Watson Lawyers

DeVonna Ponthieu attended Southeastern Louisiana University in 1993 and graduated cum laude in May 1998. She applied and was accepted to the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law School and graduated in 2001. After passing the bar exam, she opened her private office in Denham Springs and has been practicing law there ever since. She has had cases in all of the 21st Judicial District (Livingston, Tangipahoa and St.Helena), East Baton Rouge Parish, Ascension Parish, East Feliciana and other parishes.

DeVonna is a member in good standing with the Louisiana State Bar Association. She was a past president, vice-president and secretary/treasurer...

Scott Wilson has handled more than 185 cases in federal district courts, 35 appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, three petitions for writs to the Supreme Court of the United States, and numerous trials and appeals in Louisiana district and appellate courts. In a landmark ruling, I obtained a reversal from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals of a summary judgment granted by the district court in the first Family and Medical Leave Act case heard by any federal appellate court. See Manuel v. Westlake Polymers Corp., 66 F.3d 758 (5th Cir. 1995)....

Erik Burns was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he continues to reside with his two sons. Prior to graduating from the Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1993, Erik graduated from Catholic High School of Baton Rouge and then obtained a B.A. degree in Business Management with a minor in marketing from Southeastern Louisiana University. Erik began his practice in downtown Baton Rouge as a solo practitioner where he did significant personal injury work having worked closely with a seasoned attorney. In 1997 Erik was presented with an opportunity to move his office...

Louis J. Cosenza is a skilled litigator with experience in diverse areas including tort law, medical malpractice, lawyer disciplinary proceedings, and criminal defense and prosecution in state and federal courts and military Courts Martial. In his 40+ years as a lawyer, Mr. Cosenza has also represented clients in a wide variety of civil disputes, notably in the areas of contract and property law.

A native of New Orleans who has spent over 20 years practicing law in a large town, Louis also lived and practiced law for 10 years in rural west Louisiana. This life experience has given him a valuable...

Robert Hallack is the principal of Hallack Law Offices in Baton Rouge. In 1989, he earned his J.D. degree, cum laude, at Southern University Law Center. He was also Associate Editor of the Southern University Law Review by virtue of his article, "Louisiana's Comparative Fault Doctrine and the Mitigation of Damages," which was cited by the Louisiana Supreme Court. During his last year of studies, Mr. Hallack was awarded the West Publishing Award for Scholastic Achievement. Since 1989, he has devoted his practice to personal injury and wrongful death cases, including vehicle accidents, medical negligence, nursing home negligence, professional...

Ed Kramer graduated from both LSU and LSU Law School where he was on the Louisiana Law Review, a prestigious student organization only accepting a few students by grade. After that, Ed began to practice personal injury accident law – representing only injured parties, not insurance companies, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Ed participated in trials, was involved in million-dollar cases, and even class action cases, mostly personal injury accident cases. Ed would like to help you too.

André Bélanger, a graduate of Loyola University, is a highly-respected criminal defense attorney serving the people of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and surrounding areas of Ascension Parish and New Orleans, for one of Baton Rouge's top-25 law firms. In his 15 years of practicing law, Mr. Bélanger has handled thousands of criminal cases at both the pre-trial and trial stage, including approximately 200 trials. This trial experience includes homicide defense and prosecution, large drug conspiracies and fraud cases making Belanger one of the few attorneys capable of handling even the largest, most complex federal cases. Having spent...

We do things differently from other lawyers. We don't just give you a stack of documents. We advise and guide you to the best possible outcome for your family when you can't be there for them yourself. Our firm represents Louisiana families and individuals on matters involving estate planning, succession, probate, wills, trusts, and long-term care planning. We help you make the best planning decisions for your family and ensure that the estate plan you create with us will work when your loved ones need it most. Our team includes an expert estate planning attorney with 20+ years of experience in wills, trusts...

Devin Ricci is a partner in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2012 and practices primarily in the intellectual property group, but also practices in the pipeline and expropriations, commercial litigation, and transaction groups.

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 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...

