DeRidder Lawyers

Peggy Gonsoulin Vallejo graduated from Tulane Law School in May 1999 and was admitted to the Louisiana State Bar in October 1999.

Her practice consists of civil litigation with a strong focus on personal injury, divorce, child support, spousal support, and succession matters. She has clients in all of the surrounding parishes in the Greater New Orleans Metro Area including St. Tammany, Orleans, Jefferson, Washington, Tangipahoa, Livingston and East Baton Rouge.

I joined DeShazo Adams, LLC as an associate in 2024, where my practice encompasses employment, education, and insurance defense matters. I graduated from LSU Law School, where I was honored with the Second Place Best Oralist award in the LSU Law Dean’s Cup Competition in 2019 and reached the Semi-Finalist stage at the National Energy and Sustainability Moot Court Competition. My academic achievements were recognized in several courses, including Constitutional Law II, Introduction to Environmental Law, Energy Law and Regulation, Climate Change Law, and Sports Law. During my time at LSU Law, I also had the privilege of serving as...

Danny Russell is an experienced and aggressive attorney representing clients who face DWI charges in Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston, St. Tammany, Covington, Mandeville, Gonzales, Tangipahoa, West Baton Rouge, Prairieville, Jefferson, St. John the Baptist, Slidell, and throughout Louisiana.

Rusty Savoie is a graduate of Nicholls State University and Loyola University. He has both a law degree and a Masters in Business Administration. Born in Larose, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, Rusty Savoie has over 20 years of legal experience. He dedicates his practice to defending the rights of injured workers throughout Southeastern Louisiana from his offices in Covington and Houma.

"Attorney Kenneth H. Hooks III focuses his practice on providing excellent representation to the few clients chosen by the section’s rigorous case selection. Kenny has practiced international maritime law for over 13 years as well as prosecuting horrific injury claims as a result of crashes, explosion burns, work place injuries and deaths, hospital errors and very large commercial claims all on a pure contingency basis. Mr. Hooks helps bring justice to individuals, businesses and professionals who have been wronged by others through both state and federal courts in Louisiana and throughout the United States as well as internationally. Mr....

Craig was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He graduated from Loyola College Prep in 1985. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from Louisiana State University-Shreveport in 1990. He attended law school at Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he graduated in 1993. He is an attorney and partner in the law firm of Smith & John. Craig was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1993, and since then, he has been admitted to practice before the following courts: U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth...

Rich is a shareholder with Wiener, Weiss & Madison. He joined the firm in 2013 and advises businesses, families and individuals in the areas of Taxation, Corporate Law, Securities Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, Real Estate Law, Estate Planning, Successions/Probate, Title Insurance and Nonprofit Law.

Will Huguet is a partner in the Shreveport office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2014 and practices in the oil and gas and energy litigation groups. Will has more than fifteen years of experience assisting energy companies in the exploration and production of minerals, including sales and acquisitions, lease and contract rights, title, due diligence, regulatory compliance, dispute resolution, and litigation, and in representing landowners and companies in selling and purchasing property and managing their mineral and royalty interests.

Prior to law school, Will was a professional landman in Lafayette, Louisiana. After law school, he served as a...

University of New Orleans & LSU Law Center Graduate. Solo practitioner concentrating in Criminal & DWI Defense, Personal Injury & Contract Negotiations, Civil Litigation. Trial & Motion Practice. Mac Evangelista since 1988. Rated 'Best Lawyers' for past 15 years straight in SB Magazine.

I started Mitchell & Associates because I wanted to be able to do more for my clients. Up until that point I worked at a prestigious law firm representing big, corporate and insurance industry type clients. My job was to defend them at all cost, even when they were wrong. I did my job, and I did my job well. In 1999 I walked out of the Firm with one file, a case where my client was seriously hurt in a car accident, determined to practice law the way I wanted to and for the clients I wanted...

