RIESS LEMIEUX - Key Persons
Calvin J. Hill, Individually and as the Executor of the Succession of Elnora Johnson Hill v. TMR Exploration, Inc., Park [...]
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Managing Partner
Chris has been a Managing Partner of the firm since its founding in 2018. Chris has practical operational experience where he served as general counsel and an executive committee member for a regional design builder. During his twenty year career, Chris has represented contractors, architects, engineers, private and public owners, sureties, insurers and subcontractors in litigation, arbitration, claims, disputes and negotiations and drafting of construction contracts for a variety of federal, private, and public projects including design build, P3, integrated project delivery, multifamily, schools, military, stadiums, manufacturing facilities, historic renovations, parking garages, jails, warehouses, car dealerships, condominiums, roads, bridges, drainage, senior living, environmental, chemical plants, waste treatment facilities, pumping stations, oil terminals, marine, FEMA funded projects, mixed use facilities, and residential. In addition, he has represented employers in a wide variety of employment matters including employment training, wage and hour, ADA, FMLA, and Title VII.
Among other acknowledgments, Chris has been recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and Chambers USA. Chris regularly lectures on construction and employment law to industry groups and associations, such as Louisiana Associated General Contractors, Associated Builders and Contractors of Louisiana, Construction Financial Management Association, National Business Institute, and the Louisiana Bar Association.
Corey Lloyd joined Riess LeMieux in May 2023 as an Of Counsel attorney. Corey practices primarily in construction law, with a unique perspective informed by his 25 years in the construction industry as both a lawyer and a civil engineer.
Before joining Riess LeMieux, Corey was Corporate Counsel at a large, regional design builder. As part of his practice and day-to-day operations, he negotiated all owner contracts and subcontractor agreements, and communicated key requirements and risks to internal team members. Corey represented the company in multiple mediations and builder's risk claims. He also helped reform the company's Property & Casualty insurance program, and was the primary contact to manage outside counsel and insurance adjusters.
Prior to his legal career, Corey obtained a degree in civil engineering and spent over two decades in commercial project management, with experience managing hospitality, medical, telecommunications, distribution, and manufacturing projects.
EDUCATION
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., 2017
Virginia Tech, B.S., Civil Engineering, 2000
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- of COUNSEL Riess LeMieux 2023 - 06 - 23T08
Donald Douglas joined Riess LeMieux in February 2021 as an Of Counsel attorney. Donald practices predominantly construction, employment, and business law.
He brings many years of trial court litigation, appellate practice, arbitration, and counseling experience to the firm's clients. He has successfully represented clients across the State of Louisiana, including the courts of appeal, the Louisiana Supreme Court, and all federal courts. He also regularly represents employer clients before administrative agencies such as the EEOC, NLRB, and the Louisiana Commission on Human Rights.
Donald is a Registered Arbitrator and Neutral with the American Health Lawyers Association. He arbitrates various types of matters including employment, contract, and business ownership disputes.
Donald worked for a time as Interim CEO of a large outpatient medical practice prior to joining Riess LeMieux. His experience running and growing a successful medical practice gives him a unique and practical approach when advising clients on business, transactional, and employment matters.
Donald attended the University of New Orleans for his Bachelor of Arts. He graduated from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University where he was a member of the Louisiana Law Review. He worked as a law clerk to two United States District Judges before entering into private practice.
EDUCATION
Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, J.D., 1993
Member, Louisiana Law Review; Author, "A Comment on Louisiana Wildlife Agents and Probable Cause: Are Random Game Checks Constitutional?" 53 La.Law Rev. 525
Finalist, Tullis Moot Court Competition
Senior Class President
Hannah Marler received her Juris Doctor from Paul M. Herbert Law Center at Louisiana State University, where she was Vice President of the Trial Advocacy Board.
Hannah has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations from Tulane University. Prior to joining Riess LeMieux, Hannah was the managing attorney at a solo practice which focused primarily on family law appeals, small business advising, and intellectual property. During law school, she was the research assistant to Professor Jeffrey Brooks and was a law clerk at the Louisiana Supreme Court, Office of Justice John Weimer.
Jace Weber joined Riess LeMieux in August 2023 as an associate attorney. Jace practices primarily in the areas of construction law and has extensive transactional experience.
