Kean Miller LLP Names Four New Partners

Kean Miller LLP is pleased to announce that four associate attorneys were elected to the partnership effective January 1, 2011. The new partners include Benn Vincent (Baton Rouge; Litigation), Katie D. Bell (Baton Rouge; Litigation), Richard D. McConnell (Baton Rouge; Litigation) and T. Shane Sandefer (Baton Rouge; Environmental Law, Real Estate, Business and Corporate).

About Benn Vincent

Benn Vincent is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller LLP and practices in the firm’s litigation group. He represents energy, manufacturing and industrial clients in cases involving commercial and complex litigation, property and environmental litigation, breach of contract, construction, redhibition, warranty and products liability suits. Mr. Vincent earned his J.D. and B.C.L. from the LSU Law Center in 2003, where he was Chairman of the Moot Court Board, and a member of the Wex Malone Inns of Court, Phi Delta Phi and Who’s Who - American Law Students. He studied at L’Universite de Provence, Aix-Marseille, France, and at American University in Washington, D.C. He earned his B.A., cum laude, from Tulane University in 2000. Mr. Vincent is a member of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana State, and American Bar Associations.

About Katie Bell

Katie Bell is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller LLP. She practices in the firm’s litigation group and represents clients in civil rights and municipal law, toxic tort defense, insurance defense and commercial and business litigation. Ms. Bell earned her J.D. and B.C.L. from the LSU Law Center in 2005, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif, the Wex S. Malone Inns of Court and was Vice President of Phi Alpha Delta. Ms. Bell earned her B.A. in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Louisiana State University in 2002. She is a member of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana State, and American Bar Associations.

About Shane Sandefer

Shane Sandefer is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller LLP. He practices in the real estate groups and environmental law groups and is a Registered Professional Engineer. Mr. Sandefer represents local, regional and national clients in a variety of real estate and environmental matters including industrial and commercial real estate transactions, title insurance matters, general contract preparation and negotiation, regulatory proceedings and state and federal environmental advice. Mr. Sandefer received his J.D. and his B.C.L. from the LSU Law Center in 2005 where he served as Vice President of the Environmental Law Society and was a member of the Order of the Coif and Phi Alpha Delta. He received his M.S. in Civil Engineering concentrating on Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering from Louisiana State University in 1998, and his B.S. in Civil Engineering from LSU in 1995. He is a member of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana State (Environmental Law Section), and American Bar Associations.

About Richard McConnell

Richard McConnell is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller LLP. He practices in the litigation and toxic tort groups. Mr. McConnell represents local, national, and international clients in litigation involving a wide variety of substantive areas such as oil and gas litigation, environmental litigation, toxic tort litigation and commercial litigation. Mr. McConnell received his J.D., cum laude, from Tulane University School of Law in May 2005, where he was a member of the Tulane Law Review. He earned his B.S. in Biochemistry from Louisiana State University in 2000. He is a member of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana State, and American Bar Associations.

About Kean Miller LLP

With 130 lawyers, Kean Miller LLP serves the legal needs of Louisiana businesses and Fortune 500 companies. The firm maintains offices in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Lake Charles, Louisiana and is the largest law firm in the Greater Baton Rouge region. The firm serves clients in numerous industries including energy, petrochemical and chemical, technology and telecommunications, transportation, media and advertising, financial services, insurance, gaming, government and education, healthcare, manufacturing, real estate, retail, construction and leasing. The firm combines the talent and expertise of its lawyers into multi-disciplinary client and industry teams. These teams are comprised of seasoned legal professionals from a variety of disciplines who are equipped to identify legal and business needs and to develop superior service strategies that provide unmatched support to the client. Kean Miller LLP will move to 80,000+ square feet of re-imagined office space in II City Plaza on January 10, 2011.

For more information, contact Steve Boutwell at 225.389.3736, or steve.boutwell@keanmiller.com