GLL - Key Persons
Alistair ("Ali") Ward was born in Birmingham, Michigan, but grew up primarily in the New York metro region. Ali has been practicing law since 1996 and is licensed to practice in all Louisiana state and federal courts.
Andre is a native of New Orleans and has been practicing law since 2017. Andre is admitted in all state courts in Louisiana, and has also has admission in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Andrew was born in Rockford, Illinois and has been practicing law since 2016. Andrew has experience defending clients in personal injury, premises liability, bad faith and insurance coverage proceedings throughout Louisiana. Andrew has defended individuals, companies and insurance carriers and has enjoyed success at the trial and appellate levels.
Attie Babin Carville was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She has been practicing law since 2002. She is licensed in the State of Louisiana, and also has admission in the following federal courts: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and all U.S. District Courts in Louisiana. Her practice focuses on insurance coverage, counseling, and litigation.
Brad is a New Orleans native and works primarily in the firm's New Orleans office. He specializes in the defense of products liability and aviation cases. He has represented component part manufacturers, Part 135 operators, and commercial airlines in state and federal courts across Louisiana. Brad has also defended corporate and insurance clients in cases involving serious personal injury and wrongful death claims arising from offshore accidents, construction mishaps, and trucking wrecks.
Brad has taken numerous cases to trial over the past few years. He has also defended and prosecuted appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Louisiana and Texas intermediate appellate courts, and the Louisiana Supreme Court. He is licensed in Louisiana and Texas state and federal courts, and has been admitted as pro hac vice trial counsel in various other state and federal courts in the Gulf South.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the Louisiana State Bar Association
Brandi Nicole Cormier was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and joined the New Orleans office as an associate in the litigation section in September 2020. Brandi is admitted to practice law before all Louisiana state courts, 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.
Brandi is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the New Orleans Bar Association, the Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit, the American Bar Association, and the St. Thomas Moore Inn of Court. In her free time, Brandi enjoys being outdoors, coaching her son's little league teams, and cheering on the LSU Tigers and the New Orleans Saints.
Job Titles:
- Contributor
- Member of the Defense Research Institute
Brendan is a third generation trial lawyer, born and raised in Tampa, Florida. Brendan relocated to New Orleans for college, and after graduating, attended Loyola University School of Law.
Brendan began working with GLL in 2002 as a law clerk. After passing the bar examination, he joined the associate ranks, and was promoted to the partnership. After obtaining his Texas law license, Brendan relocated to Houston and became the manager of litigation for the Houston office. GLL's Houston office has become remarkably successful and continues to grow.
Brendan has tried cases at every level of the Texas and Louisiana state and federal judicial systems, and has also argued appeals in the U.S. Fifth and Eighth Circuits, as well as various Texas and Louisiana appellate courts. In addition, Brendan has practiced pro hac vice before courts in Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Brendan is a frequent contributor to industry and bar-related publications, including DRI and Institute of Energy Law publications, as well as the Louisiana Bar Journal.
In 2017, Brendan was elected as a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. Election is based on outstanding contributions to the legal profession and a commitment to the community, and is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a member of the State Bar of Texas.
In addition to the State Bar of Texas and the Louisiana Bar Association, Brendan is a member of the Defense Research Institute, the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, the Institute for Energy Law, the Houston Bar Association, and the Irish-American Bar Association.
Brendan also served as a research assistant to a prominent professor, assisting in the defense of two significant capital murder cases. In addition, Brendan served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Carl J. Barbier, a revered federal judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Brendan has been married for over 15 years to Kirsten Doherty. They reside in the Highland Village area of Houston. In his free time, Brendan enjoys traveling, fishing and cooking.
Carla was born and raised in Gulfport, Mississippi where she attended the University of Southern Mississippi. Carla came to call Houston home while attending South Texas College of Law Houston.
Licensed in Texas, Carla is also admitted to the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas, as well as New Mexico. She is also admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Her practice areas include: general civil and commercial litigation, general negligence, trucking and auto accidents, personal injury defense, premises liability, products liability, and workplace injuries.
