Independence Lawyers

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...

Troy Charpentier is a dedicated and experienced Louisiana Attorney. He joined Kean Miller in 1996, where he works with the Litigation Group in the Baton Rouge office. Troy has successfully represented local, regional and national clients in an array of legal disputes. His practice areas include General Commercial Litigation such as Contract Claims, Lease Disputes and Landlord/Tenant matters. Additionally, Troy advocates for clients with Pipeline Permitting and Incident Response before the Department of Natural Resources. He has extensive experience in Pipeline Expropriation projects. Troy is committed to providing outstanding service and the best possible outcomes.

Troy received a B.A. from Louisiana...

Mallory McKnight Fuller is an associate in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in 2014 and practices in the utilities regulation and construction groups.

Mallory earned her B.A., magna cum laude, from Louisiana State University School of Architecture in 2011, where she received the AIA Henry Adams Medal. She earned her J.D./D.C.L., cum laude, from the LSU Law Center in 2014, where she was named to the Chancellor's list and earned the CALI award for Business Associations, International Environmental Law and UCC Security Devices.

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...

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

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...

Amanda Bourgeois is a partner in the Baton Rouge office. She joined the firm in 2012 and practices in the business and corporate group. Amanda has experience representing clients in connection with a variety of transactional matters, including asset and stock acquisitions and sales and the drafting and negotiating of industrial and construction procurement, purchase and service contracts. She has also assisted individuals and businesses with entity formation, structure and governance, including the drafting of organizational documents and planning of overall corporate structure.

Amanda received her J.D. in 2010 from the LSU Law Center where she was a member of the...

Beau Bourgeois is an associate in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2016 and practices in the commercial litigation and construction litigation groups. Beau has represented and counseled owners, general contractors, and subcontractors in the industrial and commercial markets and in both the private and public sectors. He has drafted construction contracts for owners, drafted and filed numerous Private Works Act liens, assisted clients with obtaining contractor’s licenses in multiple states, and represented clients in Public Bid Law disputes.

Prior to joining Kean Miller, Beau served as an Issue Editor for the Louisiana Law Review...

Why choose Joe Larre? Here is why you should call today! Joe Larré is a local Personal Injury Attorney who also practices in personal injury, property damage and real estate. His list of credentials include: Practiced and excelled in car accident claims property damage claims, and injury claims since 2003. Licensed to practice law in Louisiana. Admitted to practice law in Federal Eastern and Middle District and Chitimacha Tribal Court. Certified by NHTSA’s Certificate of Completion of the 24-credit hour course in DUI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing. Graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Southeastern LA University. Graduated in 2003...

Allison Benoit is special counsel in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in 2005 and practices in the toxic tort, occupational exposure, and commercial litigation groups. Prior to joining the firm, Allison practiced at an insurance defense firm in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Allison earned her B.A. in English, magna cum laude, from Louisiana State University in 1999. She earned her J.D. in 2003 from the LSU Law Center where she was a member of the Moot Court Board and a semi-finalist in the Robert Lee Tullis Moot Court Competition.

The Butler Law Firm is a minority-owned firm dedicated to providing high-quality and value-priced legal services to its individual, business and governmental clients in the areas of civil and commercial litigation, workers' compensation defense, debt collections, contracts and business development.

Bill has more than four decades of experience in the area of real estate law and represents lenders, title insurance underwriters and commercial and residential real estate developers.

Bill is an AV-rated lawyer and has been named as one of Louisiana's Super Lawyers.

Background and Education Mr. Mitchell was born in Mobile, Alabama on April 7, 1963. He graduated from Louisiana State University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He attended Louisiana State University, The Paul M. Hebert, School of Law from which he obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1989. During law school, Mr. Mitchell was awarded the Outstanding Oral Advocate award by Mr. F. Lee Bailey during the F. Lee Bailey National Moot Court Competition. Mr. Mitchell's team placed second in the country. Mr. Mitchell was also a member of the National Moot Court Team and was...

