COURINGTON - Key Persons

Blaine A. Moore was admitted to the Louisiana Bar, the U.S. District Court, Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit in 1987. She received her education from Presbyterian College (B.S., 1983), Cumberland School of Law, Samford University (J.D., 1987) and Tulane Law School (L.L.M., Admiralty, 1988).

Brittney Bullock Ankersen defends small business owners, fortune 500 companies and insurers against personal injury claims stemming from toxic tort, maritime, and casualty litigation. She also assists many of these companies in drafting and negotiating transactional agreements, including but not limited to, Master Service Agreements, End User Agreements and, other business contracting agreements with a special focus on indemnification clauses. Ms. Ankersen also represents government contractors with claims arising under the Clean Water Act, CERCLA, RCRA, Clean Air Act, chemical exposure and project development disputes. She is experienced in bad faith, indemnification, and insurance coverage litigation. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama in 2008 and her Juris Doctorate and Civil Law Certificate from Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law in 2012. At Loyola College of Law, Ms. Ankersen received the Law in Excellence Awards for the highest grade achievement in Torts II, Community Property and Constitutional Criminal Procedure. Ms. Ankersen also served as the Vice President of the Student Bar Association and Lieutenant Governor of the 13th Circuit for the American Bar Association. She is an active member of the State Bar Association and Federal Bar Association and is licensed to practice law in the Louisiana State Courts, the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana. She has also been admitted to practice Pro Hac Vice in multiple federal and state courts. Ms. Ankersen has a reputation for being personally invested in her clients and is known for her innovative strategy, which has afforded her clients success in obtaining dismissals and/or efficient resolution of cases on the best possible terms.

Daniel R. Estrada was born in New Orleans, La. He attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge , Louisiana where he earned his degree in History (B.A., 1996 ) and Juris Doctor (J.D., 1999). He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in Louisiana and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Mr. Estrada is also a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) and the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Louisiana (HLAL) where he has served as Secretary and currently serves as President. Mr. Estrada is a member of and sits on the Board of Governors for the Hispanic National Bar Association. Mr. Estrada serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, District 4. Mr. Estrada's litigation practice is concentrated in insurance defense with emphasis in general liability, premises liability, admiralty/maritime, automobile liability, products liability, construction defect and subrogation/recovery actions. Additionally, Mr. Estrada has experience in insurance coverage analysis and opinion. Mr. Estrada is fluent in Spanish. Daniel has over 12 years of successful litigation practice including:

Dawn Danna Marullo was admitted to the Louisiana State Bar in 2002. She is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, Eastern, Western and Middle Districts of Louisiana, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and before all state courts in Louisiana. She received her education from the University of New Orleans (B.S. in biology and B.A. in psychology,1999) and Loyola University School of Law (J.D. 2002). While in law school, Ms. Marullo was a member of Loyola University Law School's Moot Court, was a Moot Court teaching assistant and staff member. She was also a member of Loyola University's Trial Advocacy Team and competed in mock trial competitions in Louisiana and Texas. In 2017, Dawn was chosen by Thomson Reuters as a Super Lawyer. Ms. Marullo has extensive experience in the Louisiana court system having worked in both New Orleans Municipal Court and New Orleans Criminal District Court. While working in the Court system for certain Judges, her work included providing written legal opinions directly to the Judges for use in ruling on various motions and other matters. Her practice includes Insurance Defense, Admiralty and Maritime Law, Louisiana State Workers' Compensation, the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, Subrogation Claims, Criminal Defense and Family law. She has tried cases in state courts and criminal courts, including before state and domestic court commissioners, and before the Office of Workers' Compensation.

Job Titles:

• EDUCATION

James M. Matherne was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1999 and the Mississippi Bar in 2004. He is admitted to practice before all federal and state courts in Louisiana and Mississippi, the United States Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His education was at Louisiana State University where he graduated in 1993 with dual Bachelors of Arts degrees in Political Science (American Government curriculum) and Sociology (Law curriculum); and Loyola University (J.D. 1997). While earning his J.D., he interned with the Supreme Court of Louisiana from 1995-1997 where he assisted the Court in setting up its initial computer legal research systems. Upon graduation he served as law clerk to the 17th Judicial District Court of Louisiana from 1998-1999 where he assisted the Court with all aspects of trials and litigation including Clarice Friloux, et al. v. Exxon Corporation and Campbell Wells Corporation landmark toxic tort litigation. James has over 20 years of successful litigation practice including:

Job Titles:

• Member of the Louisiana State Bar Association

Jeffrey M. Burg is a member with 16 years litigation experience specializing in mass toxic torts, products liability, insurance and transportation defense, medical and legal malpractice, professional liability, and criminal defense; defending clients against a wide variety of misdemeanor and felony charges ranging from simple traffic violations to white collar crimes in municipal, state and federal courts. Jeff has successfully handled a variety of cases in state and federal court, including successfully arguing in front of the Louisiana Supreme Court. He received his undergraduate degree in Business Management from Spring Hill College in 1994 and received his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University in 1998. Jeff is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, New Orleans Bar Association, the Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit, Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, New Orleans Association of Defense Counsel and active in many community organizations in the Greater New Orleans Area.

