HALE INJURY LAWYERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Mission Based on Trust and Respect
We believe that trust is the foundation of every relationship, which is why we put our clients first. The decisions we make, the actions we take, and the respect with which we treat our clients is based on our mission and vision.
Our mission is to take a genuine interest in our clients and their families, to understand their objectives, and meet and exceed their expectations.
For our clients, we will work hard, provide superior legal services in a timely, effective and efficient manner, always maintaining the highest standards of professional integrity.
For our firm, we will foster an enjoyable working environment based on open communication and mutual respect, and we will encourage initiative, innovation, teamwork and loyalty.
Steven W. Hale was recently named to the Top Personal Injury Attorneys in Acadiana.
Steven W. Hale was named a 2013 Top Personal Injury Attorney in Acadiana.
Steven W. Hale was named a 2014 Top Attorney in Acadiana in the fields of Admiralty and Maritime Law and Family Law.
Steven W. Hale was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1953. He was raised in Memphis, Tennessee and Little Rock, Arkansas before moving to Lake Charles, Louisiana. He considers Lake Charles his home.
He attended Landry Memorial High School and was Class President of the first graduating class of St. Louis High School in 1971. Whereupon he attended Louisiana State University as an undergraduate before being accepted to attend Louisiana State University Law School as an early admissions candidate after three years of undergraduate course work. He graduated from Louisiana State Law School in 1977 at the age of 24. He was selected and participated on the Louisiana State University Law School Moot Court Board and graduated in the top of his class.
Seeking employment after graduation he began his career as a law clerk for the Judges of the 14th Judicial District Court in Lake Charles. He had the privilege of working with Judge Henry Yelverton, Judge Warren Hood, Judge William Swift, Judge L.E. Hawsey, and Judge Cecil Cutrer.
He was asked by the District Attorney of Calcasieu Parish, Frank T. Salter, Jr. to work as an Assistant District Attorney prosecuting criminal cases. As an assistant district attorney he successfully prosecuted felony and misdemeanor charges. He argued cases before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the Louisiana Supreme Court.
He decided to devote his talent and time to the private law firm of Salter, Streete and Hale. For over 20 years he represented people from all walks of life who were wrongfully injured through the negligence of others.
In the year 2000 he moved to his current location to fight for and protect families who were injured. His practice focuses on serious personal injury, disability, and related family matters.
He continues to handle select criminal matters.
He particularly enjoys working on truck and automobile accidents, offshore and Jones Act accidents, industrial workplace safety issues and premises liability.
He has successfully handled thousands of personal injury claims.
He was awarded the highest peer review rating of "AV" from Martindale-Hubbell for 2004-present.
He was selected as a Louisiana Super Lawyer in 2007, 2008 and 2014. In 2012, he was named to the Top Personal Injury Attorneys in Acadiana.
He is admitted to practice in all State and Federal Courts in Louisiana.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute
- S Selection to Super Lawyers Rising Stars
Steven Hale's selection to Acadiana Profile magazine's Top Lawyers in the area of personal injury
W. Taylor Hale was born and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He graduated from St. Louis Catholic High School, attended Louisiana State University and earned his B.S., cum laude, from McNeese State University. Taylor earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School in New Orleans, serving on the Editorial Board of the Loyola Law Review as Articles Editor and graduating at the top of his class. Taylor's law review comment, A Critical Misdiagnosis: Re-Evaluating Louisiana Medical Malpractice Act, was selected for publication in the Fall 2007 edition of the Loyola Law Review. During his time at Loyola, he was the recipient of the Lemle & Kelleher, LLP Scholarship in 2007-2008.
Immediately upon graduation from law school, Taylor accepted a job practicing maritime law at the New Orleans insurance defense firm Phelps Dunbar LLP, where he gained extensive experience representing maritime employers, vessel owners, and insurers in a wide variety of matters with a focus on personal injury defense and insurance litigation. Taylor has experience conducting shipboard investigations involving vessel collisions, personal injuries and cargo damage requiring him to liaise with insurers, vessel crewmembers, government actors, and response professionals.
Taylor returned to Lake Charles and since this time he has devoted his practice to helping the wrongfully injured receive the compensation they deserve. The knowledge Taylor gained from working for an insurance defense law firm and defending personal injury claims allows Taylor to provide valuable insight to your personal injury claim.
In 2012, Taylor was named a Top Trial Lawyer in America and is a Life Member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which requires a settlement or verdict over one million dollars on behalf of his clients for membership.
In 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, Taylor was selected by his attorney peers as a Louisiana Super Lawyer Rising Star (Top Attorneys Under 40 in LA) in the area of Plaintiff's personal injury. This recognition is conferred upon no more than 2.5% of attorneys in Louisiana that have practiced 10 years or less.
In 2017, Taylor was named a member of The National Trial Lawyer's Top 40 under 40 for the State of Louisiana.
In 2019 and 2021, Taylor was selected as a Top Lawyer in Acadiana in the practice area of personal injury litigation. Each year, Acadiana Profile publishes its Top Lawyers list. The voting to determine the top attorneys for Acadiana Profile magazine is open to all licensed attorneys in the Acadiana, Louisiana market area. Each attorney is asked which attorney, other than himself or herself, they would recommend in the Acadiana area.
Taylor's practice focuses on serious personal injury and maritime/offshore cases. He has litigated a variety of personal injury cases including those involving automotive/trucking liability, maritime/offshore/maritime accidents, premises liability, industrial/workplace safety, and products liability. In his maritime practice, he has handled numerous cases involving the Jones Act, OCSLA, LHWCA, DOHSA, and general maritime law.
Taylor has successfully litigated hundreds of cases throughout the State of Louisiana, acquiring extensive experience. In addition to his Louisiana state court experience, Taylor has litigated a multitude of cases at the federal level within the State of Louisiana and across the Federal Fifth Circuit. He has represented clients in all phases of the litigation process from inception through resolution in motion practice, mediation, and trial.
Taylor is admitted to practice in all of the state and federal district and appellate courts of Louisiana and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Taylor served as Treasurer of the Young Lawyer's Section of the Southwest Louisiana Bar Association and as co-chairman of Holiday Helping Hands. Taylor is involved in his local community, and serves as an officer on the Board of Trustees for Bishop Noland Episcopal Day School. Taylor has also served in a leadership role in the fight against cancer by participating in the Real Men Wear Pink campaign during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
He is a member of the American Bar Association, Louisiana State Bar Association, Southwest Louisiana Bar Association, Louisiana Association for Justice, American Association for Justice, Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Louisiana Super Lawyers Rising Stars and The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40 for the State of Louisiana. In his spare time, he enjoys being outdoors, travelling, grilling, fishing, hunting, and spending time with family and friends.
Taylor was recently named to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum which requires a settlement or verdict over one million dollars on behalf of his clients for membership.
Taylor is a member of the Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute ("SEALI"). SEALI was formed 1968 for the purpose of organizing a forum for the discussion of admiralty and maritime law and its practice and administration, among practitioners in the ports of the Southeastern United States. Regular membership is limited to attorneys admitted to practice in the states of: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Maryland.