Burns Charest is proud to announce that Partner Rick Yelton and Associate Jayde Encalade have been named finalists for the Public Justice 2025 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. Rick and Jayde have been nominated alongside Lee J. Rohn and Rhea R. Lawrence of Lee J. Rohn & Associates, LLC for their combined efforts in the Red Dust Claims case.

The settlement reached in the Red Dust Claims case concluded a twenty-seven-year legal battle against the alumina refinery on St. Croix for the negligent storage and release of red mud during Hurricane Georges in 1998. This landmark resolution secured significant recoveries for thousands of St. Croix residents who were affected by the contamination.

“After decades of legal battles, seeing justice served for the St. Croix community and having that work recognized reinforces the importance of the work that we do at Burns Charest,” says Ms. Encalade. “This recognition belongs as much to our clients, whose perseverance during this long legal battle made this settlement possible.”

The Trial Lawyer of the Year Award recognizes attorneys who have made significant contributions to the public interest by trying or settling precedent-setting, socially significant cases. This year’s award will be presented at Public Justice's 43rd Annual Gala & Awards Presentation on Monday, July 21, 2025 in San Francisco.