Ms. McLaughlin's practice consists primarily of insurance defense, products liability, and toxic tort litigation. She has extensive litigation experience defending contractors in products liability, premises liability, and personal injury lawsuits, and has successfully argued a number of pre-trial motions at both the state and federal court level for various clients. In addition, having served a two-year federal clerkship with the United States Department of Labor's Office of Administrative Law Judges, she has direct experience with the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act, the Defense Base Act, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Ms. McLaughlin is licensed to practice law before all state and federal courts in Louisiana and is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association. Jennifer graduated from Louisiana State University in 2005 (B.A., History), and received her Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, from Southern University Law Center in 2008, where she graduated in the top 3% of her class. During law school, Jennifer served on the Editorial Board for the Southern University Law Review. Jennifer is actively involved with the Alumnae Board for St. Scholastica Academy, where she was named the 2010 Distinguished Young Alumna of the Year. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys running, LSU football, and spending time with her family.

Job Titles:

• CEO
• Founding Member
• Managing Member

Kaye N. Courington, CEO and Founding Member, has tried hundreds of claims in seven trials in Louisiana and Mississippi. Six of the trials involved mass litigation of 10 to 129 plaintiffs (the longest jury trial in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana history). In her capacity as National Coordinating Counsel for a major client of the firm, she helps oversee litigation across the country. Kaye has testified before a section of the Louisiana Legislature on the issue of hedonic damages regarding tort reform. She has co-chaired the Perrin Conference on Issues Driving Toxic Torts. Kaye was on the Environmental/Energy Editorial Board for the Journal of American Law. She co-chaired the symposium "Asbestos and Toxic Torts - With a Louisiana Twist" at Tulane Law School sponsored by the Tulane Law Review. In 2016, Kaye spoke at the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel New Orleans Conference on the topic, "How to Strategically Prioritize Your To-Do's to Balance Work and Life". Kaye has been voted a New Orleans Magazine "Best Lawyer in New Orleans" by peer attorneys multiple times. She has also been chosen multiple times as a Leader in Law by New Orleans City Business. She has been featured in the American Bar Association's Meet the Rainmaker column of Law Practice Management and in the Minority Corporate Counsel of America rainmaker profile issue. Kaye has also been chosen as a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters for many years. She has also been named a New Orleans City Business Woman of the Year in 2017. Kaye is admitted to the Louisiana Bar, the U.S. District Court, Eastern, Western and Middle Districts of Louisiana, the Texas Bar, and the United States Supreme Court. She received her education from H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College (B.A.) and Tulane University (M.Ed.; J.D., cum laude.) Civic activities include appointment to the Director's Council of the Newcomb College Institute, an academic center at Tulane University with a mission to educate women for leadership in the 21st century. Additionally, she previously served as the parents club liaison on the Board of Directors of St. Andrews Episcopal School in New Orleans. In 2017, she was named Woman of the Year by the Louisiana/Mississippi Leukemia Lymphoma Society for raising over $130,000.00 in its Man/ Woman of the Year competition. She serves on the board of the Louisiana/Mississippi Leukemia Lymphoma Society and was the 2018 co-chair of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Josephine Louise House at Tulane University. She is on the Board of Trustees of the Louise S. McGehee School and also on the Advisory Committee of Health Access Connect which provides health services to rural areas in Uganda.

Job Titles:

• Research Institute Louisiana Bar Foundation

Louis O. Oubre is happy to rejoin Courington, Kiefer, Sommers, Marullo, & Matherne, LLC in 2021 as a member. He focuses his practice on defending companies in toxic tort and personal injury litigation. Louis has extensive experience handling discovery, depositions, motions practice and mediation. He also represents clients in the areas of products liability and insurance coverage defense. A magna cum laude graduate and student government president at Nicholls State University, Louis worked eight years in classical radio and with the United States Department of Treasury before attending Loyola University School of Law. He graduated in 1997 in the top 10% of his class with Moot Court honors. Louis is licensed to practice before all Louisiana State Courts, including the Louisiana Supreme Court, the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, New Orleans Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, Fifth Circuit Federal Bar Association, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, and the Defense Research Institute. Louis is married and has two children. He is a supporter and founding charter member of the National World War II Museum and is honored to support its mission to tell the stories of the brave men and women who sacrificed so much for the freedom we enjoy today. He is also a former president of the New Orleans Symphony Chorus and former board member of the New Orleans Symphony.

