James Best

Mike deBarros is a partner at Kean Miller in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and leads the firm’s Insurance Coverage and Recovery practice group. His practice focuses on Insurance Law and Litigation – Insurance, representing policyholders in disputes involving the scope and application of insurance coverage. Mike works with Fortune 500 companies as well as closely held and local businesses in matters against insurance companies. Mike has handled hundreds of insurance matters in Texas and ...

John Blackman is a partner in the Tax Practice Group. He focuses on employee benefit plans, estate planning, and individual, corporate, and pass-through entity income tax planning. John has drafted qualified plans, employment agreements, and deferred compensation plans; has advised and represented clients on tax and ERISA matters, including Internal Revenue Code Section 409A; and has frequently represented clients in matters involving ERISA litigation. He works with clients to draft complex w...

Randy Roussel practices in the area of business and finance. His general business practice is concentrated in the areas of real estate, banking, and commercial transactions. Mr. Roussel has represented Wampold Companies, Waffle House, Whitney National Bank, Carmouche Construction, and a variety of multifamily and commercial developers. Mr. Roussel’s practice emphasizes mixed-use real estate development. He works on HUD 221(d)(4) and other multi-family financing programs. Prior to joinin...

Trippe Hawthorne is a Baton Rouge, Louisiana attorney with Kean Miller whose practice focuses on construction development , dispute resolution, and commercial litigation . He advises clients through all phases of construction projects and related disputes, offering practical and business‑minded guidance grounded in experience with both private and public sector matters. Clients and colleagues value his collaborative approach and his ability to address legal issues with clarity and efficiency....

Louis M. Phillips is a partner at Kelly Hart Pitre and leader of the firm’s Bankruptcy & Business Reorg. practice. Mr. Phillips provides legal representation and consultation for debtors, creditors, and trustees over a broad practice area, including transaction and business structuring and restructuring, bankruptcy reorganization, and bankruptcy and commercial litigation. He also handles civil cases in state and federal courts and has handled matters before the Fifth Circuit Court o...

Ragan Richard practices in the area of business and finance. He focuses in the areas of commercial transactions, agricultural and corporate law, real estate, finance, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. Mr. Richard has represented both individuals, and companies and underwriters, and led legal teams in the acquisition, financing, development, operation and sale of commercial, industrial, agricultural properties and businesses. His practice includes representation of banking and...

Dwayne Johnson is an environmental law attorney at Kean Miller in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He represents clients on a wide range of environmental law matters, including air and water issues, solid waste, hazardous waste, underground storage tanks (USTs), wetlands , remediation under Superfund and RECAP, release reporting, incident response, and environmental permitting and enforcement. His practice also includes negotiating and implementing settlement agreements in class action and Superfund l...

Karleen Green has a blended labor and employment practice which concentrates on employee benefits and employment matters for both public and private employers, including compliance with federal and state employment laws as well as ERISA, HIPAA, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and COBRA. She represents clients in various industries, including construction, health care, public utilities, package and freight delivery, financial services, fueling, gaming, industrial equipment, insu...

Charles Landry is a partner and member of Fishman Haygood’s Business Section. Charles concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate development, real estate finance, land use and zoning. He has represented numerous parties in a wide range of real estate transactions, which include residential developments (including Traditional Neighborhood Developments), office buildings, shopping malls and centers, hotels and medical facilities, golf course communities, and industrial developm...

Heather Sharp is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law. Heather, who practices law in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Heather is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.