LEAKE & ANDERSSON - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Special Counsel
- Special Counsel / New Orleans
Andrew Abrams brings to the firm over a decade of experience in the areas of civil defense litigation, government affairs, and intellectual property. He has worked extensively in matters involving representation of public bodies, commercial transactions and the music industry. He has also negotiated and structured numerous successful settlements and joint ventures on behalf of his clients.
Andrew strives to empower his clients with effective legal counsel and resources. Focusing on his clients' specific needs, he takes pride in individually tailoring legal services to accomplish their identified objectives. Whether drafting or reviewing a legal document, negotiating an agreement or contract, or providing representation in complex litigation, he is committed to the task at hand.
Personal
Andrew is a resident of uptown New Orleans and is the proud father of a son and daughter with his wife, Laura.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New Orleans
Claire A. DiMaria is an associate attorney at Leake Andersson in the New Orleans office. A Baton Rouge native, Claire graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Health & Human Sciences in 2019. She then moved to New Orleans to earn her Juris Doctor from Tulane University School of Law in 2023. Claire has been admitted to practice in all Federal and Louisiana state courts. Claire is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association.
During her time in law school, Claire developed her oral advocacy skills as a veteran member and the head coach of Tulane Law's International Criminal Moot Court Team. She also gained hands-on litigation experience as a student attorney at the Tulane Law Juvenile Justice Clinic where she was sworn in to practice law under Louisiana Supreme Court Rule XX.
Personal
Now a full-time resident of New Orleans, Claire enjoys playing with her puppy, Roman, traveling, going to concerts, and trying new restaurants across the city in her free time.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Principal
- Principal Partner / New Orleans
Craig M. Cousins is a partner, who has practiced at Leake Andersson since 1997 after a judicial clerkship in the 24th Judicial District Court for the Parish of Jefferson. He serves as a member of the firm's Management Committee.
Craig maintains a practice in the areas of transportation and automobile litigation, commercial and retail litigation, insurance defense, premises liability, and casualty. He has tried cases in both State and Federal Courts and arbitration forums.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Principal
- Adjunct Professor of Law at Tulane University Law School
- Elected Chair of ALFA
- Principal Partner / New Orleans
Edward T. Hayes is a partner at Leake Andersson, where his practice focuses on both litigation and corporate/transactional matters. On the litigation side, Mr. Hayes represents clients in products liability, general casualty, and commercial litigation matters in state and federal courts throughout the Gulf South region. Mr. Hayes also has extensive experience handling insurance coverage matters, as well as MDL, class action and mass casualty cases.
Mr. Hayes actively works on corporate and transactional matters and leads the firm's international trade and business practices. His practice areas include freight and logistics contracts; supply chain and third country/outsourcing arrangements; U.S. and foreign government contract procurement; customs classification and country of origin matters; import/export transactions; contracts for the sale and distribution of goods and services; and antidumping/countervailing duty proceedings. He also actively participates in international commercial dispute settlement and arbitration and was selected by the Office of the United States Trade Representative to serve on the roster of panelists eligible to adjudicate international trade disputes under Chapter 19 of the United States-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement.
Mr. Hayes also maintains an active public policy and government relations practice, where he advises businesses and local governments on trade policy and economic development issues. He regularly works with the US House and Senate committees of trade jurisdiction, appropriations, commerce, and agriculture, as well as the Office of United States Trade Representative, Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security/Customs and Border Protection, Food and Drug Administration, and Department of Agriculture.
Mr. Hayes serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Tulane University Law School where he teaches a course on international trade policy and practice. In 2014 the country of Ukraine appointed Mr. Hayes to serve as the Honorary Consul to Ukraine for the State of Louisiana.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Partner
- Principal
- Principal Partner / New Orleans
George Fagan is a founding partner and principal of Leake Andersson (established October 1, 1987) and works in the firm's New Orleans office. He is the firm's practice group leader for appellate, employment, insurance coverage and professional liability litigation and consultation. He has tried over 50 lawsuits in federal and state courts in Louisiana and Mississippi and over 20 arbitration hearings and proceedings throughout the United States. George has argued over 100 appeals in state and federal appellate courts. He regularly speaks, chairs panel presentations, and publishes papers and articles on topics in his areas of practice, as well as e-discovery, ethics, and document retention issues.
George represents many different insurers that issue a wide range of policies and types of coverages who become involved in first and third coverage disputes and related litigation, including handling coverage reviews, bad faith litigation and other lawsuits based on Louisiana's Direct Action Statute. George's business and commercial practice includes collection, credit reporting, intellectual property, real estate, and securities litigation. His employment practice focuses on representing employers in discrimination, harassment, whistleblower, and wrongful discharge litigation as well as insurers or plans involved in employee and group benefit plans and ERISA related litigation.
George has held leadership roles and earned honors during nearly thirty years of active involvement with ALFA International, a global legal network of which Leake Andersson has been a member firm for over 40 years. ALFAI's 75 U.S.-based law firms and over 80 international law firms employ around 10,000 lawyers. George has chaired ALFAI's Insurance and Labor & Employment Practice Groups and remains a member of both groups as well as ALFAI's Professional Liability Practice Group. George also served on the ALFA International Board of Directors and its Executive Committee and continues to serve on several key committees.
Personal
George lives in New Orleans with his wife and from time to time plays guitar in a rock n' roll and blues band with some very good friends, as he has done since he was a teenager.