Leigh Ann Schell and Jeff Richardson Earn Appellate Practice Specialist Designation in Louisiana

New Orleans attorneys Leigh Ann Schell and Jeffrey E. Richardson have earned the Appellate Practice Specialist designation, as certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization.

Schell and Richardson earned the designation, which notes their focus on representing clients in appellate law, following the passage of a two-part examination and application to the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. Only nine attorneys in Louisiana currently hold this distinction.

Notably, Schell is one of two women to earn this designation for the first time.

Schell’s practice involves appellate work in complex litigation, including environmental matters, toxic torts, products liability and commercial litigation. She has earned significant appellate victories throughout her career, including an appeal to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Simoneaux v. DuPont, which resulted in a ruling that is important to all who must comply with the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and Toxic Substances Control Act. Schell often becomes involved in litigation at the trial stage, handling motion practice, charge conferences and preserving error for appeal. She has also co-authored legislation on governmental hiring of outside counsel and co-wrote and testified in favor of Louisiana’s Daubert statute, which governs the admissibility of expert opinions.

Schell received her J.D. from the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 1989 and her B.A. from the University of New Orleans in 1987.

Richardson represents clients in litigation, especially class actions and complex litigation. A major emphasis of his practice is appellate litigation, where he has substantial experience sifting through complex trial court records to select the focus of the briefs and oral argument. He also has experience considering the defense of litigation from the client side thanks to experience serving as visiting in-house counsel for a New York-based Fortune 25 company, working on a variety of complex class action and tort cases. Richardson is the author of the widely acclaimed blog iPhoneJD.com, which has frequently been named the best legal technology website and has been named to the ABA Journal’s Blawg Hall of Fame.

After receiving his B.A., summa cum laude, from Emory University in 1991, Richardson went on to receive his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center.