TAYLOR - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Special Counsel / Jackson
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New Orleans, LA
Austin Welch was raised in Eastvale, California. He went on to attend Louisiana State University where he served as his fraternity's social chair, public relations chair, and pledge educator. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History, Austin moved to New Orleans to attend Loyola University New Orleans College of Law with the Dean's Scholarship.
In his first year at Loyola, Austin clerked in the Orleans Parish Criminal Court and Jefferson Parish District Attorney's office. In his second year, Austin was selected to Loyola's Moot Court team where he placed third in Loyola's Intramural Moot Court Competition. Austin also competed at the National Constitutional Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition in San Diego; placing second in brief writing and top 16 in oral argument. In this same year, Austin was selected for publication by Loyola's Maritime Law Journal.
Austin graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola and now applies his experience in both written and oral argument to the variety of cases with which he handles.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Jackson
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Baton Rouge, LA
Ben Files was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He attended high school at St. Michael the Archangel High School where he graduated in 2013. He then went onto Louisiana State University where he double majored in History and Political Science. He continued his education at Louisiana State University where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2020.
During his time at LSU's Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Ben was a member of the Board of Advocates and competed in the Ira S. Flory Mock Trial competitions. Prior to joining TWPD, Ben worked at several local Baton Rouge law firms and gained valuable experience in all aspects personal injury litigation. Ben enjoys cooking, cheering on the Saints and Tigers, and spending time at his family's camp on the river.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New Orleans, LA
Caroline M. Murley was born and raised in Mandeville, Louisiana. She graduated magna cum laude from Louisiana State University with a Bachelors or Arts degree in Political Science. She then continued her education at Louisiana State University, earning her Juris Doctor and Graduate Degree in Comparative Law from Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU in 2015. While in law school, Caroline was a member of the Moot Court Board and graduated Order of the Coif.
Prior to joining the firm, Caroline served as law clerk to Honorable Judge Christopher J. Bruno, Orleans Parish Civil District Court.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Baton Rouge, LA
Chip Duhe was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Setting aside his aspirations to become a football coach, Chip obtained his undergraduate and law degree from Louisiana State University. Traveling back to his law review tenure, Chip began his focus exploring issues involving workers' compensation and general casualty. He has litigated hundreds of cases in every court in the state. His trial experience uniquely ranges from a straightforward workers' compensation case to complex litigation matters involving catastrophes at refineries along the Mississippi River. Today, Chip remains well-respected in all aspects of the law by the judges before whom he appears, his colleagues and the firm's clients. Because of his expertise in these areas and his personal skills, Chip was selected to become a mediator for MAPS throughout the state. In his spare time, Chip is best known for his tireless work as a basketball referee for the Baton Rouge Basketball Officials Association.
Chip is a frequent lecturer for various trade groups and is a member of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana state and American bar associations.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New Orleans, LA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Baton Rouge, LA
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Baton Rouge, LA
Jeremy met his wife, Claire, while attending law school. Claire is a 6th grade language arts teacher and Madison Middle School. Jeremy and Claire have two children - Lucy and Liam. They are members at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Madison, Mississippi. Jeremy is an avid golfer, outdoors-man and is very involved in coaching his children in recreational sports.
Claire E. Sauls received her Juris Doctor and Graduate Degree in Comparative Law from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 2015, graduating cum laude. While in law school, Claire served as an executive member of the Moot Court Board. Additionally, she completed an externship in the First Circuit Court of Appeals and trained to mediate resolution of conflicts through her involvement in the Civil Mediation Clinic. She was recognized by the Wex S. Malone Inns of Court for excellence in Trial Advocacy and received the CALI award in Contracts.
Before joining Taylor, Wellons, Politz & Duhe, Claire practiced in various areas of the law, including construction, surety, and business law. She also gained experience in insurance defense and general commercial litigation. Since joining the firm in 2018, Claire has continued her practice with a focus in general liability, construction law, insurance defense and coverage, and premise liability.