Charlotte Ann Fields was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and has called Houston home since 2002. Licensed in Texas in 2001, she is also admitted to the United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Charlotte's practice areas include: appellate, general casualty litigation, oil and gas/energy litigation, personal injury, wrongful death, construction defect, premises liability, and products liability claims.
Christine was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She attended Louisiana State University where she graduated summa cum laude with bachelor degrees in both History and Political Science. Christine then went on to study law at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law where she graduated cum laude and was a member of the International Law Review Association.
Christine is licensed in both Texas and Louisiana and is admitted to practice before the Southern District of Texas and the Eastern District of Louisiana. Her practice areas include: general civil and commercial litigation, personal injury defense, premises liability, products liability, and construction defects.
Emily E. Eagan was born and raised in New Orleans. She is admitted to practice before all Louisiana and Texas State courts, as well as the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal.
Erika Mullenbach Cunningham grew up in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. She is licensed to practice in Louisiana, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. Erika started her legal career with a law firm in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; however, she fell in love with New Orleans during her years at Tulane Law and returned to make New Orleans her home after Hurricane Katrina. Her practice areas include Insurance Coverage Litigation and general insurance defense.
Ernie is one of the founding partners of the firm. He has over 40 years of experience trying cases before Federal and State court juries and judges in Louisiana, Texas and throughout the United States. His areas of practice include products liability, class actions, complex litigation, insurance, and toxic tort.
Ernie's experience includes representing diverse national and international companies involving product defect, catastrophic fire casualties, oilfield disasters, toxic exposure, toxic waste as well as environmental litigation. Ernie has served as national lead trial team counsel as well as regional counsel in litigation involving mass tort, multidistrict and class action litigation, including FEMA temporary housing, pain pumps, latex gloves, catheters, pedicle screws, surgical mesh products, pharmaceuticals and generic herbal supplements. He has a reputation as a tenacious legal advocate on behalf of his clients and has a passion for trial work. He is often called on as substitute trial counsel when his clients approach trial in catastrophic cases.
Ernie is admitted to practice in both Louisiana and Texas. Ernie has also litigated cases on behalf of his clients in numerous other jurisdictions throughout the country, including state and federal courts in Pennsylvania, Washington, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Hawaii, Alabama, Arizona, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Georgia, and Ohio.
In 2002, the National Law Journal recognized Ernie as part of the Thomas & Betts defense team featured as winning the 2001 Defense Verdict of the Year. In 2010, he was selected as a one of the top ten attorneys in the United States by a client from a national list of thousands of their trial counsel. Such recognition is rare.
Ernie has been a SuperLawyer from 2008 to the present. He has also been recognized by selection into Who's Who Legal in the specialty area of Product Liability.
Ernie is rated "AV" Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell.
Estelle Eiserloh was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and grew up in both New Orleans and Baton Rouge. She has been practicing law since 2022 and is licensed in the State of Louisiana. She is admitted in the following federal courts: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, United States District for the Eastern District of Louisiana, United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, and the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Her practice areas include Personal Injury and Insurance Coverage Litigation.
Gina was born in an Army hospital in Fort Benning, Georgia, but was brought to the New Orleans area before she was a year old and thus considers herself to be a New Orleans area native, as is the rest of her family. She grew up in Westwego, Louisiana and has resided in Harahan, Louisiana since 1995. She has been practicing law since 1991 when she joined the firm as a staff attorney. Prior to joining the firm, she served as judicial clerk to the Honorable Judge Veronica Wicker at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Gina is licensed in the State of Louisiana and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of the Louisiana.
J. Clark McMillan was born in New Orleans and raised in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. He has been practicing law since 2014. He is licensed in the State of Louisiana, and is also admitted to practice in the Eastern District of Louisiana and Western District of Louisiana. His practice areas include Insurance Coverage Litigation and Business and Commercial Litigation.
John has been practicing law since 2018. He is admitted in all state courts in Louisiana, and Louisiana's three federal district courts. His practice areas includes personal injury claims, premises liability, and insurance coverage disputes. He is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel.