Prior to joining the firm, Jace served as Corporate Counsel for a prominent nationwide specialty contractor. In this role, he communicated key contractual risks associated with construction and engineering agreements to the company's gulf coast branches and internal executive teams. On a daily basis, Jace negotiated a variety of agreements with the company's clients including general contractors, subcontractors, engineering firms, commercial owners, large petrochemical and industrial corporations, and public agencies. He negotiated many different forms of agreements, such as: owner contracts; subcontractor agreements; master service/engineering agreements; NDAs; public and private bid packages; and commercial leases. Jace also assisted and guided branches across the country through the application and renewal process for state contractor licenses and engineering certificates of authorization across multiple states.
Before pursuing his legal career, Jace earned a Bachor of Science degree in Construction Management from Louisiana State University. He successfully managed industrial and commercial construction projects in Louisiana, Texas, and California. Jace earned his Juris Doctor from Southern University Law Center, graduating magna cum laude.
EDUCATION
Southern University Law Center, Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, 2022
Louisiana State University, B.S. in Construction Management, 2017
James brings nearly 20 years of legal, executive, M&A, employment, and franchise experience in a variety of industries. James has a deep focus on the structuring and scaling of multiple offerings in the F&B/Restaurant sectors. James also partners with owners and executives to assist in strategic operational planning and implementation, executive development, and Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A). James has significant experience in the buying and selling of various-sized businesses and enjoys working with his clients to assist them in realizing their professional and business goals.
In addition to being Of Counsel at Reiss LeMieux, LLC, James currently serves as an Executive Partner with Salt Creek Capital. Salt Creek partners with experienced executives to acquire and recapitalize profitable small companies that are seeking additional capital or an ownership change across numerous industries.
Before Salt Creek, James was the CEO, President, COO, and a member of the Board for the parent company of Fat Tuesday - one of the world's first and largest retailers of frozen specialty alcoholic beverages. During his tenure, his team created a dual-brand franchising system, nearly doubled EBITDA despite a global pandemic, and; delivered over 80% new store/pipeline growth. James successfully led the sale of the company for the founding family to a strategic buyer.
Prior to Fat Tuesday, James served as the Vice President of the Global Franchise for Ruby Tuesday, Inc. (RTI). James led global operations for the RTI franchise system with over 60 stores across five continents and over $100MM in topline sales. At RTI, James also served as the General Counsel of the then-publicly traded company. James headed a team that handled all legal, risk, and employee relations matters for RTI and its 25,000 team members. In that role, James led the strategic alternatives process for the eventual $150MM public-to-private sale of RTI.
Before RTI, James was a Senior Vice President and the General Counsel of Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc. (ENRGI). There, James helped develop and grow the traditional and non-traditional franchise offerings and provided executive legal leadership to the then-publicly traded quick casual restaurant chain. James led the $500MM sale of ENRGI's 3 brands, as well as the sale of over 800 units of ENRGI to JAB Holdings.
Job Titles:
- ASSOCIATE
- in 2023 As an Associate
Jennifer Mura joined Riess LeMieux in 2023 as an associate. Prior to joining the firm, she worked in insurance defense litigation and has experience in third-party claims, coverage disputes, extra-contractual, bad faith, and SIU matters.
She received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Psychology from Louisiana State University in 2014. She graduated cum laude from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2018. At Loyola, she served on the Editorial Board for the Loyola Maritime Law Journal and she was a student practitioner in the Family Law section of the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic and Center for Social Justice.
EDUCATION
Louisiana State University, B.A., 2017
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2018
Jonathan S. Forester is an equity partner with the firm. Mr. Forester represents contractors, owners, insurers, self-insureds, architects, engineers and subcontractors in complex property damage and injury claims. Mr. Forester has represented clients in claims relating to commercial buildings, highways, bridges, theaters, airports and various other construction sites relating to contractual breaches, delay and disruption damages and construction defects including moisture intrusion, roof damage, structural defects, construction vibration damage, and fire or explosions. He represents and advises construction-related entities and other businesses through contract negotiation and drafting, as well as the filing of liens and recovery of funds owed pursuant to the Louisiana Private and Public Works Acts and federal Miller Act. Mr. Forester is adept in the trial courtroom and also argues appeals. In addition to his trial and appellate litigation practice, Mr. Forester represents clients before other governmental boards including the New Orleans Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA), the New Orleans City Council, and the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) Board. Further, Mr. Forester additionally represents federal contractors in bid disputes on federal projects before agencies, the United States Government Accountability Office and before the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He regularly gives seminars regarding all facets of construction law, insurance, suretyship and contract negotiation.
