attorneys. Tommy additionally acquired nationwide recognition within the space of Gaming & Licensing.

Team members stay influential leaders all through the business. Laura served as chairperson for the University of Kentucky National Conference of Equine Law for six years. Kelly beforehand served as president of the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL), and Marc Dunbar, a associate and head of the Tallahassee workplace, is at present serving as IMGL’s president. During his tenure as crew co-leader, Tommy additionally served as president of the International Association of Gaming Advisors.

The crew, one of many largest gaming practices within the southeastern United States, gives full-spectrum authorized counsel and illustration for purchasers with gaming-related pursuits and wishes. The crew represents all members within the business, together with casinos, tribes, product producers and suppliers, pari-mutuels, lottery distributors, sweepstakes, and charities in addition to different events — equivalent to buyers, lenders, and distributors — which have gaming-related pursuits.

About Jones Walker
Jones Walker LLP (joneswalker.com) is among the many largest 140 legislation corporations within the United States. With places of work in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, and Texas, we serve native, regional, nationwide, and worldwide enterprise pursuits. The agency is dedicated to offering a complete vary of authorized companies to main multinational private and non-private companies, Fortune® 500 corporations, cash heart banks, worldwide insurers, and rising corporations doing enterprise within the United States and overseas.

Contact:
Ryan Evans
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SOURCE Jones Walker LLP