Independence Lawyers

Laura Buck is an associate attorney at Phelps Dunbar LLP. Laura is particularly experienced in immigration law, having practiced in the immigration section of the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic and Center for Social Justice before joining the firm. Laura is the Co-Founder and member of the Immigration Law Member Section of the Louisiana State Bar Association. She is also a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Laura focuses on all areas of immigration law with a particular emphasis on employment based immigration.

Samuel Ford is a dedicated consumer attorney, protecting the rights of consumers in Louisiana, the gulf coast, and throughout the nation. Samuel's practice is focused on providing individuals relief from relentless debt collectors who use abusive and illegal tactics to squeeze money out of hard-working Americans. Prior to joining Varadi, Hair & Checki, Samuel was a defense attorney for creditors and debt collectors, witnessing first-hand the injurious methods utilized by these corporations and learning the best ways to fight back against them. If you are receiving calls or letters from a debt collector, have been sued on a debt, or...

Chauvin Kean is an associate in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2015 and practices in a variety of areas, including the business and corporate groups. Specifically, his practice areas includes: oil and gas transactions and litigation; admiralty and maritime litigation; international trade; acquisitions and divestitures; customs compliance; construction litigation; insurance coverage; and general and commercial litigation. He has experience with in a variety of issues, including Jones Act compliance, oil and gas exploration, pipeline construction, drilling incidents, well blowouts, cargo damage claims, ship and barge allisions, maritime liens, vessel and marine asset acquisitions,...

I focus my practice on business, corporate, and real estate matters. My experience includes representing and offering operational advice, reviewing and drafting contracts, and providing general transactional support to a diverse array of both domestic and international companies across various industries and sizes. I particularly enjoy collaborating with young entrepreneurs to help bring their visions to life. I take pride in guiding start-ups and emerging businesses through crucial growth phases, from entity formation and structuring to navigating mergers, acquisitions, and real estate transactions. I am passionate about delivering strategic, practical advice that enables entrepreneurs to achieve their goals and establish a...

Jim Silverstein practices in the areas of admiralty and maritime, products liability, energy, construction and environmental law.

Jim has extensive litigation experience, and has successfully defended clients in cases involving various aspects of maritime, admiralty, energy, and oil and gas law. He also maintains an active practice successfully defending manufacturers in product liability cases. He has defended cases involving numerous products, including ladders, electrical motors, fans, table saws, radial arm saws, planers, power tools, cranes and pumps. He has also successfully defended and prosecuted cases in the commercial litigation field.

Jim is an accomplished trial lawyer and is listed in Louisiana Super...

David Prados is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist in New Orleans who dedicates his career to helping families in New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. His focus lies in matrimonial and domestic law, helping clients with matters such as divorce, spousal and child support, child custody and visitation, division of marital property, tutorship, wills, successions, appeals, general civil litigation, and more. He has experience working with mediators, custody evaluators, family counselors, and financial experts, always trying to obtain the best outcome for his clients. Mr. Prados is a graduate of the University of New Orleans with an undergraduate...

Our firm focuses on lemon law cases. Even if your car isn't covered under your lemon law, there are other state and federal laws that may allow you to recover money or get a buyback. If we can take your matter there's no upfront retainer and You don't pay any costs or expenses if we can't settle your claim. Ben holds a JD from Mississippi College in Jackson, Mississippi and a BS in Marine Transportation from the United States Merchant Marine Academy. He is admitted in various Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Arkansas, and Michigan courts. His career includes experience with diverse...

Marynell Piglia exudes confidence in her practice and epitomizes the effectiveness of hard work and tenacity. Practicing civil litigation, family law, and employment law, she represents clients in matters such as discrimination, sexual harassment, workers’ compensation, divorce, and related family law matters. Ms. Piglia earned her undergraduate degree from Southeastern Louisiana University, magna cum laud. She was the recipient of a President’s Medal for Academic Excellence. She went on to receive her law degree from Loyola University, where she served on the Loyola Law Review, as chair of the Moot Court Board, and a member of the Moot Court teaching...

