PLAUCH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Partner at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC
Christopher J. Rinn is a partner at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC. Chris has been practicing with the firm since September 2018 and has devoted his practice to civil litigation and contractual negotiations. His principal areas of practice include litigation involving automobile liability, premises liability, and contractual disputes.
Education
Paul M. Hebert Law School, Louisiana State University, J.D./D.C.L., 2018
McNeese State University, B.S., Mathematics, Minor in Statistics, 2015
Job Titles:
- Partner at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC
Eric W. Roan is a partner at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC. Roan has been practicing with the law firm since 2001, and has devoted his entire practice to litigation. His principle areas of practice include general insurance defense, environmental litigation, oil and gas litigation, legacy litigation, general commercial litigation, defense of public entities, and commercial trucking defense. His litigation experience includes matters in state and federal courts and appeals practice in state and federal court.
Education
Louisiana State University, Bachelor of Science in Finance, 1989
Louisiana State University Law School, JD Degree, 1993
Erik N. Fain has been practicing in Lake Charles since 2007 and joined Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC. in 2018. He has devoted his practice to civil litigation. In addition to a general civil litigation defense practice, Erik focuses on areas of automobile liability, premises liability, occupational disease, and toxic tort. Erik has experience in complex litigation, complex insurance coverage litigation, general casualty, occupational disease, toxic tort and environmental cases.
Education
Juris Doctor, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University, 2006.
Bachelor of Civil Law, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University, 2006.
Bachelor of Arts, Liberal Studies, History minor, McNeese State University, 2000.
Associate in Languages (Latin), McNeese State University 2000.
Job Titles:
- Partner at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC, Pra
Frank M. Walker, Jr. is a partner at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC, practicing with the firm since 1977. Walker's specialties include litigation involving governmental liability, premises liability, products liability, automobile liability, general liability and wrongful death cases. He has also defended numerous EEOC claims, trucking accident claims, and property and casualty damage suits.
Walker was selected as a Louisiana "Super Lawyer" and was named the Best Lawyers' "2012 Lake Charles Personal Insurance Litigation - Defendants' Lawyer of the Year" (Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is honored as the "Lawyer of the Year"). Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers.
Jacinda L. Denison was admitted to the California bar in 1997. Her Los Angeles practice concentrated on tax, real estate, and wealth transfer planning. For over 15 years, Jacinda advised in the public, private, and government sectors in California, Arizona and Washington, in policy, compliance and operations. Now living in Southwest Louisiana, Jacinda has been with Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC, since 2013, joining the firm after obtaining her Louisiana license in 2019. Jacinda's entire practice is devoted to civil litigation, with an emphasis on defending businesses, governmental entities and insurers in mass casualty, products liability, premises liability, employment discrimination, and various personal injury matters.
Education
University of California at Los Angeles, B.A. 1993
Pepperdine University, School of Law, J.D. 1997
James R. Nieset has practiced law at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC since 1970, and has devoted his entire practice to litigation. His principal areas of practice include general insurance defense, construction litigation, professional liability litigation, products liability litigation, environmental litigation, maritime litigation, oil and gas litigation and particularly legacy litigation and general commercial litigation. His litigation experience includes jury and bench trials in state and federal court and appeals practice in state and federal court.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Has Been a Member
Joseph R. Pousson, Jr. has been a member of the firm since January 1998, and has practiced with the firm since 1994. His principal areas of practice include personal injury defense litigation, commercial litigation, commercial practice in general, including formation of business entities and contractual negotiations. His litigation experience includes numerous jury and bench trials and mediations in both state and federal court cases.
Education
Paul M. Hebert Law School, Louisiana State University, J.D., 1993
McNeese State University, B.S., 1985
Job Titles:
- Associate With Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC
Karen M. Green is an associate with Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC., where she practices in various areas of commercial litigation, tort litigation, and insurance defense. Karen is admitted to practice in all Louisiana state courts and in the United States District Courts for the Western, Middle, and Easten Districts of Louisiana. Karen earned her J.D./D.C.L, cum laude, from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center. She received the Cali Award for excellence in Advanced Torts Litigation.
