Litigation

The Adams and Reese Litigation Practice is ranked Band 3 in Louisiana and Band 4 in Tennessee by Chambers USA.

While we work to resolve matters at the bargaining table, our effectiveness in negotiations is enhanced by our strong bench of seasoned trial lawyers and their experience in the courtroom. Our litigation clients include small companies up to Fortune 50 companies, public companies as well as privately held and not-for-profit organizations.

• Commercial – Adams and Reese commercial litigators have handled a full range of disputes including those involving contracts and agreements, bankruptcy and restructuring, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, trade secrets, securities, antitrust and unfair competition and regulatory defense.
• Complex / Class Actions – We represent clients in complex litigation and class actions throughout the United States. Our team is adept at navigating the CAFA and jurisdiction issues that characterize class action lawsuits. Our attorneys have a broad understanding of the impact which judicial decisions, regulatory action and legislative developments can have on complex disputes, and strive to align litigation strategy with the clients' business objectives.
• Employment – Our experience in the defense of employment and labor claims is among the most extensive in the Southeast. Lawyers on our team are located across the southern United States and possess knowledge of labor and employment cultures in their locales. Our team members have argued and advocated before state and federal courts as well as the EEOC, the OFCCP, the NLRB, OSHA, the DOL Wage-Hour Administration as well as various state and local workplace agencies.
• Intellectual Property – We partner with our clients to manage risk through coordinated and bespoke strategies involving clearance advice, robust portfolios, well-drafted contracts and up-to-date compliance. Our most satisfactory “wins” are the many instances in which we are able to achieve a client’s objective without resort to litigation. When litigation is unavoidable, we focus on the commercial objectives of clients, while assessing legal, commercial and reputational risk. In many cases, our ability to probe opponent weakness and globalize a dispute leads to early resolution on commercially favorable terms.
• Product Liability – Adams and Reese has defended a variety of manufacturers, sellers, and distributors against product liability claims, including class actions, for more than 35 years. We have served as national, regional and local counsel, and we have participated in virtual law firm models where our attorneys staff discovery and expert development teams in national class actions and multidistrict litigation (MDL) proceedings.
• Toxic Torts – We defend global manufacturing companies in complex toxic tort and environmental litigation throughout the United States. Our lawyers have represented manufacturers whose operations have seen the use of alleged toxic substances such as asbestos, plastics, oil, gas, petrochemicals, benzene, MTBE and NORM. Our lawyers manage mass tort dockets in the hundreds of cases and serve as both national trial counsel and local counsel.
• Appellate – Our appellate advocates have briefed and argued cases in federal and state appellate courts, both where we tried the case and where our work began with the appeal. In each jurisdiction, we have collected exemplary pleadings including briefs, writ applications and motions. We leverage our attorneys’ past experience and familiarity with certain appellate and trial judges, and we stay current on local rules and customs for each jurisdiction.

Many law firms handle dispute resolution. At Adams and Reese, our litigation teams all have seasoned trial lawyers. So when resolution at the negotiation table is not possible, we stand ready to try cases – and deliver results for our clients. – Liz Roussel, Commercial Litigation Practice Group Leader

Summary

We have litigators and trial lawyers in each of our offices, which allows us to provide seamless service in our Southeast footprint and across the country. Our lawyers handle trials through appeals and have represented clients in state and federal courts and before U.S. Courts of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

We know that our clients are looking for more creative approaches to billing and fee arrangements, and we are prepared to deliver. We work closely with clients to approach fee arrangements in ways that bring both predictability and cost-effectiveness to our representation of clients, including flat fees, success fees and contingent fee work.

Defining Strengths

• National counsel
• Strategic management and budgeting
• Multidistrict litigation (MDL)
• Commercial litigation
• Complex litigation
• Class action litigation
• Toxic tort litigation
• Mass tort litigation
• Product liability litigation
• Insurance regulatory litigation
• Drug and device litigation
• Securities litigation
• Financial services litigation
• Premises liability litigation
• Intellectual property litigation
• Environmental litigation
• Consumer fraud and economic loss litigation
• Tax litigation
• Appellate litigation