LAKE CHARLES, January 29, 2007 - William K. Slate II, president and chief executive officer of the American Arbitration Association® (AAA), will present the AAA's Distinguished Public Service Award to Chris Landry, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, tomorrow, January 30, at 10 a.m., in the Police Jury meeting room located on the 1st floor of 1015 Pithon in Lake Charles. Calcasieu Parish is being awarded for the contribution of meeting space being used for the Louisiana Hurricane Mediation Program. Warren Byrd, executive counsel for the Louisiana Department of Insurance, will represent Commissioner Jim Donelon at the ceremony. The media is invited to attend.

Facility space of three rooms is being utilized by mediators, Lake Charles area insurance policyholders and insurance representatives. To date, 10,107 cases have been filed statewide with a settlement rate of 75 percent.

"We are delighted to recognize Calcasieu Parish for their assistance in securing mediation conference rooms for the Louisiana Hurricane Mediation Program," said William Slate. "The use of the parish's available space eliminated a significant challenge to the success of the program, enabling thousands of Louisiana residents to resolve their homeowners insurance disputes and begin to rebuild their lives."

Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon was the chief author of the Louisiana mediation program established in February 2006 for policyholders with disputed homeowners insurance claims following Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. The program was designed and continues to serve as a non-adversarial, non-binding alternative to litigation, to facilitate the resolution of homeowners insurance disputes as quickly and as fairly as possible.

As chief legal counsel for the Department of Insurance at the time, Commissioner Donelon said, "I investigated at length any and all additional initiatives that might have assisted our homeowners. I am very proud of what AAA's mediation program has accomplished for our policyholders and commend Calcasieu Parish for making

facilities available at a time when usable space was so difficult to find."

"The Police Jury is pleased to have provided meeting space to assist the AAA in resolving homeowners insurance disputes," said Chris Landry, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury. "This arrangement was critical to ensure speedy resolutions to cases and proved extremely beneficial to the citizens of Calcasieu Parish and the AAA."

About the American Arbitration Association

The global leader in conflict management since 1926, the American Arbitration Association is a not-for-profit, public service organization committed to the resolution of disputes through the use of arbitration, mediation, conciliation, negotiation, democratic elections and other voluntary procedures. In 2006, more than 137,000 cases were filed with the Association in a full range of matters including commercial, construction, labor, employment, insurance, international and claims program disputes. Through 29 offices in the United States, Ireland and Mexico, the AAA provides a forum for the hearing of disputes, rules and procedures and a roster of impartial experts to resolve cases. Find more information online at www.adr.org.