Richard J. Arsenault

Richard J. Arsenault

  • Elder Law, Maritime Law, Medical Malpractice ...
  • Colorado, District of Columbia, Louisiana, Texas
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Biography

The Wall Street Journal has described Arsenault as having “national notoriety,” BusinessWeek described him as “a Dean of the Louisiana Tort Bar,” and The New York Times described him as one of the “big players” in the legal community. Arsenault has been an invited lecturer at various law schools including Baylor, Duke, Emory, University of Texas, Tulane, George Washington and LSU where he served on the Trial Advocacy faculty. He has been involved in over 25 Multidistrict Litigation proceedings, often serving in leadership capacities. He served as Lead Counsel in the Actos MDL where a jury rendered a $9 billion verdict. He subsequently served on the negotiating team that secured a $2.4 billion settlement, which is the largest single mass tort settlement for a drug that is still on the market. He was also appointed to the Pinnacle MDL Executive Committee and was a trial team member where three Bellwether trials resulted in $502 million, $1 billion and $247 million verdicts. Arsenault is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers as well as The Best Lawyers in America and has an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating. He has been recognized as one of America’s 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers by Trial Lawyer magazine, nominated for the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award by the Public Justice Foundation, and recognized by the National Law Journal as one of America’s Elite Trial Lawyers. Arsenault is a founding Board Director of the National Board of Complex Litigation Lawyers, a division of the National Board of Trial Advocacy. The American Bar Association recently approved the National Board Certification in Complex Litigation and Arsenault will become one of the first practitioners in the nation to be Board Certified in Complex Litigation. The Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice appointed Arsenault to serve on the Rules of Professional Conduct Class Action Committee, Bench Book Committee, and State MDL Exploratory Committee.

