Joseph S. Schwertz Jr

Joseph S. Schwertz Jr rejoined the Firm as of counsel in July 2021.   His practice focuses on bank regulatory, lending, and payments matters, corporate law including public company corporate governance, contract matters and general business law.  

Mr. Schwertz’s experience includes advising clients as a corporate, securities and M&A partner at a large law firm, which he left in 1990 to lead a newly formed legal department of a midsize bank for more than 20 years until the bank’s acquisition in 2011. He joined his former law firm partners at Carver Darden in 2012 as of counsel. In late 2014, Mr. Schwertz accepted an offer from the acquiror of his former bank to serve as the Chief Risk Officer of the much larger merged bank, a position he then held for five years. During 2020-2021, his bank (Hancock Whitney Bank) sponsored his service to the Midsize Bank Coalition of America (MBCA) as an executive on loan.   Although Mr. Schwertz retired from Hancock Whitney Bank in June 2021 he remains an advisor to the MBCA.

Mr. Schwertz graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a J.D. with Honors as well as a M.B.A. While at UNC, he served as Editor in Chief of the North Carolina Journal of International Law. He also earned a B.S. in Economics from the University of New Orleans. Mr. Schwertz is admitted to the state bars of Louisiana, Florida and Texas.  He and his wife, who have two adult sons, live in the New Orleans area.