Mr. Baay has a wide-ranging litigation practice defending personal injury claims, including fires and explosions, environmental releases and toxic torts, auto accidents, premises liability, and workplace injuries. For more than two decades, he has handled cases involving claims for serious personal injuries including traumatic brain injuries, burns, toxic exposure and orthopedic injuries. He has also used his business background to handle complex commercial litigation.
Mr. Baay attended Tulane University, and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Math and Psychology in 1984. He graduated from the University of New Orleans with a Master of Business Administration in 1989. He graduated from the Law Center at Louisiana State University in 1994. While in law school, he was selected for the school's National Moot Court Team.
Before attending law school, Mr. Baay was a commercial banking officer in the energy and maritime department of a large regional bank. He also taught college preparatory calculus, physics and other math and science courses in a New Orleans high school. Since 2009, he has been an adjunct professor at Tulane Law School teaching Trial Advocacy. He is an active member of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel and recently served on its board of directors. He is also a member of Defense Research Institute (DRI), American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) and Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM).
John Baay was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He grew up in Amarillo, Texas, and has been practicing law since 1994. John is licensed in all state and federal courts in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. His practice areas include: Complex Litigation, Environmental and Toxic Tort Litigation, Products Liability, Premises Liability, Bankruptcy and General Civil Litigation.
During Ken's 40 years as a trial lawyer he has tried cases in a broad range of areas, including product liability defense, aviation, oil and gas, environmental litigation, mass tort, commercial and admiralty and maritime litigation. Ken has acted as lead trial counsel on behalf of his clients, including product manufacturers, technology companies, oil and gas companies and industrial contractors in connection with personal injury litigation and commercial disputes. Ken has served as lead counsel in more than 75 multi-party jury trials in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and Pennsylvania courts, both state and federal, and in numerous other bench trials and arbitrations. He has also litigated complex cases to a successful conclusion in Arizona, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina and Hawaii. He has represented over 20 different Part 135 helicopter operators, as well as numerous fixed wing operators and FBO's.
Kim obtained a Bachelor Degree from Texas A&M University before earning her J.D. from South Texas College of Law in Houston. During law school, Kim competed on the prestigious South Texas College of Law's Varsity Moot Court Team. She won Best Brief for the TYLA State Moot Court Competition and was a National Qualifier for the National Moot Court Competition. She also competed in South Texas College of Law's Negotiation and Mediation Advocacy program. Kim now gives back to the Advocacy Program as an adjunct professor.
While in law school she interned for the Honorable David Hittner in the Southern District of Texas. In her final year, she was a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Beau Miller in the Harris County 190th Civil District Court. She is also a certified mediator.
Kim graduated law school in 2020 and is licensed in the State of Texas. She handles a wide array of complex commercial litigation cases including products liability, personal injury and contract disputes. She has also represented local and international clients in multiple Multi-District Litigation proceedings. Kim has counseled clients throughout the various stages of litigation and has successfully argued dispositive motions and negotiated favorable settlements on behalf of her clients.
Job Titles:
- Senior Counsel
- Managing Member of Gieger
Lambert Laperouse was born and grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana and at an early age assisted in his father's abstracting company that served the oil and gas industry. In such capacity, Lambert was trained to conduct courthouse research in order to develop the chain of title to lands of concern to the industry and to assemble the results of such research into abstracts for examination by oil and gas title attorneys. Upon obtaining his law degree, Lambert joined a Louisiana based law firm and continued servicing the oil and gas industry, initially in rendering title opinions for exploration, development and/or acquisition purposes with respect to lands situated onshore Louisiana or on the outer continental shelf. Over time, Lambert's practice area broadened to include transactional work and associated contractual and regulatory advice.
Lambert is currently the managing member of Gieger, Laborde & Laperouse, L.L.C., with offices in New Orleans and Houston. He has been an oil and gas practitioner since 1979, assisting clients in energy related matters with a primary focus on the Gulf Coast area.
Lambert is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Petroleum Landmen's Association in New Orleans and has participated and delivered presentations in numerous seminars conducted by that organization, the Houston Association of Petroleum Landmen, the American Association of Professional Landmen, the OCS Committee, and other oil and gas related associations.