Practice Areas
    Elder Law
    Maritime Law
    Medical Malpractice
    Birth Injury, Medical Misdiagnosis, Pharmacy Errors, Surgical Errors
    Personal Injury
    Animal & Dog Bites, Brain Injury, Car Accidents, Construction Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Premises Liability, Truck Accidents, Wrongful Death
    Products Liability
    Drugs & Medical Devices, Motor Vehicle Defects, Toxic Torts
    Social Security Disability
Additional Practice Areas
  • Car Accidents
  • Insurance Bad Faith
  • Mass Torts/Complex Litigation
  • Public Benefits
Fees
  • Contingent Fees
    No recovery/ No Fee or Costs
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
Colorado
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District of Columbia
District of Columbia Bar
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Louisiana
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Texas
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5th Circuit
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11th Circuit
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U.S. Supreme Court
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Education
Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge
J.D. (1980)
Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge Logo
State University of New York - Stony Brook
B.A. (1977)
State University of New York - Stony Brook Logo
Awards
AV Rating
Martindale Hubbell
Achieved the highest possible rating
Super Lawyer
Louisiana Super Lawyers
Only 5% of attorneys statewide receive this award.
Named One of the Nation's Best Lawyers
Best Lawyers in America
Best Lawyers
Best in the U.S.
Nation's Top Verdicts
National Law Journal
Recognized for having one for securing a $21 million personal injury verdict for the victim of a plant explosion, one of the largest in the nation.
Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
Martindale Hubbell
Professional Associations
Louisiana Judicial College
Guest Lecturer
Current
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Federal Fifth Circuit Judicial Conference
Guest Lecturer
Current
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LSU Trial Advocacy Training Program
Faculty Member
Current
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Alexandria Bar Association
Member/ Former President
Current
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Crossroads Chapter of the American Inns of Court
Member/ Former President
Current
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Paul M. Hebert Law Center National Alumni Board
Board Member/ Vice President
Current
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Paul M. Hebert Law Center Chancellor's Counci
Member
Current
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Professional Assessment Committee Louisiana State Bar Association
Member
Current
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Texas Bar Association
Member
- Current
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District of Columbia Bar
Member
- Current
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Colorado Bar Association
Member
- Current
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Southern Trial Lawyers Association,
Board of Governors Member
- Current
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Louisiana Bar Association
Member
- Current
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Guest Lecturer
-
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Maritime and Auto Tort Column for the Louisiana Advocates (Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association Monthly Publication)
Editor
-
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Maritime Law Reporter
Editorial Board Member
-
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Louisiana Bar Journal
Editor of Louisiana Bar Journal, Recent Developments for the Section on Insurance, Negligence, Workers' Compensation and Admiralty Law
-
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Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU
Guest Lecturer
-
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Seventeenth Post Graduate Summer School for Lawyers at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center a LSU
Faculty Member
-
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American Trial Lawyers Association Admiralty Newsletter
Co-Editor
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The Forum
Editorial Board Member
-
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Louisiana Bar Association Section on Insurance, Negligence, Compensation and Admiralty Law
Chair
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Northwestern State University
Faculty Member
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Alexandria Bar Association Publication
Editor
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Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association's President's Advisory Committee
Member
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Publications
Articles & Publications
Defendants Shop for Favorable Maritime Forums
Maritime Law Reporter
Maritime Gaming & Available Tort Remedies
Maritime Law Reporter
McDermott International, Inc. v. Wilander: The Supreme Court Casts Aside the Navigation Function Requirement
Maritime Law Reporter
Pre-Certification Discovery: A User’s Guide
Tulane Law Review
Mass Torts and Class Action Settlements
Trial Magazine
Duty to Find and Prepare a Knowledgeable Corporate Representative
Louisiana Bar Journal
Hanks v. Entergy Corp. —The Supreme Court Provides Some Clarity But Leaves A Big Question Unanswered
Louisiana Advocates
Knowledge is Power: A Practical Proposal to Protect Putative Class Members from Improper Pre-Certification Communication
Fed. Cts. L. Rev. 2
The (Un)Availability of Act of God and Force Majeure Affirmative Defenses After Rita Katrina
Louisiana Advocates
Gathering Ditgital Data
Trial Magazine
Using Conflicts Principles to Obtain Punitive Damages in Louisiana Court
Louisiana Advocates
Daubert-Lite, Daubert’s Role, If Any, at Class Certification Hearings
Louisiana Bar Journal
Class Action Settlement of Future Claims
Limitation of Vessel Owner's Liability; Inapplicability to Non-Shipowners
Currents International Trade Law Journal, South Texas College of Law
Maritime Forum Non Conveniens; La.Code Civ.P. art.123 vs. 46 U.S.C. App. §688(b)
Louisiana Advocates
Removal Under the Jones Act, OCSLA and the GML
Louisiana Advocates
Floating Casinos Beware; Maritime Rule Governs Dram Shop Liability
Louisiana Advocates
Who Enjoys the Benefits of the Limitation of Vessel Owner’s Liability Act?
Louisiana Advocates
Vendetto v. Sonat; Louisiana Supreme Court Addresses Jones Act Standards
Louisiana Advocates
Restoring the Injured Party v. Sales Tax Recovery
Louisiana Advocates
The Louisiana Supreme Court Addresses Seaman’s Status - Perils of the Sea Standard
Louisiana Advocates
Maritime Personal Injury Venue
Louisiana Advocates
Judicial Gatekeeping of Experts; Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael
Louisiana Advocates
Does Daubert Apply to Non-Scientific Experts?
Louisiana Advocates
Driving While Intoxicated; A Formula for Punitive Damages
Louisiana Advocates
Recovery Under the Death on High Seas Act
San Francisco Trial Lawyer
Does Payment of Workers' Compensation Benefits Interrupt Prescriptive Periods for Maritime Claims?
Louisiana Advocates
Brown Water Vessel Status
Louisiana Advocates
Venue; Where Can Jones Act Claims be Brought?
Louisiana Advocates
Hunting Season: Remedies Available to Camp/Club Employees
Louisiana Advocates
Demystifying MIST (Minor Impact; Soft Tissue) Claims
Louisiana Advocates
U.M. vs. Worker's Compensation; Who Pays?
Louisiana Advocates
Maritime Personal Injury - Recovery Under the Death on the High Seas Act
Louisiana Advocates
Mitigating Weaknesses at Trial
Trial Magazine
Special Purpose Vessels Under Attack
Maritime Law Reporter
Has the Traditional Mariner Been Forgotten?
Trial Magazine
Seaman Status: Aid in Navigation Test Rejected
Louisiana Bar Journal
Seaman Status: Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Get Back Into The Water
Louisiana Bar Journal
Seaman v. Harbor Worker; What Test Applies to Determine Status
Louisiana Bar Journal
Seaman's Status Continues its Voyage Through Unchartered Brown Water Applications Using Barrett vs. Chevron To Set Its Course
Tulane Maritime Law Review, The Maritime Lawyer
Seaman's Status Takes an Unexpected Tack
Maritime Law Reporter
Offshore Platform Workers: Remedies Available and Recent Developments in Defenses
Louisiana Bar Journal
WMATA v. Johnson; LHWCA Tort Immunity Reconsidered
The Forum
Offshore Platform Workers: Remedies Available and Recent Developments in Defenses
Trial Magazine
Longshoreman and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act Tort Immunity Challenge
Trial Lawyers Forum
Tort Immunity Under the Longshoreman Harbor Workers Compensation Act
Louisiana Bar Journal
Maritime Personal Injury on Foreign Waters
Trial Magazine
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority v. Johnson: The Sudden Rise and Fall of General Contractor Tort Immunity Under the LHWCA
The Maritime Lawyer
Jones & McLaughlin v. Pfeiffer: No More Than Necessary
The Louisiana Bar Journal
Johnson v. Penrod Evidence of Inflation Admissible
Louisiana Bar Journal
Remedies Available to Seamen Part III The Jones Act
The Arkansas Bar Association Journal
Foremost Insurance Co. v. Richardson: Admiralty Jurisdiction Extended to Pleasure Craft Collisions
The Forum
Remedies Available to Seamen Part II Unseaworthiness
The Arkansas Bar Association Journal
A Postscript
The Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, The ATLA Docket
An Analytical Starting Point: The Elusive Determination of Seaman's Status
The Forum
Bringing Pleasure Boat Accidents Under the Forum
Trial Magazine
The General Maritime Law Counterpart to Worker's Compensation: Maintenance, Cure and Wages
The Forum (Texas Trial Lawyers Publication)
Recognizing and Developing the Brownwater Seaman's Remedies
The Federal Bar News
Problems Associated with Fixed Platform Maritime Personal Injury Claims
The Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, The ATLA Docket
Remedies Available to Seamen Part I Maintenance, Cure and Wages
The Arkansas Bar Association Journal
The Maritime Consortium Action: Moragne Through Cruz",
The Journal of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers
A Primer on Remedies Available to the Offshore Oil Worker
Trial Magazine
Maintenance, Cure and Wages: General Principles and Recent Developments
Voir Dire
Maritime Personal Injuries: Developing the Offshore Platform Worker's Claim
Voir Dire
Maritime Personal Injury: Developing the Seaman's Claim
Voir Dire
Johnson v. Penrod: Years of Tradition Unhampered by Progress
Louisiana Bar Journal
Websites & Blogs
Website
NBALawFirm
Contact & Map
Neblett, Beard & Arsenault
2220 Bonaventure Court
Alexandria, LA 71301
Toll-Free: (800) 256-1050
Telephone: (318) 561-2500
Fax: (318) 561-2591