AARON & GIANNA - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• of Counsel

Mr. Weinberger, whose practice commenced in 1980, was one of the lawyers who comprised the original generation of attorneys litigating asbestos and silicosis claims at a time when he represented both employer interests, especially shipyards, and manufacturers of asbestos containing products, as well as related insurers. At this early time, he therefore also launched a career in coverage counseling, later serving as coverage counsel for the area's main airport as well as other political subdivisions, manufacturers and one of the nation's largest banks. In the early 90's, Mr. Weinberger was the first defense lawyer to try on the merits the issue resolved many years later by the Louisiana Supreme Court in Austin with the "significant tortious exposure" standard, which had previously been termed, "contraction." Likewise, on behalf of a leading Louisiana shipyard, for a period of years leading up to the issuance by the Louisiana Supreme Court of the Walls opinion, Mr. Weinberger repeatedly argued the points of law that Walls adopted. Finding that the Clean Water Act conferred on this State powers of which no one was aware, as co-counsel for the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board in the Mississippi River gypsum matter, Mr. Weinberger served on the team that prevented the Mississippi River from being polluted in a significant and unlawful manner by radioactive gypsum waste. As an environmental lawyer, Mr. Weinberger moderated a Joint Federal and State Workshop on Compliance with EPCRA, served on numerous CLE faculties in the areas of Environmental Law and Lender Liability, lectured for the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, promoted trial advocacy skills for NITA in various setting, and helped organize and present a national program on Toxic Torts. Mr. Weinberger was successful in helping to create law in the United States concerning the proper forum for litigation involving the London Insurance Market. He was for over a decade coverage counsel in Louisiana for the Environmental Claims Unit ("Special Liability Group") of one of the nation's top five P/C insurers. Mr. Weinberger practiced gaming law on behalf of the lessor to the State's first riverboat casino, in connection with which, Mr. Weinberger secured civil injunctions against the State Police and the Orleans Parish DA. In the Louisiana Supreme Court, Mr. Weinberger secured a judicial opinion in the realm of civil service law that leveled the playing field for state employers and similarly helped develop medical device law in Louisiana concerning OTC medical devices. And owing to the coincidence of Mr. Weinberger's practice emerging when the field of mass torts was born, he served as counsel for different entities in such litigation, often in an MDL context. Among the examples of such cases were DES, Dalkon Shield, Factor 8, breast implant and MDL litigation concerning several OTC drugs. Education Juris Doctor, Tulane Law School, with honors, 1980 Bachelor of Arts, University of Texas at Austin, with honors, 1977

Job Titles:

• Shareholder ( Treasurer and Director )
• Shareholder and Member of the Board of Directors of Aaron

DeWayne is a Shareholder and Member of the Board of Directors of Aaron & Gianna, PLC A Professional Law Corporation. He is a coordinator of the firm's Business and Civil Litigation Practices. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University and Loyola University School of Law. and has over twenty years of experience handling complex litigation and sophisticated transactions. DeWayne's litigation experience includes trial and appellate advocacy before a variety of state and federal courts including the U. S. Supreme Court. His substantive areas of practice have included commercial litigation, employment litigation, personal injury litigation, professional liability litigation,mass torts, worker's compensation defense, constitutional law, civil rights. land use and zoning, public finance, state and municipal government law and telecommunications.. DeWayne's transactional experience has included commercial transactions and public finance/municipal bonds. DeWayne has represented individual and corporate clients in a variety of employment related matters including issues involving Title VII, the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA. DeWayne has extensive experience with respect to lawyer ethics and professional responsibility. He served two three year terms as a Hearing Committee Chairman/Lawyer Member with the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board. DeWayne is active in bar related activities and is a member of the Louisiana Supreme Court's Committee on Bar Admissions. For several years he served as Bar Examiner for the Constitutional Law portion of the Louisiana State Bar Examination .DeWayne is admitted to legal practice in Louisiana and is a trained Mediator. He is BV rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Education Bachelor of Science, Louisiana State University (1998) Juris Doctor, Loyola University School of Law (2001)

Job Titles:

• Director
• Shareholder
• Vice President
• Member of NITA 's National Faculty
• Shareholder and Member of the Board of Directors of Aaron