Trippe Hawthorne is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2004 and practices in the construction, ADR and business litigation groups. Trippe has experience in all phases of the construction industry and in a wide variety of commercial litigation, and general litigation matters, including design and construction contracting and dispute resolution across all sectors, including industrial, commercial, public, and residential; public bidding and procurement challenges; and public and private works lien laws. Trippe has experience with administrative law and occupational licensing law, having served as General Counsel for the Louisiana State Licensing...

Matt Smith is an associate in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2013 and practices in the commercial litigation, toxic tort defense, and environmental litigation groups. His work focuses on the representation of oil and gas exploration and production companies, mid-stream companies, and other industry companies in various litigation matters including property damage and contamination, property rights, and commercial and contractual disputes.

Matt has extensive experience guiding clients through claims related to soil contamination, groundwater contamination, air pollution, and the associated regulatory standards. His practice covers a wide range of commercial and litigation issues ranging...

Lauren Rucinski is an associate in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in 2016 and practices in the environmental law and intellectual property group.

Lauren helps clients understand which environmental regulations apply to new facilities and processes. Her practice focuses on permitting, compliance, litigation and transactional issues, as well as rulemaking efforts at both the state and federal level. She advises a wide range of clients including petrochemical facilities, oil refineries, natural gas terminals, glass manufacturers, and commodity processing plants.

Lauren helps clients protect and maximize the value of their businesses' intellectual property by advising them on...

I am a successful Louisiana Intellectual Property attorney. My practice includes comprehensive representation for Trademark, Patent, Copyright and Trade Secret matters. A Registered Patent Attorney, I am licensed to practice in the United States Patent & Trademark Office, as well as Louisiana, California and Hawaii courts.

I am committed to providing exceptional service and legal representation for IP matters across a broad range of technologies. I vigorously advocate for the rights and interests of my clients, intent on the best possible outcomes.

With extensive experience and knowledge, I teach Patent Law at Louisiana State University Law Center. I have been honored among...

Trey McCowan is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 1989 and practices in the litigation group. Trey represents local, regional and multi-national energy and petrochemical clients in a wide variety of litigation matters. He has specific experience representing clients in litigation involving complex commercial agreements and legacy site litigation in the energy industry. Trey also represents clients with regard to environmental litigation and toxic tort defense. He also advises clients on electronic discovery, e-discovery compliance, electronically stored information (ESI), electronic information management, and retention and destructive policies and procedures.

Trey is listed...

Allen P. Jones is a shareholder in Wiener, Weiss & Madison, A Professional Corporation. He practices in the areas of estate planning, tax law, succession and probate law, business and corporate law, and real estate. Allen represents individuals and families in all aspects of estate planning, including the preparation of wills, trusts, partnerships and limited liability companies. His work in the area of business and corporate law includes business succession planning, corporate reorganizations, and business sale transactions. He is Board Certified by the Louisiana State Bar in Estate Planning, and is licensed as a title insurance agent in the state...

My name is Alex Laird and I exclusively practice criminal defense in the Baton Rouge and surrounding areas. I know first hand the fear and anxiety one feels facing criminal charges. That is why I chose this profession. I do everything in my power to help each and every one of my clients overcome their criminal issue and come out a better person afterwards. I know how important it is for clients to have an attorney that truly cares about them, not only for the outcome of their case but also for their overall sense of well-being while the case...

Jason is one of the nation's top trial lawyers for one reason: when he represents a client, he's all in. No matter how tough the fight. No matter how big the challenge. When it matters most, he's there for people who have been wronged. He takes every case personally, treating each client like family while he fights to rebuild their lives.

When people need to win, they call Jason. He's won several verdicts and settlements worth more than $100 million, dozens of results worth more than $10 million, and more than 200 results worth $1 million or more. In total,...

I am a life-long Louisiana native admitted to practice in all Louisiana state and federal courts. For over 40 years I have handled trials and appeals on many different legal issues. Although my representation has involved many other matters, I have concentrated my current practice in the areas of bankruptcy cases (consumer and business, debtor and creditor); business law and litigation (forming, reorganizing, selling, and purchasing small businesses and handling business disputes); storm/hale damage insurance claims and litigation; successions, wills, and estate law; collections, foreclosures, and real estate litigation; and construction claims, arbitration, and litigation. Bar Admissions All Louisiana state courts U.S. District...

