Chaffe McCall is saddened to announce the passing of our colleague and mentor, Judge Terry Q. Alarcon

Terry Q. Alarcon, July 6, 1948 – April 3, 2021

Judge Terry Alarcon was a towering figure in Louisiana legal circles, with 15 years of service as a judge of Criminal District Court in Orleans Parish, in addition to his career achievements as a Municipal Court judge, Assistant District Attorney, and aide to a mayor and a sheriff.  After retiring from the bench in January 2012, Alarcon joined Chaffe McCall’s New Orleans office.  He was a wise and trusted mentor and a true friend.  In all that he did, by his own example, he inspired us to be the best possible version of ourselves. He never denied a request for help. His generosity was boundless, and his guidance was unassailable.  His quick wit and gift for conversation brightened all our lives.

In so many respects, Judge Alarcon was one-of-a-kind, and his enormous contributions—to our firm and to us as individuals—will be greatly missed.  We join so many others in offering our most sincere condolences to his family.

About Terry Q. Alarcon

Born in New Orleans on July 6, 1948, Terry Quentin Alarcon graduated from St. Aloysius High School in 1966.  He attended Spring Hill College in Mobile where he received a B.S. in 1970. He earned a master’s degree in social work at the University of Alabama in 1974 and then received his law degree from Loyola University. He was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1979.

Throughout law school, Alarcon worked as executive assistant to Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff Charles Foti and Orleans Parish District Attorney Harry Connick. Upon graduation, he served as an assistant district attorney, a post he held until 1983.  In addition to his service as a prosecutor in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes, he worked as executive counsel and chief of staff to former New Orleans Mayor Sidney Barthelemy.

Alarcon served as a judge of Traffic Court in New Orleans before his election to Orleans Parish Criminal District Court in 1996.  He was re-elected without opposition in 2008 and was appointed as Chief Judge of the Court until he retired from the bench in 2012 after 15 years of judicial service.

In 2012, Alarcon joined Chaffe McCall as Of Counsel to the firm in New Orleans, where he served for years as a trusted counselor and advisor to corporations, senior corporate executives, and public officials in a wide range of internal investigations, compliance reviews, and government investigations and enforcement actions.

Alarcon was the recipient of numerous honors and distinctions throughout his life and career.  His calm personality, genuine warmth, and brilliant legal mind made him an exceptional lawyer, judge, and person. He was a friend and mentor to many at Chaffe McCall, where he left an indelible mark on generations of lawyers and staff members. His gentle demeanor, sense of humor, sharp intellect, and true goodness will be missed by all who knew him.