Skip was born in Providence, RI. He was raised in Rhode Island and lived there until he started Tulane Law School in 1985, and has lived in New Orleans since that time. Skip has been practicing law in Louisiana since 1988 and in Texas since 1994. He is licensed in both states and admitted in all state and federal courts in Louisiana and many state and federal courts in Texas. His practice areas include: Aviation, Admiralty and Maritime, and Oil and Gas litigation, as well as Oil and Gas contractual work.
Morgan Ashley Druhan was born in Mobile, Alabama. She grew up in both Alabama and Louisiana, and has been practicing law since 2016. Ms. Druhan is licensed in the State of Louisiana, and also has admission in the following federal courts: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Her practice areas include Personal Injury and Insurance Coverage Litigation.
Ms. Druhan's practice areas include personal injury claims, involving auto accidents, premises liability, and workplace injuries. She also renders coverage advice to clients relative to these matters.
Ms. Druhan attended the University of Kansas, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2013. She graduated cum laude from Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in 2016, and was a Senior Editor for the Journal of Energy Law & Resources.
Throughout her law school and professional career, Morgan has been an active participant in providing pro bono legal work. In 2018, she was awarded the Louisiana State Pro Bono Publico Award by the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Lafayette Volunteer Lawyers Pro Bono Award by the Lafayette Bar Association. While obtaining her undergraduate degree, Ms. Druhan was a four year softball letterman, pitching for both the University of South Alabama and the University of Kansas.
Nick Bergeron was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has been practicing law since 2017. Mr. Bergeron is licensed in the State of Louisiana, and is admitted in the following federal courts: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, and United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
Nick's practice areas include a broad range of areas, including personal injury, premises liability, aviation, environmental litigation, mass tort, as well as insurance coverage disputes. Prior to joining the firm, Nick served as an Assistant District Attorney at the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office, where he conducted numerous trials and motions hearings.
Nick attended Louisiana State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2013. He graduated cum laude from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2017, and was an active member of numerous organizations, including the Loyola Maritime Law Journal, the Loyola Trial Advocacy Program, and the Loyola Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic.
Out of the office, Nick enjoys spending time with his wife, Erica, playing golf, cooking, listening to music, and rooting for the Saints and LSU Tigers.
Patrick O. Weilbaecher was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana where he attended Brother Martin High School. He is licensed to practice in all Louisiana state courts. His practice areas include civil litigation and coverage disputes.
Rachel G. Webre is a native of New Orleans and has been practicing law since 2000. She is licensed to practice before Louisiana state courts and is also admitted to practice in all Louisiana federal district courts and in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Rachel has nearly 20 years of experience defending clients in medical professional liability, products liability, personal injury, insurance coverage and premises liability litigation before state and federal courts and in mediation proceedings throughout Louisiana. Rachel has defended individuals, companies and insurance carriers in cases involving personal injury and wrongful death and has handled multiple cases involving claims for punitive damages. Rachel routinely defends her clients against claims involving catastrophic injury and has been successful in minimizing her clients' exposure in these types of cases. Rachel has also handled a wide variety of insurance coverage issues in the interpretation of commercial general liability, health care general and professional liability and automobile liability policies.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the Louisiana State
Becca focuses her practice in insurance coverage litigation, but also has broad experience with insurance defense and liability issues. She is passionate about working with clients to identify the most effective and efficient resolution for the case or matter. She puts clients at ease by identifying solutions, minimizing exposure, and maximizing available solutions and/or defenses. She has a history of successfully litigating, mediating and resolving insurance coverage disputes in State and Federal courts throughout the country, including both first and third party disputes. She has experience representing insurers from pre-suit through trial, and if necessary, appeal, depending on the needs and desires of each client.
Following law school, she practiced for several years in Chicago in the realm of insurance coverage and insurance defense handling cases involving medical malpractice, general tort litigation, construction negligence, premise liability and other direct negligence actions. She has extensive experience handling insurance coverage disputes in the London market involving complex issues of contract formation, policy interpretation, policy defenses, and dispute resolution. Prior to joining the firm, Becca relocated to New Orleans to work for a boutique insurance defense firm where she handled cases involving general liability, professional negligence, whistleblower actions, and catastrophic loss for state, federal, and multi-district litigation.
