Raymond P. Ward

• Chambers USA - Recognized Practitioner in Litigation: Appellate: Louisiana, 2024
• AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Louisiana Super Lawyers® (by Thomson Reuters) Appellate, 2013-2024
• Order of St. Louis IX Medallion, Archdiocese of New Orleans 2008
• President's Law Award, Franciscan University of Steubenville 2005
• Loyola Law Alumni Award, Loyola Law Review 1990
• Editorial Board Award, Loyola Law Review 1990
• New Orleans' Top Lawyers, New Orleans Magazine, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022

Ray typically defends clients in a range of industries, including oil and gas, manufacturing, insurance, and health care. His notable successes include the following:

• In a case arising from a massive industrial explosion, he helped win a reversal of an $88.75 million judgment against an electrical-products manufacturer.
• He helped win a judgment by the Louisiana Supreme Court restoring state funding of Type 2 charter schools, reversing a court of appeal’s judgment that had held the funding scheme unconstitutional.
• He has been deeply involved in several appeals related to massive, complex litigation arising from the Bayou Corne sinkhole, working with other members of the firm’s Appellate Team to win reversals in a series of appeals upholding the client’s right to arbitration with one adversary and a substantial reduction in the client’s fault allocation.
• He briefed, argued and won a case in the Louisiana Supreme Court reversing judgments against a refinery owner in favor of neighboring plaintiffs alleging emotional distress caused by a fire on the refinery premises.

• "Will I Ever See the Day When Lawyers Write without Clichés?", 20 Scribes J. Legal Writing 119 (2021–2022)
• "The Science Behind Plain Language", 19 Scribes J. Legal Writing 181 (2020)
• "Insider’s Guide to the Louisiana Appellate Courts", Appellate Practice Compendium 733 (ABA 2012)
• "Immortal Forms: The Vampires of Legal Writing", Defense 57 (DRI Jan. 2009)
• "Counting Each Shot: Techniques for Emphasis and De-emphasis", For the Defense 35 (DRI Nov 2008)
• "The Right Tool for the Job", Certworthy (DRI Winter 2008)
• "How to Write an Appellate Brief", A Young Lawyer's Guide to Defense Practice 381 (DRI 2006)
• "A Writ in Time", 51 La. B.J. 338 (Feb./Mar. 2004)
• "Standards of Review", A Defense Lawyer’s Guide to Appellate Practice 95 (DRI 2004)
• "Style, A Defense Lawyer’s Guide to Appellate Practice 205" (DRI 2004)
• "Humility", Certworthy 7 (DRI Winter 2003)
• "The Importance of Earnest Oral Argument", Certworthy 12 (DRI Summer 2009)
• "Ledet v Seasafe, Inc.: To footnote or not to footnote?", Certworthy 15 (DRI Winter 2002)

Presentations

• Compose a Winning Score: Powerful Writing, Louisiana State Bar Association (6 May 2022)
• The Persuasive Brief, from Cover to Conclusion, Adams & Reese LLP (28 July 2021)
• The Science of Brief Writing: How to Maximize the Art of Persuasion, Louisiana State Bar Association's Advanced Appellate Practice Webinar (9 Apr. 2021)
• Setting Precedents: 1st Annual Appellate Practice Seminar, Loyola University College of Law and Acadiana Law Firm, LLC (31 May 2018)
• Top 10 Ways to Lose an Appeal, Louisiana State Bar Association’s 2017 CLE Wrap-Up seminar (15 Dec. 2017)
• Professionalism on Appeal, Louisiana State Bar Association’s Advanced Appellate Practice seminar (16 Nov. 2017)
• Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal (11 Sept. 2017)
• Legal Writing Institute’s 14th Biennial Conference (30 June 2010)
• Louisiana State Bar Association's Legal Writing Seminar (20 Mar. 2009)