Education
Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University J.D./D.C.L., cum laude, 2020
McNeese State University B.S., Mass Communication, 2000
Job Titles:
- Partner With Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC
Kyle M. Beasley is a partner with Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC. Kyle joined the firm in 2015 and has devoted his entire practice to civil litigation. In addition to a general civil litigation defense practice, Kyle focuses on areas of automobile liability, premises liability, construction litigation, workers' compensation, governmental liability and public accommodations discrimination. Kyle has experience in litigation, complex discovery issues, motion practice, and trial.
Education
Paul M. Hebert Law School, Louisiana State University, J.D./D.C.L., 2015
McNeese State University, B.S., Accounting, 2008
Job Titles:
- Associate at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC
Peyton N. Robertson is an associate at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC. Before joining the firm in 2021, Peyton worked as a law clerk for the Honorable David A. Ritchie in the 14th Judicial District Court. As an associate, she devotes her entire practice to civil litigation. Her litigation practice includes, class/mass action litigation, automobile liability, contractual disputes, and a broad spectrum of insurance defense, including defense of first-party claims often involving extracontractual damage claims.
Education
Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University J.D./D.C.L. 2020
Louisiana State University, Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Minor in Philosophy
Job Titles:
- Associate at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC
Richard Quinn Walker is an associate at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC. Quinn began practicing with the firm in August 2021 and has devoted his practice to civil litigation. Quinn's principal areas of practice include automobile liability, premises liability, worker's compensation, hurricane litigation, and construction litigation.
Education
Paul M. Hebert Law School, Louisiana State University, J.D./D.C.L., 2021
Louisiana State University, B.A. History, Minor in Political Science, 2018
Sam Gabb was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. After law school, Sam entered private practice and has gained extensive trial experience. His practice has focused on litigation, exclusively defending businesses, insurers and government entities. Sam is married to the former Jacqueline Reed, and they have four children, Ashley, Jennifer, Bryan and Rachel.
Education
University of New Orleans, BA, 1990
Tulane University School of Law, JD, 1993
Job Titles:
- Partner at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC
Taylor A. Thibodeaux is a partner at Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC. Taylor has been practicing with the firm since September 2018 and has devoted his entire practice to civil litigation. His principal areas of practice include litigation involving automobile liability, construction defects, premises liability, and workers' compensation.
Education
Paul M. Hebert Law School, Louisiana State University, J.D./D.C.L., 2018
Louisiana State University, B.S., Construction Management, 2014
V. Ed McGuire, III is a partner with Plauché, Smith & Nieset, LLC. McGuire, III joined the firm in 1998 after working as an Assistant District Attorney for the Calcasieu Parish District Attorney's Office. His entire practice is devoted to litigation. His principal areas of practice deal with construction litigation, premises liability, products liability, all manner of public entity defense, defense of law enforcement personnel, defense of redhibition lawsuits, workers' compensation defense, and all areas of general insurance defense. His experience with criminal prosecution is particularly useful in cases involving allegations of fraud as a claim or defense.
Education
McNeese State University, B.S. degree, Cum Laude graduate in 1992
Paul M. Hebert Law School, Louisiana State University, J.D. degree, 1995
Van Seneca has been practicing law in Lake Charles since receiving his J.D. from Louisiana State University during 1989. He was admitted to the Louisiana State Bar Association in 1989. He was admitted to the Texas Bar Association during 2005. He is licensed to practice before all Louisiana and Texas trial, appellate and supreme courts, the federal courts in both states and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
After completing a clerkship with Judge James Trimble at the United States District Court in Lake Charles, he entered private practice and has maintained a commercial and litigation practice since 1990.
Mr. Seneca has successfully represented business owners, insurance companies, , financial institutions and individuals in courts in Louisiana and Texas, and in arbitration panels.