Rapides Parish Business Lawyers

I am a CPA and attorney. I have been a CPA since 1994 and an Louisiana attorney since 2000. The Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization has designated me as a Board Certified Estate Planning and Administration Specialist (since 2008), as well as a Board Certified Tax Law Specialist (also since 2008). My practice focuses strongly on the needs and issues particular to farmers, middle income clients and small business owners. These include issues such as estate tax reduction, medicaid long-term care planning, special needs planning, asset protection planning, and small business protection planning. Plans I regularly recommend and personally draft for...

J. Graves Theus, Jr. is a fourth-generation Louisiana lawyer with deep roots in this community. He received an LL.M. in Tax Law from Boston University School of Law in 1997, after graduating, cum laude, from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1996. He practiced in Seattle, Washington until 1999, when he joined a prestigious law firm in Alexandria, Louisiana. He was a shareholder there until 2013, when he began his private practice. Graves is certified by the Louisiana State Board of Legal Specialization as a Specialist in Tax Law, as well as Estate Planning and Administration, and is an approved title...

Originally from Oakdale, John graduated from Oakdale High School in 2008. He set off for New Orleans to study finance at Tulane University and, in 2012, graduated with his B.S.M.

After college, John attended Tulane University Law School. While at Tulane, John discovered his love for litigation and trial. He represented Tulane's American Association for Justice Mock Trial Team in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, his 2L year and coached the team in his 3L year. In addition to his participation in mock trial, John served as a student attorney for the Tulane Domestic Violence Clinic, where he fought for the rights of...

Trippe Hawthorne is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2004 and practices in the construction, ADR and business litigation groups. Trippe has experience in all phases of the construction industry and in a wide variety of commercial litigation, and general litigation matters, including design and construction contracting and dispute resolution across all sectors, including industrial, commercial, public, and residential; public bidding and procurement challenges; and public and private works lien laws. Trippe has experience with administrative law and occupational licensing law, having served as General Counsel for the Louisiana State Licensing...

Allen P. Jones is a shareholder in Wiener, Weiss & Madison, A Professional Corporation. He practices in the areas of estate planning, tax law, succession and probate law, business and corporate law, and real estate. Allen represents individuals and families in all aspects of estate planning, including the preparation of wills, trusts, partnerships and limited liability companies. His work in the area of business and corporate law includes business succession planning, corporate reorganizations, and business sale transactions. He is Board Certified by the Louisiana State Bar in Estate Planning, and is licensed as a title insurance agent in the state...

Kyle Polozola is a partner in the Lafayette office of Kean Miller. He practices in the oil and gas, business and corporate, and real estate groups. Kyle has more than 21 years of experience handling complex oil and gas and commercial litigation disputes, environmental litigation, oil and gas transactional matters, including mineral title examination, due diligence, acquisition and sale of oil and gas properties, and energy regulatory matters. He represents lenders and business interests in commercial real estate matters, and assists clients with a variety of corporate and business transactional matters.

Following law school, Kyle clerked for the Hon. Catherine D....

Jason is one of the nation's top trial lawyers for one reason: when he represents a client, he's all in. No matter how tough the fight. No matter how big the challenge. When it matters most, he's there for people who have been wronged. He takes every case personally, treating each client like family while he fights to rebuild their lives.

When people need to win, they call Jason. He's won several verdicts and settlements worth more than $100 million, dozens of results worth more than $10 million, and more than 200 results worth $1 million or more. In total,...

Eric Lockridge enjoys helping clients solve problems that arise in their businesses. His practice includes business litigation, bankruptcy and business reorganization, commercial collections, and assisting clients with business transactions. He has tried commercial and tort cases to verdict in Louisiana and Texas, and has successfully defended judgments on appeal. Eric currently focuses on lender work-out agreements, bankruptcy-related litigation, negotiation and dispute resolution, and complex commercial cases for Kean Miller’s construction, energy, and financial sector clients. Eric also works with Kean Miller’s intellectual property team to litigate patent, trademark, and copyright claims.

Eric advises corporate clients, lenders, and distressed-asset investors in asset...

Matt Smith is an associate in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2013 and practices in the commercial litigation, toxic tort defense, and environmental litigation groups. His work focuses on the representation of oil and gas exploration and production companies, mid-stream companies, and other industry companies in various litigation matters including property damage and contamination, property rights, and commercial and contractual disputes.

Matt has extensive experience guiding clients through claims related to soil contamination, groundwater contamination, air pollution, and the associated regulatory standards. His practice covers a wide range of commercial and litigation issues ranging...

Trey McCowan is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 1989 and practices in the litigation group. Trey represents local, regional and multi-national energy and petrochemical clients in a wide variety of litigation matters. He has specific experience representing clients in litigation involving complex commercial agreements and legacy site litigation in the energy industry. Trey also represents clients with regard to environmental litigation and toxic tort defense. He also advises clients on electronic discovery, e-discovery compliance, electronically stored information (ESI), electronic information management, and retention and destructive policies and procedures.

Trey is listed...

The truth is, no lawyers win all their cases because legal matters vary on the merits. However, you deserve a lawyer you can trust who knows the law inside and out. We do not claim to be better than other law firms. It is your job to determine which lawyer is best for you and your case.