As an active member of her local community, Claire serves on the Board of Directors for Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance (BREADA) and enjoys volunteering her time to serve as a judge for trial advocacy competitions at the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
Job Titles:
- Special Counsel / Baton Rouge, LA
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New Orleans, LA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Baton Rouge, LA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New Orleans, LA
Deanne McCauley was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1967. She was raised in Lafayette and received her Bachelor of Arts in pre-law from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1990 and her Juris Doctorate from Mississippi College School of Law in 1993. She is admitted to practice before all Louisiana state and federal courts, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She regularly practices throughout the state and has extensive trial experience in most Louisiana courts, as well as before the Louisiana Workforce Commission and the Office of Administrative Law Judges. For more than 27 years, Deanne has successfully litigated Louisiana workers' compensation claims and longshore claims, and she has a wide-range of expertise, including litigation involving admiralty/maritime law, personal injury liability defense, commercial liability defense, premises liability, construction law, medical, dental and nursing home malpractice, professional liability and subrogation claims. Deanne has lectured with the Louisiana Association of Self-Insured Employers (LASIE) and has provided various training seminars to clients to guide them through claims in the Louisiana Workers' Compensation system and LHWCA for both beginners and advanced claims administrative professionals.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New Orleans, LA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Baton Rouge, LA
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Baton Rouge, LA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Baton Rouge, LA
Job Titles:
- Special Counsel
- Special Counsel / New Orleans, LA
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Baton Rouge, LA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Baton Rouge, LA
Heidel Schneider grew up in Slidell, Louisiana as the eldest of six children. She attended Louisiana State University and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics. For the past twenty years, she has successfully litigated Louisiana workers' compensation claims. She is admitted to all Louisiana courts, and the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Heidel has lectured with the National Business Institute regarding the handling of workers' compensation claims. When she is not practicing law, she enjoys camping, hiking, and spending time with her family.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Baton Rouge, LA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New Orleans, LA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New Orleans, LA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Baton Rouge, LA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Jackson
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Baton Rouge, LA
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Baton Rouge, LA
John Pearce was raised in Maringouin, LA. He went on to attend Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA, where he served as Student Body President, Freshman Orientation Leader, and his fraternity's president. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication, John moved to Baton Rouge to attend Louisiana State University's Paul M. Hebert Law Center with the John P. Laborde Scholarship.
While in law school, John was selected to LSU's Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court where he competed in New Orleans and New York. In the New York competition, John placed in the top 15 of the oral argument competition, which comprised 90 competitors from Ivy League and other top law schools across the country. John gained early courtroom experience as a student attorney for LSU Law's Immigration clinic, where he represented his clients before administrative and federal courts. Upon graduating from law school, and before joining TWPD, John clerked for District Court Judge Tim Kelley at the 19th Judicial District Court, East Baton Rouge Parish, LA.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New Orleans, LA
Job Titles:
- Special Counsel / Baton Rouge, LA
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New Orleans, LA
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / Baton Rouge, LA
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Adjunct Professor of Media Law at LSU
- Associate / Baton Rouge, LA
Lindsay Rabalais joined Taylor, Wellons, Politz & Duhe in 2017. Her practice is focused on insurance defense, insurance coverage, transportation law, and premises liability. A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Lindsay is an alumna of St. Thomas More High School, where she was valedictorian. Lindsay is a three-time graduate of Louisiana State University. She graduated magna cum laude from Louisiana State University in May 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication: Public Relations. Lindsay received her Juris Doctor from the LSU Law Center in 2014, where she received the CALI award for excellence in Admiralty Law. During law school, Lindsay completed an externship with the East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office, and was active in the Trial Advocacy program. Additionally, she was Editor In Chief of The Civilian. Lindsay also earned a Master's in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University, graduating summa cum laude. She completed her thesis, "Framing Theory and Its Application to the Fracking Controversy in St. Tammany Parish," in 2015 to receive her masters degree.
Prior to joining TWPD, Lindsay practiced in various areas of the law, including plaintiffs' personal injury in cases involving automobile accidents, trucking accidents, premises liability, wrongful death and survival, intentional torts, and reputational torts. Her practice also included criminal and transactional matters. Lindsay is admitted to practice in all Louisiana state courts, as well as the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana.
Outside the trenches of civil litigation, Lindsay has served as an adjunct professor of Media Law at LSU's renowned Manship School of Mass Communication. Her class focuses on constitutional issues as they relate to the mass communications professions, and covers issues such as libel and slander, privacy torts, fairness in advertising, and campaign finance law. When she is not working, Lindsay enjoys spending time with her family, cheering on the LSU Tigers, and traveling.
