Best Lawyers Near You in Lafayette, Louisiana

Jerry Schiff practices in the areas of mediation and bankruptcy/ debtor-creditor law. He joined Gordon Arata in 2006 after serving over a decade as U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Louisiana. While he principally presided over cases in the Lafayette, Opelousas and Lake Charles Divisions of the Western District, he occasionally sat in the Shreveport and Alexandria Divisions, as well as the Eastern and Middle Districts of Louisiana. It was in the latter District where he presid...

Robert M. Kallam is a seasoned litigation attorney with more than thirty years of experience representing clients in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels. Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, he is a shareholder at Kean Miller and focuses his practice on Administrative / Regulatory Law and Admiralty and Maritime Law, along with complex civil litigation arising from marine , energy, transportation, and insurance-related matters. He regularly represents companies involved in hig...

Suzette Marie Smith is a seasoned family law attorney with 36 years of experience guiding clients through divorce, child custody, support, spousal support, injunctions, and matrimonial agreements. A certified Family Law Specialist by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization, she is recognized as a Louisiana Family Law Super Lawyer and AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Discover more about Suzette’s practice here .

Mark R. “Tiger” Pharr III has represented clients for more than 35 years in a wide range of matters, including construction defect, premises liability, insurance defense, personal injury, professional liability, and trucking. Tiger’s litigation practice includes jury trials, bench trials, mediations, and arbitrations, and he has handled appeals before state and federal courts. His experience also includes acting as a mediator and arbitrator in civil cases. Explore Tiger&rsqu...

Robert Waddell is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. He focuses on intellectual property litigation. Robert advises and represents clients in matters involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair trade practices, and unfair competition. Robert also handles matters related to commercial and business litigation, including breach of licensing, confidentiality, consulting, and employment agreements. He has represented clients throughout the United States in federal and...

Mr. Stevens was born in Opelousas, Louisiana and served in the U.S. Army JAG Corps. He earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Louisiana State University Law School in 1979 and served as Law Clerk to the Honorable John M. Shaw, United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana until 1981. He is admitted to practice in all federal and state courts in Louisiana, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and is duly admitted and qualified as an Attorney and Counselor of the Suprem...

Army joined the Firm in March 2011, bringing the knowledge and experience he earned over the course of his successful entrepreneurial career. His practice focuses on creditors’ rights, bankruptcy, and commercial transactional work for corporate, oil, gas and energy clients in Louisiana and Texas. Army is also one of only seven Sub-Chapter V bankruptcy trustees selected by the Department of Justice’s United States Trustee Program to serve in the State of Louisiana. Army is a skille...

Gary Russo is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. He practices in areas involving oil and gas, commercial and environmental, and insurance fraud and coverage. Gary is an accomplished litigator who represents clients in a broad range of commercial, multi-district, mass tort, and class action disputes. He has extensive trial experience, having organized, handled, and argued cases before judges and juries in state, federal district, and appellate courts in more than half of the US states...

Now in his third decade of practice, Kyle Polozola offers substantial experience advising participants in Louisiana’s energy industry. Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, Kyle’s practice at Kean Miller spans litigation, appeals, and transactional matters, with a particular focus on Administrative / Regulatory Law, Energy Law , and Oil and Gas Law. He regularly assists clients with practical, business-oriented legal solutions that are clearly communicated, cost-conscious, and aligned wi...

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

Bob Duplantis has dedicated his entire career to the oil and gas industry. Prior to joining the firm in 1982 and establishing its Lafayette office, Bob spent more than a decade serving in-house oil company legal departments, including six years as a lobbyist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Bob’s law practice focuses on Louisiana oil and gas regulation and “meat-and-potato” legal issues. He routinely argues contract disputes affecting the oil and gas industry, including lease inte...

Greg Duplantis’ legal practice centers on oil and gas property title examination with an emphasis on analyzing and rendering complex opinions concerning title that is held by production. He frequently calculates varying royalty interests, overriding royalty interests, and proportionately burdened net revenue interests. Greg routinely renders “stand up” title opinions that require physically searching the indices of courts' conveyance records and executing opinions on site. H...

Sam Masur’s practice is concentrated in the areas of oil and gas litigation, general commercial litigation, oil and gas titles, oil and gas and oil field service company acquisitions and divestitures, and general business acquisitions and divestitures. In both Louisiana state and federal courts, Sam litigates oil and gas and general business contract disputes involving oil and gas leases, overriding royalty interest agreements, joint operating agreements, and distribution agreements and...

Selected to the 2016 Louisiana Super Lawyer list in the Environmental Litigation practice area (other years recognized: 2013, 2014, 2015) 2011 Baton Rouge Area Environmental Lawyer of the Year Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Environmental since 1995 Practice Concentration & Experience Summary: Since he began practicing in 1979, Mr. McNamara has handled a wide range of civil litigation in venues throughout Louisiana. Concentrating on energy litigation...

Selected to the 2016 Louisiana Super Lawyer list in the Environmental Litigation, Energy and Natural Resources Law, and Business Litigation practice areas (other years recognized: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) 2014 Baton Rouge Area Environmental Lawyer of the Year; 2016 Lafayette Area Environmental Lawyer of the Year Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for Energy Law, Litigation - Environmental, Natural Resources Law and Oil & Gas Law Practice Concentration & E...

A Lafayette native, Jimmy earned his Juris Doctorate from Louisiana State University Law School in 1986. During law school, he authored an article entitled “Native Born Acadians and the Equality Ideal” 46 LA. Law Rev. 1151 (1986). He is admitted to practice in all federal and state courts in Louisiana, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is also admitted to practice in Texas. He is currently Treasurer of the Francophone Section of the Lo...