When Kurt Arnold represents someone, he’s all in. He’s won billions for his clients. In fact, he has recovered more than $1 billion in a single year multiple times and shattered records with his historic verdicts and settlements. He has helped clients recover losses after major maritime disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon and the El Faro. For Kurt, no fight is too difficult or complicated. He refuses to take “no” for an answer. When something bad happens, Kurt fights for his clients, no matter what. He never backs down, no matter how big the challenge. Kurt co-founded Arnold & Itkin...

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...

After graduating #1 in his law school class, Scott Courrege was admitted to practice law in Louisiana in the Spring of 2018. Scott was born and raised in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and graduated from St. Stanislaus High School in 1998. In 2001, Scott was hired as a police officer for the Gulfport Police Department and worked full-time while he completed his B.A. in Criminal Justice at the University of Southern Mississippi.

In 2003, Scott went to work for the United States Border Patrol, where he served as a Senior Patrol Agent on the prestigious San Diego Sector Air Mobile Unit....

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...

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.

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...

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...

Mack Gregorie is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 1984 and has extensive experience in all types of business and corporate transactions, including complex commercial and industrial real estate matters and finance. Mack represents major international petrochemical clients, worldwide energy producers, banks and financial institutions, buyers and sellers, landlords and tenants, and lenders. A Certified Public Accountant, Mack lectures frequently on real estate topics such as sales, leases, property law, purchase and sale agreements, and recent developments in real estate law. He is also a title agent for First American Title...

For as long as he could remember, Brandt always wanted to be an attorney. After graduating from Southern University Law Center, Brandt started his legal career working for the big insurance companies. After several years defending the insurance companies, Brandt knew it was time for something different. So for the last 13 years Brandt has been serving those who have suffered injury or who have lost loved ones through the negligence of others. Brandt has successfully represented thousands of injured clients over the course of his career in a wide variety of cases ranging from automobile and trucking accidents to...

Attorney Leonard Kilgore is an experienced advocate for local, national and international commercial, energy and industrial clients in litigation involving toxic tort claims, personal injury, property damage claims, and class actions.

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...

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...

If you’re looking for the best criminal defense attorney in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, look no further than Carl Barkemeyer, Criminal Defense Attorney. Carl Barkemeyer is a highly-experienced criminal defense attorney representing clients with criminal and DWI charges. He handles cases for clients arrested or who received a summons in all areas of Louisiana. Dedicated to only criminal defense, we provide representation for DWI/DUI, drug charges including possession, possession with intent, distribution, theft, forgery, bank fraud, assault, battery, domestic abuse, murder, robbery, burglary, prostitution, soliciting, reckless driving, hit and run, trespass, criminal damage to property, disturbing the peace, shoplifting,...

Benn Vincent is a partner at Kean Miller and practices in the firm's litigation group. He represents local, national and international energy and industrial clients in cases involving a wide variety of substantive areas such as tax litigation, oil and gas litigation, NORM, environmental litigation, toxic tort, breach of contract, construction and commercial litigation, and warranty and products liability suits.

Applying his litigation skills outside of the courtroom, Benn was part of a team that negotiated and drafted the contract for the creation of a new oil and gas exploration and production company for one of Louisiana's largest landowners.

Benn is listed...

Angie Adolph is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in 2011, and practices in the tax and municipal finance groups. Angie represents Louisiana, national, and international clients in a variety of tax and corporate matters. In addition to representing clients before the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals, the Louisiana Tax commission, and in the Louisiana courts, she has special experience representing taxpayers in property tax incentive negotiations, including Payments in Lieu of Taxes. Angie is the firm’s representative to the American Property Tax Counsel, an association of property tax firms with members...

Stephen Babcock was born and raised in Ruston, LA and is an active and passionate member of the Baton Rouge community. Originally studying as a title lawyer at Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center, it didn't take long for Stephen to realize that he wanted to become a trial lawyer. It wasn't long until he graduated with a law degree and became a Bar member in 2000. The firm that would become Babcock Injury Lawyers would follow soon after in 2003.

The attorneys behind Babcock Injury Lawyers are experienced and dedicated to improving the lives of local accident...

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...