Dominic is a Shareholder and Member of the Board of Directors of Aaron & Gianna, PLC A Professional Law Corporation. He chairs the firm's Civil Litigation Practice. He has been recognized by his colleagues as one of America's great trial lawyers and for 36 years has tried cases from both the plaintiff and the defense side throughout the United States. Dominic is also recognized as one of America's most dynamic and inspired teachers of advocacy, persuasion and trial techniques. He was honored as a recipient of the Robert Keeton award as the best teacher of advocacy in America by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), the American Bar Association's teaching arm. For 25 years, Dominic has served as a member of NITA's National Faculty, NITA Program Director and has led interactive NITA training programs throughout the English-speaking world, including every one of the 50 states, Canada, and Mexico, England, Scotland and Wales. As Principal Faculty for The Professional Education Group, Inc. (PEG, Inc.), he has delivered and led over 400 lectures and seminars throughout the world. His "Reel Justice," "Winning Before Trial," "A Day on Trial" (with Professor Thomas A. Mauet), and currently, "Advocacy for the Ages and Sexes: Persuading Genders and Generations" (with his seminar partner, Lisa A. Marcy), have been presented throughout the world to extraordinary acclaim. Dominic is the author of numerous publications on advocacy and persuasion, including Thomson West's Opening Statements 2d, Winning in the Beginning by Winning the Beginning (along with Lisa A. Marcy), Advocacy for the Ages (The Professional Education Group, Inc., along with Lisa A. Marcy), and numerous publications in legal journals. As a motivational speaker and seminar leader, he has trained thousands of lawyers of all ages and has experience in the arts of advocacy, persuasion and trial techniques. His techniques have changed the careers of thousands of trial lawyers of all ages and experiences throughout his 25 years of teaching advocacy. Dominic is a frequent commentator on Court TV, has made numerous television appearances on related matters and has been selected by professional groups from both sides of the courtroom to lead programs for them. He was recently selected, along with his partners Professor Thomas A. Mauet and Lisa A. Marcy, to be the Blockbuster Speaker at the Defense Research Institute's (DRI), annual meeting, along with President Bill Clinton and Justice Scalia. Dominic chaired the American Bar Association's Section of Litigation Annual Meeting in 2001 and acted as Program Chair in 1992 and 1994. He serves as Director of Trial Advocacy at LSU School of Law, is Principal Faculty of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy, and has taught at numerous law schools throughout America. As a trial lawyer, Dominic has tried over 150 cases in both state and federal courts throughout the United States in areas such as complex commercial litigation, product liability, toxic tort, employment law, medical malpractice, major construction disputes, anti-trust matters, medical malpractice and complex toxic tort cases. Dominic has served as District Judge pro tem by appointment of the Supreme Court of Louisiana and has been selected by both state and federal courts to serve as Special Master in complex matters. His client list includes Fortune 500 companies, medium-sized national businesses and small local organizations. Dominic has been a trial lawyer for 36 years. Prior to that, he worked as an organic chemist, professional athlete and professional actor. He received his B.S. degree from Manhattan College, New York, his M.A. degree in Chemistry from the State University of New York, and his law degree from Loyola University School of Law, where he was elected Editor-in-Chief of the Loyola Law Review. Dominic is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been listed in Super Lawyers in the area of Civil Litigation from 2008 to the present. Education Loyola University School of Law, J.D., 1974

Job Titles:

• Shareholder

John is a Shareholder of Aaron & Gianna, PLC A Professional Law Corporation. He is a coordinator of the firm's Civil Litigation and Product Liability Practices. John has over 30 years of experience in representing clients in a variety of areas including industrial accidents, environmental and toxic tort litigation, complex construction claim disputes, employment litigation, insurance coverage, maritime litigation and property and casualty insurance defense. He has been highly successful in assisting clients in finding creative and cost-saving solutions to their litigation problems. John is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. John regularly teaches advocacy and deposition skills to other attorneys at programs sponsored by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. He also serves on the Louisiana State University Law Center Trial Academy faculty. John is a past President of the University of New Orleans National Alumni Association (1990-1991). He served as President of the Lake Vista of Jefferson Civic Association (1986-1988), and has served as President of the Lambda Chi Alpha Alumni Association of New Orleans (1981-1982). Since 1989 John has served as a member of the Jefferson Parish Fire Civil Service Board. He currently serves on the Loyola University Alumni Association Board of Directors. Education Juris Doctor, Loyola University School of Law, 1980 Bachelor of Arts, University of New Orleans, 1977

Job Titles:

• Court Appointed Special Master
• Special Prosecutor

Job Titles:

• of Counsel

Job Titles:

• of Counsel

In a diverse career, Glenn Burns has been an Assistant Attorney General of Louisiana, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, partner with the firms Monroe & Leman as well as Hailey, McNamara, Hall, Larman & Papale. He has handled criminal matters in such areas as white-collar criminal defense and prosecution of present and former public officials, banking, and corporate executives. Civil litigation includes defense of wrongful death, toxic tort, mass tort class actions, qui tam claims, legal and medical malpractice claims, and civil RICO matters. In non-litigation matters, Glenn has handled public utility regulation and internal investigations for government contractors, hospitals, and public utilities. Education Louisiana State University Hebert Law Center, Juris Doctor, 1973 Louisiana State University, Bachelor of Science, 1971 University of Houston, Career Prosecutor School, 1974 Loyola University, Institute of Politics, 1978

Job Titles:

• Attorney
• Legal Advisor
• Managing Shareholder ( Chairman, President and CEO )

