Bernice Lawyers

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...

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,...

David Abboud Thomas is an veteran trial lawyer who has handled many jury trials throughout the State of Louisiana.

Ben Jumonville is an associate in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller.

Mr. Cullens was born in New Orleans on April 3, 1967.

John D. Ray is the owner and operator of The Ray Firm, LLC and has practiced law for over 20 years and specializes in workers’ compensation. He opened his law firm in Baton Rouge in 2016 after years of working for New Orleans and Lafayette based defense firms, serving as Assistant Attorney General for the Louisiana Department of Justice and then serving as the Section Chief of Workers’ Compensation Section of LDJ. In addition to his role as Section Chief, he served as an in-house legal advisor to the Office of Risk Management and the Louisianan Department of Justice regarding...

Richard McConnell is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He is trial counsel for energy and financial companies in high stakes lawsuits involving a wide variety of claims. Prior cases involved soil and groundwater contamination, wetlands loss, toxic tort exposure, lost mineral leasing opportunities, mineral lease cancellation, pipeline right-of-way claims, expropriation/condemnation, and commercial litigation. Richard also serves as appellate counsel arguing before state and federal appellate courts.

Richard’s recent experience includes obtaining a successful verdict as trial counsel for national pipeline companies in a wetlands loss lawsuit involving canals that widened over time, he was lead...

Matthew Meiners is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2009 and practices in the business and corporate group. Matthew has experience in the drafting and negotiation of numerous industrial service and purchase agreements. He also has experience representing numerous individuals and small businesses in connection with acquisitions and divestitures of their respective businesses and with formation of new entities, including drafting organizational documents and planning of overall corporate structure.

Matthew earned his B.S. in International Trade and Finance with a minor in Economics from Louisiana State University in 1998. He earned his...

Gayla Moncla is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller and practices in the areas of toxic tort and environmental litigation, premises liability, and commercial litigation. She has more than 25 years of experience in the chemical and petrochemical industries, defending workplace accidents, chemical exposure cases, products liability cases, as well as advising clients regarding workplace safety issues and OSHA regulations. Gayla also has experience in retail premises litigation having defended retail clients for over 25 years.

Gayla earned her B.S. from Louisiana State University in 1973. She earned her J.D. in 1989 from the LSU Law Center...

Shane Sandefer is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He practices in the business transactions and environmental law groups and is a Registered Professional Engineer. Shane represents local, regional, and national clients in a variety of real estate, finance, and environmental matters including, industrial and commercial real estate transactions, title insurance matters, general preparation and negotiation, regulatory proceedings, wetlands permitting, wetlands mitigation, and state and federal environmental advice. Prior to law school, Shane was a project engineer for Turner Environmental and a senior staff engineer for URS. He also served as an assistant project manager for...

Kyle Sherman is one of the founding partners of the Lafayette, LA based personal injury and accident law firm. Mr. Sherman and the other Lafayette accident and injury attorneys at Brandt & Sherman have over 50 years of combined successful experience practicing law in Lafayette, Lafayette Paris, and all across the state of Louisiana. Practice areas that the team of attorneys at the Lafayette, LA Brandt & Sherman law firm handle, include but are not limited too: Car accidents, offshore accidents, slip and fall, construction accidents, wrongful death, motorcycle accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, truck accidents, brain injuries,...

Melissa Hemmans is an experienced Litigation Attorney in Kean Millers's Baton Rouge office. Her practice includes Petrochemical, Manufacturing, Municipal, Civil Rights Defense, Oil and Gas, and Local Business matters. She has extensive experience with cases involving Toxic Tort and Environmental claims. Melissa is dedicated to providing clients with creative solutions, unique strategies, and unparalleled value.

In 1996, Melissa received her B.A. from Louisiana State University. She obtained her J.D. from the LSU Law Center in 1999. Melissa is admitted to practice law in the State of Louisiana, United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, United States District Courts for the Eastern,...

Omar Thibeaux – Dedicated Personal Injury Lawyer Serving Clients Across Louisiana Accident victims across Louisiana turn to Attorney Omar Thibeaux for one reason: he puts his clients first. As a trusted personal injury lawyer in Louisiana, Attorney Thibeaux is committed to helping injured individuals recover the maximum compensation they deserve while delivering compassionate service and effective legal representation. “I believe our commitment to ensuring our clients receive the highest possible return on their settlement is what truly sets our firm apart,” says Attorney Thibeaux. When he founded The Thibeaux Firm, Attorney Thibeaux introduced a client-first approach called “The 25% Attorney”—a unique model that...

Mark Doré is senior counsel in the Lafayette office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2018 and practices in the oil and gas, business and corporate and real estate groups. Mark’s practice focuses on representing upstream energy companies in Louisiana, including oil and gas transactional matters, mineral title examination, due diligence, acquisition and sale of oil and gas properties, regulatory compliance, and providing advice to attorneys and landmen at companies engaged in upstream activities.

While in law school, Mark launched his own oil and gas/real estate title company in Lafayette, Louisiana, and continued working full time as an independent...

Reed K. Kreger is an attorney at Broussard & David, LLC whose practice focuses on serious personal injury and wrongful death cases involving 18-wheeler and automobile accidents, premises liability, and general injury law. Reed is a proud graduate of the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. After graduation, Reed studied at the Paul M. Hebert LSU Law Center, obtaining her Juris Doctorate. Before she began representing plaintiffs, Reed clerked for the honorable Judge Jason D. Meche of the 27th Judicial District Court in Opelousas, Louisiana. Reed’s practice is devoted to helping those who have been seriously...