I am an experienced felony criminal defense trial attorney – bringing more than 40 felony jury trials to verdict in the last nine years. Call me now if you have a serious legal matter and you need immediate assistance. I was born in Ascension Parish and grew up in Baton Rouge. After moving around the south, I settled back home in 1999 where I started back a LSU, concluding with a Law Degree from the Paul Hebert Law Center at LSU in 2008. I began further studies at the University of Florida, School of Pharmacy, where I am...

Before joining Walters, Papillion, Thomas, Cullens LLC, Andrée Matherne Cullens was a partner for more than fifteen years at Taylor, Porter, Brooks, and Phillips, LLP, one of the largest defense firms in Louisiana. She represented creditors and trustees in bankruptcy proceedings, state agencies and businesses in commercial litigation, banks and financial institutions, and Insurance Receivers in regulatory proceedings. Some of her former clients include Chase Bank, State Street Bank and Trust Company, the Louisiana Office of Economic Development, LSU, and the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Ms. Cullens has considerable courtroom experience in both federal and state courts and has been...

Paul "Woody" Scott is passionate in his representation of clients. Mr. Scott founded The Scott Law Firm and practices in immigration law, deportation and removal defense, criminal defense, and Federal Criminal and Immigration Litigation. Mr. Scott was born in a small hospital in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. At two years old he and his mother moved to the New Orleans, Louisiana, area where he was raised. After he graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie, he moved to Baton Rouge where he attended Louisiana State University to obtain his bachelor degree. He went on to receive his Juris...

Beau practices in his own private law firm of Brock & Palmintier Law, LLC, and his main areas of focus include criminal law, family law, environmental law, DWI and car accidents. Previously, he worked at the private law firm of Manasseh, Gill, Knipe & Belanger from 2011-2019. Before entering private practice, he was employed at LDEQ as a member of the Secretary’s Executive Staff from 2008-2011. From March 1999–Feb. 2008, he worked as Regional Criminal Enforcement Council for the Environmental Protection Agency, and provided in-house legal oversight to all Federal criminal investigations conducted in Louisiana by the EPA-Criminal...

Scott Andrews is a 2011 Baton Rouge Business Report Forty Under 40 honoree, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers and Top 40 Under 40 member, Secretary of the Northwestern State University Foundation, an Adjunct Professor of Law teaching Insurance Law, Products Liability and Advanced Louisiana Torts at the Southern University Law Center. Scott has also been selected for inclusion in Louisiana Super Lawyers-Personal Injury Plaintiff (2012-2013), and enjoys a prestigious AV peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Scott Andrews is a Member of the Louisiana Law Review and published one article prior to graduating in 1996 as a member of...

Peyton Murphy is a lifelong resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After completing his undergraduate study at Louisiana State University in 1988, Peyton P. Murphy was immediately admitted to law school. He received his Juris Doctorate from Tulane Law School in 1991. Peyton P. Murphy was admitted to the Connecticut State Bar and the Louisiana State Bar in 1992 and 1993, respectively. Mr. Murphy is also licensed in the Western, Middle and Eastern District of the Federal U.S. District Courts in Louisiana as well as the United States Supreme Court. Peyton P. Murphy is an active member of the Baton Rouge Bar Association...

DAVID STANLEY is the founder and principal of David E. Stanley, APLC. Since 1983, Mr. Stanley has successfully practiced law from his office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is a distinguished trial lawyer fiercely dedicated to representing individuals accused of committing serious or complex federal or state felony crimes or who seek to appeal their federal court, or state court, conviction or sentence.

In 2018, Mr. Stanley became a Lifetime Charter Member of Best Attorneys in America. From 2015 to the present, he has been recognized by The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers. The American Society...

Zoë Vermeulen is a partner in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in 2012 and practices in the admiralty and maritime practice group, as well as the labor and employment group.

