News Release

Zelma Murray Frederick Named 2023 Influential Woman in Business

March 28, 2023

McGlinchey is proud to announce that the Managing Member of the Baton Rouge office, Zelma Murray Frederick, is one of the nine women named to the 2023 Influential Women in Business list by the Baton Rouge Business Report. 

“Zelma is a tremendous leader in the firm and in our community,” said Michael Ferachi, McGlinchey’s Managing Member. “We are so proud, but not at all surprised, to see her recognized on the list of leaders who drive Baton Rouge forward. Her work impacts her clients, colleagues, and community in countless ways.”

In addition to serving as Managing Member for the Baton Rouge office, Zelma has also served since 2021 as Chair of McGlinchey’s Summer Associate program, a year-round program to identify, engage with, and recruit law students to work alongside attorneys in offices across McGlinchey’s 17 offices nationwide. In this role, Zelma supervises the efforts of the Recruiting department and various attorneys across the firm’s national footprint to recruit, employ, and mentor law students over the summer. 

“Baton Rouge is a special place and I’ve enjoyed being involved here, professionally and in community organizations that celebrate and capitalize on that,” Zelma said. “I am honored and humbled to be recognized among women I work alongside and look up to throughout the business, legal, and non-profit communities.”

Zelma is a Member in the Enterprise Litigation and Investigations practice group, where she focuses on construction law, complex commercial litigation, and collections disputes. She advises construction clients on front-end issues such as risk management and contract negotiations and aggressively litigates cases in state and federal court. In addition to counseling Fortune 500 corporations, Zelma also works with small startup and minority-owned businesses. Zelma has been named a Rising Star by Louisiana Super Layers every year since 2018.

A recognized leader in the community, Zelma is a past President of the Junior League of Baton Rouge, a graduate of both Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL)’s Leadership Louisiana and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC)’s Leadership BR Programs, and a Baton Rouge Business Report Forty Under 40 honoree. She serves on The Emerge Center’s board of directors and the advisory board for Our Lady of Mercy School.

The Baton Rouge Business Report began recognizing “Influential Women in Business” in 1994 to honor professional women in the Capital Region who have distinguished themselves in business or through government or nonprofit work. A panel of over 50 community and business leaders reviews nominations and selects the honorees. Previous winners include a Louisiana Supreme Court Justice, a First Lady of Louisiana, a Senator, and Chief Executive Officers. See this year’s list of honorees here.