Robert “Bob” Brahan is a personal injury attorney whose practice focuses on serious personal injury and wrongful death cases involving 18-wheeler and automobile accidents, premises liability, and general injury law. Before he began representing plaintiffs, Bob gained experience representing insurance carriers, giving him valuable knowledge of the insurance defense industry that he uses to maximize recovery for his clients.

Bob graduated from Louisiana State University in 2002 with a degree in Business. After graduation, he moved to New Orleans to attend Tulane Law School where he received his Juris Doctorate degree with a certificate of specialization in Civil Law in 2005.

Bob...

Before starting a law practice in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, Matt left home to acquire the education and experience he needed to represent the people of Lafayette and Acadiana in legal matters. Earning first a college degree from Sewanee and then a law degree, with honors, from Tulane, Matt was a DeBlois-Sewanee Scholar and honors trial advocate. And he obtained the Tulane Civil Litigation Clinic's then highest ever trial award for an indigent client. Matt's law practice now draws on a wide range of experience and education to serve injured people in any Louisiana state or federal court. Matt has extensive...

Scott was recently selected as a 2018 Super Lawyers Rising Star, awarded to 2.5% of attorneys under 40. He was selected for the 2016 and 2017 “Top 10 under 40” award by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, as well as the 2016 and 2017 Louisiana “10 Best Attorneys” by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys for client satisfaction. He was also named as a Louisiana top 10 Attorney by Attorney and Practice Magazine for 2017.

Scott graduated cum laude from the Paul M. Hebert LSU Law center in 2015. During law school, Scott prepared for a career...

Upon leaving full-time status at the L.S.U Law Center, Eulis became a member of the Simien & Simien Law Firm. Eulis is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, Fifth and Eleventh Circuit United States Courts of Appeals, all federal district courts in Louisiana, the Louisiana Supreme Court and all inferior state courts. Eulis Simien maintains a general trial and appellate practice with emphasis on the areas of Personal Injury, Admiralty and Maritime, Class Actions, Complex Litigation and Criminal Defense. Speaking Engagements & Literary Works: Starting Your Own Practice (Panel Discussion), LSU Law Center, August, 2006...

Mark Simien graduated from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He began working in the chemical industry as an Operator/Processor. During his tenure with the chemical industry, Mark worked as both a relief supervisor, being placed in charge of several plant improvement projects, as well as relief supervisor for plant operations. Mark also worked as relief supervisor for the plant’s laboratory and was in charge of maintaining the scheduled and special testing necessary to maintain operations and shipments of the plant. Mark took this valuable experience with him to law school and then into practice when he...

25 years experience representing individuals, families, businesses and regulatory agencies on a local, state, multi-state and federal level. Come to your location for Construction/Corporate Law and others on a case by case basis. Serve GBR and surrounding towns for Family Law needs.

As the Laborde Earles Law Firm's managing partner and chief litigator, Lafayette personal injury lawyer David Laborde represents injury victims. Since 1991, he has been practicing law in Louisiana. Attorney Laborde is a Life Member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum®, and a member of the Lafayette Parish Bar Association and Louisiana Association of Justice. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Tulane Law School.

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...

Matthew D. Lane, Jr. is committed to helping the citizens of Acadiana and Louisiana whose claims for Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) have been denied. Disability law is all we do. And we have assisted hundreds of people obtain the Social Security benefits they deserve. The disability appeal process is long and complex, and when you are injured, sick, or severely depressed, it can be simply overwhelming. Matthew D. Lane, Jr. has the experience and tenacity to advocate for you at all levels of the disability appeal process, including Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)...

Bob Hawthorne is of counsel to the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He is one of the founding members of the firm and practices in the estate planning and probate, business and corporate, and real estate groups. Bob represents clients in the finance, acquisition, construction, purchase, refinancing, management, leasing and sale of various types of real estate developments, both commercial and residential, including office buildings, shopping malls, manufacturing facilities, retail centers, industrial facilities, and commercial developments.

Bob advises business and corporate clients with regard to commercial lending transactions, financings, and the structure and formation of corporate entities. He has extensive...

Cory Itkin is one of the most aggressive and prepared trial lawyers in the country with experience ranging in maritime accidents, trucking accidents, plant explosions, and other high-stakes personal injury cases. Cory has won verdicts and settlements for his clients in more than two dozen states. He has also obtained favorable results in high profile litigation such as his clients who lost loved ones or were injured in the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion.

Some of Cory’s best work has been on the cases that presented the biggest challenges. Cory has won jury verdicts in excess of $1 million in at least...

John Funderburk is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller and practices in the litigation and construction groups. He represents clients in energy, commercial, environmental, transportation, and construction litigation in both state and federal courts. Prior to joining the firm, John practiced with a global law firm from its Houston, Texas office.

John has represented both individuals and corporations in complex environmental litigation, contract disputes, maritime actions, personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits, deceptive trade practices claims, and oilfield contamination litigation. In addition, he coordinates with clients and experts to respond quickly to accidents and incidents across the...

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, I am a product of our local public schools. I graduated from LSU in 1983 with a degree in Finance. I graduated from Loyola New Orleans Law School in 1987, but before graduating, I tried my first jury case. It was a manslaughter charge. The Orleans District Attorney was impressed enough to offer me a job upon graduation. I was an Assistant District Attorney for Mr. Harry Connick from 1987 through 1990 and have been on my own since then.

As to public service after the District Attorney's Office, in 2009 I was elected to...