Jeff Greenberg founded the Greenberg Law Firm in New Orleans, Louisiana to help victims of personal injury and employment violations.

As an associate attorney of Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas LTD LLP, Ryan Cook maintains an active securities arbitration and litigation practice. Mr. Cook has worked on numerous cases dealing with individual investors, high net worth and institutional investors, corporate executives, regional banks and municipal issuers.

Prior to beginning his law practice, Mr. Cook worked in the securities industry as a licensed and registered representative with a large broker/dealer. He received his Juris Doctor (JD) degree from South Texas College of Law, where he earned his degree Summa Cum Laude (with highest honor) as the graduating salutatorian. Mr. Cook...

Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Stanley C. Kottemann, Jr., received a Business Degree from Louisiana State University, his Juris Doctorate Degree from Tulane University School of Law and his Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of New Orleans. He served as Assistant District Attorney for the Parish of Orleans then opened his own practice in collection law. Mr. Kottemann has practiced commercial, consumer and traffic law for over 20 years now.

Attorney Ben E. Clayton, of Clayton Law Firm, located in Slidell, Louisiana, has practiced law in Louisiana since 1986 after graduating with a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola University School of Law (New Orleans) that year. He is a 1980 graduate of University of New Orleans and Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America (1974). Mr. Clayton was an attorney with Hailey, McNamara, Hall, Larmann & Papale, a large insurance defense law firm in Metairie, Louisiana from 1986 - 1990 and was a staff attorney for Aetna Casualty & Surety Company from 1990 to 1996. Aetna was acquired by Travelers...

Dana Brent Brown is the Managing Attorney of The Law Offices of Ossie Brown. He was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and he is the son of former East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Ossie and Faye Brown, a retired teacher. Dana has managed The Law Offices of Ossie Brown since his father’s retirement in 2000.

Susan is originally from Monroe, Louisiana and is a mother of two. Susan is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University and Southern University Law Center. After becoming a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association in 1998, she began her career at The Law Office of Ossie Brown in 1999. She also served as an Assistant Public Defender from 2000 to 2008 with the Baton Rouge Public Defender’s Office. Susan’s areas of practice include: Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, DWI, and Traffic Offenses.

Kris is a father of two and has been a resident of Baton Rouge since attending LSU in 1993. While at LSU, Kris, a two-time letterman, was a special teams captain for the LSU Tigers football team and recipient of the LSU Scholar Athlete’s Award. Since graduating LSU Law School in 2000, Kris has made an impression by helping hundreds in the courtroom and volunteering in the community.

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...

Jeffrey W. Weiss attended high school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, from which he graduated with honors, and college at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, from which he received a B.A. degree in 1983, graduating magna cum laude, with honors in economics. Upon graduation from Claremont McKenna College, Jeff was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa.

Jeff obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from Tulane School of Law in 1986, from which he graduated summa cum laude. At Tulane, Jeff served as a member of the Tulane Law Review, and was admitted to the Order of the Coif honor society.

Jeff has...

Greg Anding is a litigation partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 1995 and practices in the trial, toxic tort, expropriation, and commercial litigation groups. Greg represents clients in asbestos and benzene defense, other occupational and toxic tort litigation, hearing loss claims, expropriation (eminent domain) litigation, civil and business litigation, and construction law.

Greg has particular experience representing clients in cases involving premises liability, products liability, personal injury involving occupational and chemical exposures, and pipeline expropriation and expansion projects. He has specialized in asbestos and benzene litigation for over 20 years. Greg has handled...

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...

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...

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

Edward J. Walters, Jr. has been representing individuals in personal injury cases for over 40 years.

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

John S. McLindon, Criminal Defense Attorney located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. With his 34 years of experience, he can provide superior legal representation in any United States Federal Court or State District Court in Louisiana. As well as administrative law matters, licensing boards, and appeals. John is an alumnus of Louisiana State University, LSU Paul M. Hebert Law School, and Catholic High School of Baton Rouge.