Zoë earned her B.A. in Public Relations from Louisiana State University in 2008. She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, in 2012 from Tulane University Law School, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif and Moot Court Board.

Attorney Martin Regan believes in the law and the right to the best defense. Any case, for all clients anywhere in the world: Homicide or Drug, Medical Malpractice, Federal Habeas Corpus and more. As the senior managing partner of Regan Law PLC who brings more than 40 years of success and experience to each case, Attorney Martin Regan is not only esteemed by judges and colleagues in any court of law, he is respected and revered, known as the attorney to watch and flanked by the strongest team of six professional attorneys prepared to support you....

Richard P. Voorhies III founded The Voorhies Law Firm in 2012. Before starting his own firm, Richard earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Lafayette, received a Juris Doctor from Loyola School of Law, and served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Dee D. Drell in the Western District of Louisiana. He is an active member of the Louisiana State Bar association and licensed to practice in every court in the state. If needed, Richard can also practice before District Courts in Louisiana and the United States Court of Appeals. With experience in...

James Graham has worked as an educator in New Orleans. He then served in executive positions in real estate and education. After earning a degree from Loyola Law School, Mr. Graham sought to use his real world experience to benefit clients in his community. He is a member of the New Orleans Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Mr. Graham is admitted to practice before state and district courts in Louisiana.

A shining moment for Mr. Graham came when he assisted his first client to secure incorporation papers so that he could legally operate his new business in Louisiana. Another...

Facing arrest, criminal charges, or under investigation? It can be an overwhelmingly frightening experience. I am here to alleviate your concerns by clearly outlining your rights under the law. I will serve as your assertive, step-by-step guide throughout your case. Taking immediate action is crucial, as memories fade, witnesses vanish, and evidence can be lost over time. For all criminal defense cases, The Healy & Jordan Law Firm provides free consultations and tailors a budget for each client's legal needs through trial. Whether you are accused of unlawful drug possession, drug distribution, drug manufacturing, domestic violence, assault, burglary, robbery, DUI,...

Craig Mordock is a veteran criminal defense attorney in New Orleans. He was named one of top 100 criminal defense lawyers in Louisiana by the National Trial Lawyers Association, selected by Super Lawyers as a Top Criminal Defense Attorney, as a Top Lawyer in the Global Directory of Who’s Who, a Top Criminal Defense and DUI Attorney by Expertise and a Top Defense Attorney by New Orleans Magazine Craig Mordock is an experienced New Orleans criminal defense attorney with over 20 years of experience. Craig solely focuses on criminal defense providing him with in-depth knowledge of each type of crime...

Chip's emphasis in his law practice is probate, wills, estate planning, interdictions, powers of attorney, living wills and trusts. He has also been appointed by the Court in complex matters to represent the interest of individuals in many differing areas of law. Martindale-Hubbell has given Chip an AV® Preeminent rating as an attorney, which is the pinnacle of excellence awarded by the Bar and the Judiciary to any individual attorney, recognizing that Chip has the highest possible rating available in legal ability and ethical standards. Chip was named by New Orleans Magazine as one of the "Top Lawyers" in...

Kenneth L. Tolar focuses primarily on general intellectual property matters including patent, trademark and copyright prosecution, intellectual property litigation and licensing on behalf of both corporations and independent inventors nationwide, patentability and trademark availability opinions, inter partes practice before both the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board; during his career, he has secured over 350 patents on behalf of independent and corporate inventors.

Mr. Tolar also engages in general commercial litigation, insurance defense, labor disputes arising under The Fair Labor Standards Act, personal injury and first-party insurance claims.

Scott Ruel is an attorney located in Madisonville, Louisiana. He is admitted to the Louisiana state bar and graduated from Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C. He is the owner of The Ruel Law Firm in Madisonville, LA. Mr. Ruel specializes in personal injury law, successions, criminal law, DUI, possession and traffic tickets. Our firm takes cases in all parishes. Free consultations on traffic tickets. We also accept credit cards by phone and email link. If you need legal assistance and want to speak with Mr. Ruel now, call our office at 985-845-7031or visit us at www.ruellaw.net....