Jeff’s practice includes representing major international oil and gas companies in a broad range of high-stakes lawsuits, primarily involving allegations that soil, sediment, groundwater, drinking water, and other types of environmental contamination were caused by oil and gas exploration and production activities. He has extensive experience drafting motions and briefs in federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate levels.

Prior to joining the firm in 2016, Jeff served as a law clerk for the Honorable Carl J. Barbier, of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, where he assisted in the disposition of numerous...

Claire Juneau is a partner in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in 2011 and practices in the litigation group, including energy and petrochemical, oil field legacy sites, and appeals.

Prior to joining the firm, Claire served as a Law Clerk to Supreme Court Associate Justice Jeffery Victory. She also served as a judicial intern to First Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Randolph Parro.

Claire received her B.A., summa cum laude, in 2007 from Louisiana State University. Claire received her J.D., magna cum laude, in 2010 from the LSU Law Center where she was a member of...

Glenn Orgeron is of counsel to the New Orleans office of Kean Miller and a Registered Professional Engineer. He practices in the construction and litigation groups. Glenn has over 25 years of experience in complex construction law matters, mold litigation, and product liability litigation in state and federal courts.

Glenn is a Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) in the United States Marine Corps. He has served in a variety of legal positions for the United States Marine Corps, including assignments as Deputy General Counsel, Assistant General Counsel, and General Counsel in wide range of jurisdictions including Hawaii, Japan, the Indian Ocean, Washington, D.C.,...

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Notary Public

Jennifer M. Bonneau has represented individuals, insurers, small businesses, insurance companies, and corporations in a variety of cases. She has extensive experience in helping clients resolve disputes through negotiations, trials, mediation, arbitration, and appeals.

Jennifer has served as both lead and assistant counsel in litigation resulting in millions of dollars in recovery to clients injured as a result of others. She represents clients in state and federal courts in matters both simple and highly complex. Jennifer is a Qualified Family Law Mediator and has also served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for...

Mr. Nance has a general practice with special focus on all aspects of the Internet, entertainment, media, business and construction law, state and federal civil litigation. He has over 21 years of experience practicing law in Europe, South America and the US, including experience in litigation and administrative hearings as well as first-chair jury trial experience.

Mr. Nance speaks fluent English, German, Spanish and conversational Polish and French, having earned a bachelor's degree in German and Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990 and a J.D. in civil and common law from Loyola University School of Law, New...

Robert Toale is the founder of the Law Office of Robert S. Toale, a practice focusing exclusively on criminal defense. He works on state, federal, and juvenile criminal cases throughout Southeast Louisiana. He has tried over 100 jury trials and represented over 5,000 clients.

He is a Life Member of NACDL, which he joined in 1986. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Public Defense Committee. Mr. Toale is a member of NACDL’s Budget and Death Penalty Committees. In addition to his contributions to NACDL, Mr. Toale is a Lifetime Member of NACDL's affiliate, the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense...

Peter Diiorio began his career as an attorney in 2005 by handling hundreds of first-party insurance claims following Hurricane Katrina. One month before Katrina, Mr. Diiorio sat for the 2005 Louisiana bar exam in the Superdome of New Orleans, and he began handling property insurance claims as an attorney two months later. Today, Mr. Diiorio continues to focus his law practice on representing homeowners and small businesses in first-party insurance claims, with an emphasis on bad faith claims against insurers. If someone has been wronged by an insurance company, or has an insurance problem they can’t handle, Mr. Diiorio works tirelessly...

Mr. Matthews is a native of the New Orleans area. He grew up on the Westbank, and graduated from West Jefferson Senior High School in 2001. After high school, Mr. Matthews joined the United States Marine Corps as a helicopter technician where he served honorably as a Corporal from 2001-2006. His service included a tour in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Mr. Matthews received his Bachelor of Arts in History and Philosophy from Tulane University in 2008. He then received his Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in 2011. During law school, he...

For more than 37 years, Attorney Michael S. O'Brien has represented both individuals and corporations in accident cases. He is a skilled trial attorney who attributes his success to hard work, dedication to his clients, and a knowledge of the law which can only come from many years of experience.

