About Jay M. Jalenak
Jay M. Jalenak Jr. graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in 1987 and earned his J.D. from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in 1990. Those years laid the groundwork for a long career in Louisiana’s legal community. He entered the profession at a time when the state’s courts and local legal institutions were changing, and he has remained an active participant ever since.
He is a partner at Kean Miller LLP in Baton Rouge. Over the years he has taken on roles inside and outside the firm that reflect steady involvement in the bar and civic life of the capital region. His practice is conducted in Louisiana; he is a member of the Louisiana State Bar and the American Bar Association.
His work in bar organizations is extensive. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Baton Rouge Bar Association and held officer roles there as treasurer and secretary. He chaired the Bar’s Bench Bar Conference Committee and led its Legal Directory Committee. He also sits in the House of Delegates of the Louisiana State Bar Association. Those positions have kept him involved in the administration and programming of local and statewide legal institutions.
Outside the bar, Jalenak has been active in civic and community groups. He serves as president of the Capital City Kiwanis Club and is a member of the Garden District Civic Association and the Double Century Club. He has taken leadership roles with cultural and charitable organizations, including the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, where he has been board chair, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge. He has been on the board of B'nai Israel Synagogue and has chaired local United Way committees focused on community planning and youth development.
His professional memberships include the Baton Rouge Bar Association, the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel and the Wex S. Malone American Inn of Court. He has volunteered for the Baton Rouge Bar Association’s Pro Bono Project and has participated in community-facing programs such as the YMCA Week Without Violence advisory committee. He also served on the Fest for All executive steering committee in the mid-2000s.
Colleagues describe Jalenak as a long-standing figure in Baton Rouge legal circles who balances firm responsibilities with broad civic involvement. He currently practices at Kean Miller LLP, representing clients and handling matters in Louisiana courts and administrative forums.