From 2016-2021, Mr. Forester served on the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association's Younger Lawyers Division Board of Directors. Since 2022, Mr. Forester has served on the New Orleans Chapter Federal Bar Association's Board of Directors. In 2021, Mr. Forester also achieved the honor of being elected to the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) New Orleans/Bayou Board of Directors. For nearly a decade, Jon served as an Executive Mentor to freshmen business majors through Loyola University's Executive Mentor Program.
In 2022, Jon was selected as a Leadership in Law honoree by City Business. For 9 out of the last 10 years, Jon has been designated by Super Lawyers, first as a Rising Star, and then as a Super Lawyer. Mr. Forester has also been recognized by U.S. News & World Report and The Best Lawyers® in America as a Best Lawyer in Construction Law and Litigation. Mr. Forester has also been recognized by New Orleans Magazine as a Top Lawyer. As a younger attorney, Mr. Forester was additionally selected as a finalist for the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel's 2017 Maraist Award.
Joe Bagnell joined the firm as a staff attorney in 2022. He practices primarily in the areas of construction law, commercial litigation, and employment and labor law. Prior to joining the firm, Joe served as an Administrative Law Judge in the office of Appeals Tribunal for the Louisiana Workforce Commission. During law school, he served as a Judicial Extern at the Louisiana Supreme Court in the office of Justice Scott Crichton.
EDUCATION
Rutgers University, B.A., Journalism and Media Studies, 2005
Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, J.D., 2019
Robert is a primary component of the Firm's transactional team with complementary litigation experience allowing him to provide clients with a full breadth of counsel. His clients come from a broad range of industries including construction, food manufacturing, clothing brands, retail, development and other parts of the commercial arena. Robert has grown his practice to routinely operate as outside General Counsel representing clients in transactional matters and disputes including commercial contract negotiations, real estate, business formation, ownership disputes, intellectual property, compliance and legal strategy. He strives to serve his clients not only as a negotiator and draftsman, but also as a counselor with the proven ability to help clients strike an appropriate balance between legal and business considerations. If a dispute cannot be resolved amicably, he is experienced with litigation, mediation, and arbitration.
Trey Talley joined the firm as an associate in 2020. Trey practices primarily in the area of construction litigation and represents clients ranging from general contractors, subcontractors, owners, developers, and design professionals, including architects and engineers. Trey has represented clients in a wide variety of construction cases involving contract disputes, professional negligence, bid protests, open accounts, and property damage from construction vibrations. He also has experience with construction claims on both private and public projects related to delays, change orders, construction defects, design defects, incomplete designs, and contract terminations.
Trey received his Juris Doctor from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University, where he also received the Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law and the Graduate Certificate in Energy Law and Policy. In addition to his legal education, Trey has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Structural Engineering.
Prior to attending law school, Trey worked as a structural engineer in Houston, Texas, where he assisted in the design and construction of mid-rise and high-rise multifamily residential structures across the country. While working as an engineer, Trey gained extensive knowledge of the engineering and construction business. His technical training and experience allows him to better assist in advising clients on construction-related issues.
EDUCATION
Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, J.D., 2020
Graduate Certificate in Energy Law & Policy
Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law (D.C.L)
Clemson University, M.S., Structural Engineering, 2015
Sewanee: The University of the South, B.S., Physics, 2013
Spencer Johnson joined Riess LeMieux in March 2021 as an associate attorney. He practices primarily in the areas of construction law and insurance law. Prior to joining the firm, Spencer worked at a regional law firm in New Orleans. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of New Orleans in 2015 and graduated from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in 2019.
EDUCATION
Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, J.D., 2019
Chancellor's Scholarship
Dean's Scholar List, Fall 2016
2018 Transactional Law Meet Competition
Journal of Energy Law and Resources: Online Articles Editor, Volume VII; Junior Associate, Volume VI