I learned early on that as a lawyer, I could change people’s lives for the better. A few years ago, I had a client who worked for one company as a tankerman for 20 years. He was ordered into a crawlhole during a storm to check the radar, and as he was getting out, the boat hit a swell. He was thrown backwards and ended up with a spine injury. He went from being the main provider for his family to borrowing money to get a Coke and sleeping on people’s sofas. The day of the trial, the company offered us $100,000. The jury...

Are you looking for a probate lawyer in New Orleans, yet unsure of where you can even begin to search for the right attorney? While it is true that estate planning and probate are weighty and involve many serious facets and aspects, you do not need to be overwhelmed by them. Instead, be proactive and seek out the help your case requires. Attorney Gary S. Brown attended Louisiana State University, where he received his Juris Doctorate. He is a member of the Federal Bar Association, the Louisiana State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. Attorney Robert Weimer received his...

My current practice is focused on antitrust class action litigation, primarily in the pharmaceutical industry. I have broad litigation experience in antitrust, intellectual property, complex commercial disputes, criminal investigations and defense, and other complex commercial litigation matters, as well as deep FDA regulatory knowledge as it pertains to filing and maintaining applications for new drugs and their generic equivalents.

I have represented clients in numerous billion dollar antitrust disputes, as well as co-authored multiple successful appellate briefs before various federal appellate courts.

Additionally, I have represented clients who were under investigation or being prosecuted by the Department of Justice or...

Corey E. Dunbar is a partner with the firm focusing on litigation in both federal and state courts. Whether handling large business disputes or small personal matters, Corey advises clients of the most efficient procedure to obtain the desired outcome in any dispute. Corey has tried cases in the federal courts of the Eastern District of Louisiana and the Southern District of Texas, as well as local state courts. Corey has argued before the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal and handled numerous appeals in both federal and state appeals courts. In addition to his...

Charles Brandt is one of the two co-founding partners of the Lafayette, LA based personal injury and accident law firm, Brandt & Sherman. Brandt & Sherman has some of the most experienced and committed personal injury and accident lawyers in Lafayette Parish and the whole state of Louisiana. Together, the Brandt & Sherman Lafayette accident and injury lawyers have over 50 years of combined successful experience practicing law and handling a wide range of different personal injury related practice area cases, including but not limited too: Offshore accidents, wrongful death, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, brain injuries, spinal...

With offices in Lafayette and Opelousas, I have a statewide civil litigation practice and am admitted in all state and federal courts of Louisiana. I am proud to represent my clients, from Louisiana citizens to Fortune 1000 companies.

After completing his undergraduate at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette he continued on to Louisiana State University, School of Law where he received his Juris Doctorate. Founding the Glenn Armentor Law Corporation in 1987, Attorney Glenn Armentor works daily to help people get the settlement they deserve. When he is not in the office or the courtroom, he is working with at-risk children to get them off of the streets and into a better situation. He is also involved in various professional organizations around the community.

I am a native of Lafayette, Louisiana, and graduated magna cum laude from UL Lafayette with a major in political science and minor in history. I attended law school at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where I graduated cum laude in 2015. At Loyola, I was actively involved in the moot court program, representing the law school in various competitions nationwide and coached teams following graduation. Upon being admitted to the Louisiana Bar, I began my practice defending large insurance companies and local businesses in a variety of actions, spanning from automotive collision defense to veil piercing actions and...

J. Quentin Simon is proud to carry on his father's tradition. J. Minos Simon handled thousands of cases throughout his career including high-profile civil and criminal cases. As the chosen successor for the firm, J. Quentin Simon promises to take an individualized approach to each case and continues his father's legacy of fighting for your rights in the courtroom.

David started his legal career by working for the Honorable Judge Richard Haik of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana and the Honorable Judge Ellis Daigle at the 27th Court in Opelousas, Louisiana. David then worked for a prominent firm in Lafayette prior to opening his own legal practice. David Rutledge primarily practices law in the areas of Employment Law, Personal Injury, Contracts, Maritime, and Worker's Compensation. David graduated from Loyola New Orleans College of Law in 2010 earning his Juris Doctorate in both Common and Civil Law. While in law school, David participated...