Mark W. Mercante

Meghan Smith is co-team leader of the firm's environmental litigation team and a member of the Energy, Environmental & Natural Resources and Construction industry teams. She focuses her practice on environmental/toxic tort, construction and energy litigation and arbitration, as well as regulatory compliance. Meghan's blend of litigation and regulatory-compliance experience, as well as her focus on environmental, construction, and energy-related matters, has positioned her as a go-to lawye...

Concentrating primarily in the areas of medical malpractice and legal malpractice defense, Karen P. Holland has over twenty years of experience representing a cross-section of healthcare professionals, including individual health care providers, hospitals, long term care facilities, clinics, same day surgery centers, and their various insurers .Ms. Holland’s defense methods include a thorough, determined and vigorous defense of the medical professional throughout the pre-litigation medi...

I’ve always stood up for the little guy, especially when they’re being pushed around by big insurance companies. My commitment to personal injury law grew out of a deep frustration with how everyday people are treated after an accident. I kept seeing the same pattern: hardworking folks doing everything right, raising families, paying their bills, showing up for work, only to be mistreated by the very systems that were supposed to protect them when they needed help the most. After ...

Francis “Rasch” H. Brown is an experienced trial lawyer who advises clients throughout the United States on tort litigation and commercial disputes, with an emphasis on product liability defense. In the products liability field, he has tried more than 35 cases to conclusion obtaining defense verdicts in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. Rasch is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Highly regarded for his ability to communicate scie...

Stephen R. Klaffky focuses his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, environmental litigation, insurance coverage and bad faith, and securities litigation and regulation. Stephen has represented financial institutions, investors, manufacturers, and employers through trial and on appeal. As lead counsel, he has successfully defended clients against allegations involving fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, lender liability, employment discrimination, and wrongful termination. He has also...

David N. Luder is the firm's managing partner. He maintains a varied arbitration and litigation practice covering a broad spectrum of industries and disputes. A key focus of David’s practice is financial services arbitration and litigation. He regularly represents domestic and international broker-dealers, banks, hedge funds and registered investment advisors in FINRA and AAA arbitrations across the country and institutional clients and individuals before regulatory bodies at all stages...

Albert O. "Chip" Saulsbury’s practice primarily focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate finance, and general corporate matters. Chip frequently represents private equity funds in acquisitions of portfolio companies, add-on acquisitions, other direct equity and debt investments, and exits or divestitures from these various investments. Chip also represents family investment offices and individuals in investments in private equity funds, hedge funds, and other direc...

David Korn practices in the area of labor and employment. He represents private employers, insurance companies and governmental entities in all facets of labor and employment law throughout the Gulf South, with particular emphasis in Texas and Louisiana. Mr. Korn serves as lead trial counsel in cases brought under federal and state employment law statutes. He has handled issues brought under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Stand...

Hirschel Abbott concentrates his practice in estate planning, closely held businesses and entity selection, fiduciary litigation, charitable planning, and tax-exempt organizations. He currently serves as a co-chair of the firm’s Tax, Trusts and Estates Practice Group. As a Board-Certified Tax Law Specialist and a Certified Public Accountant, Hirschel counsels businesses and other high net worth individuals and families on matters related to property, tax, and estate planning. He also ad...

H.S. Bartlett III (“Tad”), who leads the firm’s Appellate Practice, focuses on appellate advocacy and brings deep experience across state and federal courts nationwide. An Appellate Practice Specialist certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization , he serves as the 2026-2027 Secretary of the LBLS Appellate Practice Advisory Commission . Tad has built a nationally recognized appellate practice, representing clients in all Louisiana state courts, multiple federal c...