Becca is a member of the Louisiana State and American Bar Associations. In her free time she paints, practices and teaches yoga, and spends time with her husband and dog.
Job Titles:
- Louisiana Associations of Defense Counsel
- Member of the New Orleans
Mr. Siegel is a seasoned trial lawyer, with more than 40 years of experience trying cases before state and federal judges and juries in Louisiana, Texas and elsewhere. He is also uniquely qualified in insurance coverage matters, defense of insurance bad faith claims, and has presented continuing legal education seminars on coverage related issues. He not only renders coverage advice, but has also won coverage disputes for major insurance companies.
Mr. Siegel is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Eighth and Eleventh Circuits, the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana, Southern District of Texas and all Louisiana and Texas state courts.
Shannon Robbie Ramirez was born in Houston, Texas. She grew up in Baytown, Texas, and has been practicing law since 1995. Shannon is licensed in the State of Texas, and also has admission in the following federal courts: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, and U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Her practice areas include: Business and Commercial Litigation, Premises Liability, Construction Defects, Employment and General Civil Litigation.
Sonia Lopez was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and began practicing law in 2019. Ms. Lopez is licensed in Texas. Her area of concentration is personal injury.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the Louisiana State Bar
Stefanie N. Stephens is an Alabama native who has been licensed to practice law in Louisiana since 2018. She is admitted to practice before all state courts in Louisiana and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Stefanie is a member of the Louisiana State Bar, the Greater New Orleans Chapter of the Louis A. Martinet Society, and Junior League of New Orleans. In her spare time, Stefanie enjoys traveling and spending time with her loved ones.
Stephen was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana where he attended high school at St. Martin's Episcopal School. Stephen is licensed to practice in Louisiana and the following federal courts: the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. His practice area includes Product Liability, Medical Malpractice, Premises Liability, Insurance Coverage, and General Civil Litigation.
Tara Elizabeth Clement was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She has been practicing law in New Orleans since 2001. Tara is licensed in the State of Louisiana and the State of Texas, and also has admission in the following federal courts: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, and U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. Her practice areas include Public Entity Law, Education Law, Municipal Law, Insurance Defense, Uninsured Motorist Law, Insurance Coverage, Premises Liability, and Employment Law. Tara also has several years of experience practicing in the areas of commercial litigation; corporate and business law; municipal law; zoning and land use; historic preservation law; successions, and real estate law.
Tori is a native New Orleanian, who was born and bred in the City. Tori attended Louisiana State University for both her undergraduate and law degrees. Consistent with her deep roots in Louisiana, Tori has a long history with the firm, having clerked with GLL while in law school, joining the firm as an associate in 2010, and becoming a member of the firm in 2019.
Tori is licensed in the State of Louisiana and has practiced at every level of the Louisiana judicial system, including most of the 42 Louisiana judicial district courts, each of the five Louisiana Courts of Appeal as well as the Louisiana Supreme Court. She is also admitted to practice and has equal experience before all three of Louisiana's federal courts and the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal. In addition, Tori has practiced pro hac vice before courts in other states in order to represent and protect the interests of her clients. As a recognition of her level of skill, experience, and success achieved for her clients, Tori has been repeatedly recognized as a Rising Star in Civil Litigation by her peers.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Louisiana Association of Defense
William Worsley was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He has been practicing law since 2014. William is licensed in the State of Louisiana, and also has admission in the following federal courts: U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Western, and Middle Districts of Louisiana. His practice areas include: Business and Commercial Litigation, Insurance Coverage and Defense, Trucking, Construction Defects, Premises Liability, and General Civil Litigation.
Mr. Worsley is a member of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel.
Zachary attended Samford University where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Communication. While at Samford University, Zachary was a part of the university Mock Trial Team and graduated while on the Samford Dean's List as well as the National Dean's List.