Job Titles:

• EDUCATION

Mathilde Villere Semmes practices in products liability and toxic tort litigation, with additional experience in the areas of general liability, insurance, and criminal defense, as well as appellate advocacy. She works with corporate clients in all phases of the litigation process including initial case assessment, discovery, motion practice, expert workup, fact and expert witness depositions, trial preparation and trial. She is responsible for drafting and arguing discovery and pre-trial motions in both state and federal court. Mathilde recently achieved successful summary judgment rulings on a client's behalf before the Eastern District of Louisiana (2021) as part of her toxic tort practice. She has been chosen as a "Rising Star" Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters for 2020-2023. Mathilde is admitted to the Louisiana State Bar (October 2014) and Tennessee State Bar (May 2021). She is licensed to practice in Louisiana and Tennessee State Courts, the Middle and Eastern Districts of Louisiana, and the Louisiana Courts of Appeal. She is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the New Orleans Bar Association, the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, the Tennessee Bar Association, the Nashville Bar Association, and the Defense Research Institute (DRI). Mathilde is a graduate of Rhodes College (B.A., cum laude, 2010) and Loyola University College of Law (J.D., 2014), where she was admitted into the Order of the Barristers, a member of the Maritime Law Journal, and an oralist and coach for various Moot Court competitions. She was named a finalist for the Frank L. Maraist Award of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel in 2017. Mathilde also has a history of working with pro bono organizations. She currently represents minors in Immigration Law cases as part of her practice in Tennessee. She was awarded "Law Student of the Year" by The Pro-Bono Project New Orleans, received the Gillis Long Poverty Center's "Public Service Award", and practiced as a student practitioner in the Community Justice Law Clinic while in law school.

Scott B. Kiefer was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1988, the U.S. District Court, Eastern, Western and Middle Districts of Louisiana and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit in 1990. He received his education from Southern Methodist University (B.A., 1985) and Louisiana State University (J.D., 1988). He was the Law Clerk to the Hon. Edwin F. Hunter, Jr., United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana, 1988-1990. He is a member of the New Orleans, Louisiana State and Federal Bar Associations, the Bar Association for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel and the Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute. His practice includes Insurance Defense, Admiralty and Maritime Law, State Workers' Compensation, and the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act. He has tried cases in state and federal court and before the United States Department of Labor, Office of Administrative Law Judges.

Troy Nathan Bell was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 1990, and he is admitted to practice before all federal and state courts in Louisiana, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He received his education from Loyola University (B.A. 1985) and Southern University Law Center (J.D. 1990) where he was an Associate Editor of the Law Review. In addition to his varied litigation experience, he was privileged to serve as law clerk for the Honorable Revius Ortique Jr., Associate Justice, and the Honorable Felicia Toney Williams, Associate Justice Pro Tempore of the Louisiana Supreme Court Troy has served as an Administrative Law Judge for the City of New Orleans, and he has served on National and Regional Trial Teams for National Clients. He has tried numerous cases throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, and he has managed thousands of complex mass tort claims. Troy has been appointed co-chair of the Louisiana State Bar Association Diversity Committee. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he is active in the community where he serves as mentor to disadvantaged youth, he is a speaker in the local public schools, and he is involved in the New Orleans Pro Bono Project. In addition, he is active as a coach and assistant coach at area playgrounds, and is a member of his church's Male Chorus.

Job Titles:

• Founding Co - Chair of the Restaurant Retail & Hospitality Practice Area Committee for NAMWOLF

Valerie Theng Matherne is a named Member of Courington, Kiefer, Sommers, Marullo & Matherne, L.L.C. She is a current member in good standing of the Louisiana and Mississippi Bar Associations. She was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1998 and Mississippi Bar in 2002. She has concentrated her practice in the realm of civil defense litigation, including automobile, product liability, environmental, toxic tort, bad faith, insurance coverage, premises liability, construction, and employment law. Valerie received her education from Florida State University (B.S.,1995) and Loyola University School of Law (J.D.,1998). At Loyola, she served as the Secretary of the Student Bar Association and was a founding member and Vice-President of the Loyola Chapter of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA). Valerie is on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Minority and Women-Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF). She also co-chaired the 2016 NAMWOLF Business Meeting in New Orleans, which welcomed over 300 attendees from law firms and Fortune 500 companies from across the country. Valerie is the founding Co-Chair of the Restaurant Retail & Hospitality Practice Area Committee for NAMWOLF. She has served on NAMWOLF's Diversity Initiative Award Committee (which awards a NAMWOLF corporate partner for its commitment to using minority and women-owned law firms) since 2014. Valerie was recognized as a "Mover and Shaker" in Diversity & the Bar, a publication of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA). She was featured in the American Bar Association's Law Practice Today article, "Another Face of the Law" (July 2017). Valerie formerly served on the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel. Additionally, she has received an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest peer recognition rating for professional excellence.