Prior member Loyola Incubator Programs providing pro bono family law services to modest means litigants.
Job Titles:
- Special Counsel / New Orleans, LA
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New Orleans, LA
Noah R. Borer joined Taylor Wellons in 2022, where his current focus is workers' compensation defense. Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Noah moved to New Orleans in 2011 to attend Loyola University, where he graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Psychology. Noah subsequently attended Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where he graduated in 2018. While a student at Loyola College of Law, Noah focused on Civil Law and earned a certificate in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. Noah was also a finalist in the Trial Advocacy Program, Social Chair of the Student Bar Association, and travelled abroad studying Maritime, Family, and Art Law in Panama City, Panama and Spetses, Greece.
Noah currently resides in Uptown New Orleans and enjoys cooking, golfing, trying the city's newest restaurants, live music, and spending time with his family, friends, and dog, Sazerac.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New Orleans, LA
Patrick McLellan joined Taylor Wellons in 2021, where his current focus is general liability and workers' compensation insurance defense. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Patrick moved to New Orleans in2007 to attend Tulane University, where he graduated from with a Bachelor of Science in Management in 2011. Patrick subsequently attended Loyola College of Law, where he graduated in 2016.
During law school, Patrick gained experience in a variety of different legal realms. As an intern for the New Orleans City Attorney's Office, he worked closely on a variety of city ordinances. As an intern for the Honorable Tracey Flemings-Davillier, he was involved in a variety of criminal hearings and trials. As a law clerk for Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, Patrick received family law experience, as he worked for the nonprofit's family law division.
After law school, Patrick served as a law clerk for the Honorable Bernadette D'Souza in Orleans Parish Civil District Court. Upon completing his clerkship, Patrick hanged his own shingle and opened up his own law firm, where he gained trial experience representing clients as a sole practitioner in a variety of legal fields. While practicing as a sole practitioner, Patrick also taught Business Law as an adjunct professor at a local college Subsequently, Patrick entered the world of insurance defense, primarily working in the area of workers' compensation defense.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New Orleans, LA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New Orleans, LA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New Orleans, LA
Paula Wellons is a native New Orleanian who specializes in the areas of insurance coverage and general casualty defense. Recognized as an AV® rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, Paula's wide range of expertise includes litigation involving environmental matters, transportation, premise liability, construction law, maritime law and professional liability in both state and federal courts. She regularly practices throughout the state and has extensive trial experience in most Louisiana courts. Because her practice is so diverse, she works closely with many companies, insured and self-insured, in accomplishing and maintaining their risk management objectives. Paula frequently lectures on Medicare issues, and has provided various clients with seminars to guide them through compliance issues related to the Medicare Secondary Payer Act.
Paula is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in the state of Louisiana. She has also been admitted to, and has handled select matters in, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Third and Ninth Circuits, and the United States Supreme Court. She is a member of the American, United States Fifth Circuit, Louisiana state, and New Orleans bar associations, as well as the Defense Research Institute and the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel. Paula serves as an examiner for the Louisiana State Bar Association and teaches seminars on various topics to law schools, other lawyers, insurance companies and self-insured companies.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Baton Rouge, LA
Rachel Roe was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida. She received her undergraduate from the University of West Florida in 2007 where she graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Legal Studies. In 2009, Rachel moved to Louisiana to attend law school at Louisiana State University's Paul M. Hebert Law Center. During law school she clerked with staff-counsel for Liberty Mutual, worked as a student attorney with the LSU Law Clinic in the 19th JDC Family Court, and received the CALI award in Professions / Ethics and Clinical Legal Education Award. She obtained her Juris Doctorate in 2012.
Rachel started her "legal career" while still in high school, and worked her way up through the legal profession from a receptionist, to head paralegal, to an attorney. Before joining Taylor, Wellons, Politz and Duhe in 2017, Rachel worked as a staff counsel trial attorney for USAgencies and Liberty Mutual. She has tried multiple cases around the state to both bench and jury, and has successfully argued cases to the appellate court. Her practice areas include General Liability and Insurance Defense.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New Orleans, LA