Mike has extensive experience in matters involving high stakes litigation, including numerous cases with exposure in the hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars. Mike has successfully represented businesses and individuals as plaintiffs and defendants. Throughout his career, Mike has maintained a diverse trial practice, representing clients and trying cases on a wide variety of subject matters, including commercial disputes, environmental contamination, anti-trust, class actions, oil and gas exploration and production, construction, toxic tort personal injury, intellectual property, products liability and more. As part of this diverse practice, Mike has developed extensive experience in advising clients in all matters affecting the litigation, including media and governmental relations and crisis communications.
Mike has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, 2016-2025, and Louisiana Super Lawyers, 2007-2022.
Representative Experience
- Representation of client in claims of theft of trade secrets, breach of contract and violation of federal computer hacking statues in Texas.
- Representation of clients in a variety of state and federal antitrust matters dealing with alleged conspiracies, tying, monopolization, and price discounting, including seminars to major retail sales department on Robinson-Patman Act Compliance.
- Representation of client as a plaintiff in commercial dispute dealing with the purchase of a business, including the successful trial of the matter in Oregon Federal Court.
- Representation of major international oil and gas companies in defense of suits alleging environmental contamination and personal injuries from historic exploration and production activities. Damages sought by plaintiff in a single case exceed $5,000,000,000.
- Representation of client in defense of breach of contract and business loss claim in Texas.
- Representation of client in claims for toxic exposure, property damage and nuisance relating to fracking operations in Ohio.
- Representation of a global oil and gas company in class action and mass joinder litigation involving personal injury and property damage claims allegedly resulting from exposure to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Waste ("NORM").
- Representation of chemical and petroleum industry clients in "global warming" cases where plaintiffs alleged that damages from Hurricane Katrina were the result of defendants' contribution to global warming.
- Representation of major international oil and gas company as plaintiff in trial seeking recovery of damages due to the defective construction of an offshore platform.
- Representation of a major international oil and gas refinery in multi-week trial of a claim for alleged environmental damage to wetlands.
- Representation of clients in defense of multiple suits alleging damage to oyster beds by oil and gas exploration. This representation included defenses of individual suits as well as defeating attempts by plaintiffs to certify a class action.
- Representation of a major waste disposal company in Mississippi in a mass toxic tort exposure case involving over 2,000 plaintiffs. Plaintiffs alleged illness resulting from exposure to dioxins and other contaminants from the client's waste treatment and disposal facilities. Plaintiffs ultimately ceased prosecution of the claims against the waste disposal company.
- Representation of product manufacturer and distributer in breach of contract claims in Texas.
- Representation of water heater industry clients in defense of civil lawsuits and related Attorney Generals investigations in multiple states, relating to product failure as well as trial counsel against supplier of defective component part. This representation concluded in a multi-month trial.
- Representation of a gasoline refiner against civil and criminal antitrust violations and below cost sales. Following a trial on the issue of relevant market and the scope of the below cost sales definition for manufacturers, the court found in favor of the client.
- Representation of a gasoline distribution company in petroleum dealer termination cases in multiple states.
- Representation of commercial client as a plaintiff in major construction litigation involving damage by a public entity that resulted in a multi-million dollar recovery by the client after a multi-week jury trial.
- Representation of industrial client against property owner’s claims of trespass from client’s use of underground injection wells.
- Representation of client in response to state agency investigation and private landowner demand related to environmental discharges in Montana and North Dakota.
- Representation of chemical manufacturer in civil case against a party who altered and sold herbicide. Representation included cooperation with United States Attorney, who prosecuted the individual for violations of Federal Criminal laws.
Education
Mike earned his J.D. in 1991 from the LSU Law Center, where he was a member of the Louisiana Law Review.
Admissions
- Admitted, Louisiana; Texas; United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana; United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; United States Supreme Court
Articles, Publications, Presentations
- Act 312 Update, 57th Annual Louisiana Mineral Law Institute, LSU Law Center, March 26, 2010
- Co-Author, Louisiana Chapter of American Bar Association, Antitrust Practices and Statutes, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ed.
- Organization Sans Binders, Law Technology News, December 2006
- Featured in Forbes Magazine, May 2008
- Louisiana Superlawyer
- Antitrust Ethics (CLE seminar materials)
- Robinson-Patman Act Compliance (seminar materials)
- American Conference Institute's 3rd National Forum on Chemical Products Liability and Environmental Litigation