Marcus Brown
Executive Legal Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer
Entergy Corporation

Marcus Brown is Executive Legal Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer at Entergy Corporation**, where he provides counsel and strategic advice on specific corporate initiatives.

Prior to this role, Marcus served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Entergy from 2013 through 2025, where he oversaw the legal, ethics and compliance, corporate communications, external affairs, and corporate security and governance groups.

Under his leadership, Entergy’s legal department significantly increased its pro bono commitments. Marcus launched an initiative in 2012 that led company lawyers and paralegals to provide more than 22,000 hours of pro bono services by the end of 2024. In 2018, Entergy furthered this commitment by appointing its first full-time, in-house counsel role dedicated to pro bono legal assistance — among the first for Fortune 500 companies. This dedication earned the department several notable recognitions, including the Pro Bono Institute (PBI) 2025 Laurie D. Zelon Pro Bono Award.  Before joining Entergy in 1995, Marcus practiced with the New Orleans-based law firm, Stone Pigman.

He has also led several key initiatives in support of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) located in the Entergy service territory. Some examples include, in 2024, The Power of Prosperity, a 10-year $20M commitment to support HBCUs through academic scholarships, facility grants, internships and wealth creation education and in 2018 a $2M Engineering Education commitment to Southern University.  

Marcus currently serves on the boards of Tulane University, where he is a member of the Audit and Finance Committees, and Energy Insurance Mutual Limited, where he is the immediate past Chair of the Board. He also served as Chair of the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee for Super Bowl 59, leading complex, high-visibility coordination across public, private, and civic partners.

Among his many accomplishments, The Financial Times named Marcus one of the top in-house general counsels globally in 2020. The National Legal Aid and Defender Association honored him with the 2020 Exemplar Award. The United Way of Southeast Louisiana honored Brown with its 2021 Alexis de Tocqueville Award for his career of community service and commitment to eradicating poverty. Additionally, the Louisiana State Bar Association presented him with its 2019 Distinguished Attorney Award, and the New Orleans Bar Association presented him with its Presidents’ Award in 2018, acknowledging his commitment to community service and high ethical standards.

Marcus earned his bachelor’s degree from Southern University A&M College and a juris doctorate from the Southern University Law Center, where he was a member of the Law Review. He also received an MBA from the Tulane University A.B. Freeman School of Business.

Highlights from Entergy’s Pro Bono Program

Entergy Corporation reimagined its pro bono program in 2012 and signed the PBI Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® statement in 2015. The Program helps community members through a variety of free legal services. Their attorneys and staff partner with legal aid organizations to offer free legal advice and representation on a wide range of matters, including:

EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day

Entergy has served as a leader in its communities, engaging others to participate in pro bono activities. In 2022, Entergy’s legal department partnered with PBI and the Edison Electric Institute to launch EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day, which brings together in-house legal teams from electric and gas companies to provide crucial pro bono legal assistance to underserved communities.

In 2025, EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day featured 25 impactful pro bono events and trainings, including five held by Entergy. EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day 2025 fostered significant in-house engagement with more than 270 legal department volunteers with another 235 law firm volunteers. Together, they provided life-changing support to almost 400 clients who may not have otherwise had access to legal assistance.

Entergy’s Signature Program: Power to Serve

Through Entergy’s signature pro bono program, Power to Serve, volunteers support local nonprofits by addressing governance, human resources and other issues so they can better serve their communities. Entergy attorneys also provide training and materials for minority, small business owners, such as early childcare centers, to build strong businesses that support working families. Finally, through Power to Serve, attorneys prepare employees to be informed, effective nonprofit board members. The company then works to match these employees with a nonprofit organization.

Celebrating National Pro Bono Week: Free Legal Answers Day

In October 2024, Entergy legal professionals celebrated National Pro Bono Week by participating in the fourth annual “Free Legal Answers Day,” where volunteers provide pro bono legal support to community members through the American Bar Association’s website freelegalanswers.org. Entergy also hosted five simultaneous legal clinics throughout its service territory – Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, as well as in Washington, D.C. This event has generated friendly competition among Entergy offices, with prize categories like the best team name, most pro bono hours, and highest participation rate. The event drew 115 volunteers – with legal professionals from nine Entergy offices, four law firms, and students from three law schools.

PBI is immensely grateful to Marcus Brown for his many years of leadership on pro bono and access to justice and to Entergy for their continued work to serve the community through their pro bono program.