Bill is the Managing Shareholder of the law firm of Aaron & Gianna, PLC A Professional Law Corporation. He chairs the firm's business litigation practice as well as its transactions practice. A graduate of Duke University and Loyola University School of Law, Bill has over forty (40) years of general and specialized legal experience in the public and private sectors and is licensed to practice law in Louisiana, Texas and the District of Columbia. Bill represents a diverse group of clients across a variety of industries with a concentration in the areas of business and commercial litigation, banking and trusts, insurance and insurance coverage, serious personal injuries and wrongful death, state and municipal government, constitutional law and civil rights, land use and zoning, ethics and professional responsibility. Other areas have included real estate and housing, professional liability/licensing, alternative dispute resolution, creditors' rights and bankruptcy, class and collective actions, health care, toxic torts, criminal law, public education, media law, public utilities, telecommunications, labor and employment and product liability. Prior to his joining the earliest predecessor to Aaron & Gianna in January of 2000, Bill was a Partner in the New Orleans Office of Phelps Dunbar, LLP, an Am Law 200 firm. Bill has served as Assistant District Counsel for the U. S. Small Business Administration, Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Louisiana, Special Prosecutor for the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office, City Attorney for the City of New Orleans and outside general or special counsel for a variety of business, financial, governmental and not for profit clients. Bill is an experienced litigator and has served as lead counsel in complex and high-profile trials, appeals and writs before a variety of state and federal courts including the U. S. Supreme Court. He has overseen thousands of civil and criminal cases, argued over 650 pre-trial motions and served as lead counsel in over 200 Judge and Jury trials. Bill has authored over 120 appellate briefs and argued over 70 appeals. He has twice convinced the U. S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari in cases of national importance. In addition to being an experienced litigator, Bill is a seasoned transactional attorney and a licensed title insurance agent. He regularly oversees complex financial, real estate, corporate and commercial transactions as well as regulatory and compliance matters for private developers, financial institutions, government agencies and entrepreneurs. Bill is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell in the areas of Litigation, Commercial Law and General Practice. He is listed in the Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Municipal Law and Municipal Litigation. and in Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Business Litigation. Bill is a two-time recipient of the New Orleans City Business Newspaper's Leadership in Law Award. Bill has served as a court-appointed special master in toxic tort and other complex civil cases and as an expert witness on legal ethics, legal malpractice, and attorneys fees. He is a former member of the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, and in 2011 served as its Chairman. Prior to serving six years on the Disciplinary Board Bill served the attorney disciplinary system for five years as a Hearing Committee Chairman/Lawyer Member. Bill has had intensive training in alternative dispute resolution and has previously served as a Mediator, Arbitrator and Umpire with Mediation Arbitration Professional Systems, Inc. (MAPS) with offices in Metairie, the Northshore and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Over the past forty years, Bill has been an active participant in the activities of the various bar associations in which he has held membership.. Such participation has included service on the Board of Directors of the Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter, and the Board of Directors of the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, New Orleans Chapter. Bill has served as a legal advisor to local, state and federal government officials, federal agencies, state agencies, municipalities, parishes, school boards, housing authorities, economic development agencies, sewer and water boards, transit and transportation authorities, aviation boards, charter advisory boards, District Attorneys, charter schools and other public and quasi-public entities in a wide range of areas including: commercial lending, lender liability, governmental ethics, small business lending, home rule charters, municipal franchises, state and local taxation, affordable housing, gaming, real estate, land use and zoning, economic development, labor and employment, civil service, teacher tenure, public bidding and other procurements, open meetings, public records, DBE Policies and Programs, pensions and other benefits, real estate development, real estate financing, constitutional law, civil rights, construction, public finance, class actions, collective actions, insurance and insurance coverage, tax credits, tax abatements, public education, drainage disputes, toxic torts, access television, video services and telecommunications. Bill has served on the adjunct faculty at Loyola University's College of Law where he taught Civil Procedure as well as its School of Business where he taught Business Law. In 2021 he joined the adjunct faculty at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center where commencing with the Spring Semester (2022) he began teaching the required course entitled The Legal Profession (Legal Ethics). Bill is a much sought after lecturer on legal topics and has spoken at continuing legal education programs sponsored by the American Bar Association, the New Orleans Bar Association, the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, the National Business Institute, Loyola Law School, Tulane Law School, Southern University Law Center, Stetson University Law Center, the Louisiana Bar Association, the Florida Bar Association, the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, the National Bar Association, the Professional Educational Systems Institute, the Louisiana Judicial Council, the City of New Orleans Department of Law, the Jefferson Parish Department of Law and the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board. A prominent figure in local business and civic circles, Bill has served on the Board of Directors of a number of organizations including the Jefferson Business Council (Chairman 2016), Greater New Orleans, Inc., the Pontchartrain Park Community Development Corporation, Laureate Academy Charter School (Chairman 2016/2017, 2017/2018), 2018/2019 and 2019/2020), the New Orleans Museum of Art, CrimeStoppers, Volunteers of America and the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce (Chairman 2012). In January of 2015 Bill was named by New Orleans CityBusiness Newspaper as one of the thirty-five (35) "Driving Forces" on the New Orleans business scene in the ten-year period following Hurricane Katrina. In November of 2023 Bill was named by Biz New Orleans Magazine as one of the Most Influential, Involved and Inspiring Business Leaders in the New Orleans Area. Bill is deeply committed to diversity in the legal profession and is the recipient of the National Diversity Council's 2012 Multicultural Leadership Award. Education Bachelor of Arts, Duke University (1972) (Member Junior Varsity and Varsity Fencing Teams) Juris Doctor, Loyola University School of Law (1977) (Member National Moot Court Team)