Layna Cook Rush

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...

John Shirley practices in the area of business law, having represented public utilities before the Louisiana Public Service Commission for over twenty years. His practice consists of representing electric, gas, water and sewer utilities, motor carriers, telecommunications companies, and wind and other renewable energy companies before the Louisiana Public Service Commission. He also consults and lobbies elected public service commissioners, the Louisiana Bond Commission, executive staff and t...

Tom Easterly, who was named a Partner at Taylor Porter in 2011, regularly advises local and national clients, including some Fortune 500 companies, with simple and complex business litigation matters, as well as various commercial transactions. Tom concentrates a substantial portion of his practice on the preparation and trial of complex commercial disputes. His work involves construction, real estate, redhibition, insurance, arbitration, toxic tort, workers’ compensation, breach of con...

Jacob is a member of Butler Snow’s Business Services Group and focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate law.

A member of the Taylor Porter Executive Committee, Partner Brett P. Furr is engaged primarily in a real estate and commercial litigation practice. In the last several years, his work has been related to commercial bank workout and litigation, including foreclosures, bankruptcies, defense of lender liability suits, and oil and gas cases and related matters. Mr. Furr is the former chairman of the Banking Law Section of the National Lawyers Association. On behalf of the Louisiana Bankers Associa...

James R. “Sonny” Chastain is a commercial litigator and business advisor with Kean Miller in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He represents businesses and individuals in complex federal and state court matters and provides counsel on the ownership, protection, and enforcement of intellectual property assets. His practice includes Commercial Litigation, Trademark Law, and Venture Capital Law. Sonny handles a wide range of commercial disputes, including contract negotiation and litigation, b...

Charles A. Schutte, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Banking and Finance, Litigation - Construction and Litigation - Real Estate. Charles A., who practices law in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2008. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Charles A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

Theodore Jones is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law and Securities / Capital Markets Law. Theodore, 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 Theodore is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jeff Gray is a senior partner in the Corporate Practice Group. For more than 30 years, Jeff has concentrated on corporate and commercial transactions, with an emphasis on commercial real estate development. Jeff has served as outside counsel to numerous Fortune 500 companies as well as local, regional, and national real estate developers. Jeff has also served as outside counsel for a broad array of national and international clients in the energy sector, with a focus on industrial site acquis...