Stanley Reuter Alford Owen Munson & Paul, LLC

Main Areas of Practice: Administrative Law; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Appeals; Business Litigation; Class Actions; Complex Litigation; Construction; Employment Law; Energy and Public Utilities; Intellectual Property; Legal Ethics; Multidistrict Litigation; Products Liability

Attorneys at Stanley Reuter Thornton Alford LLC regularly partner with national attorneys and law firms as co-counsel in complex litigation matters. We know that clients wish to resolve conflicts in a manner consistent with their business objectives, when possible without the uncertainties and expense of extended litigation. Our team of resourceful lawyers has a wide variety of experience to achieve those solutions for our clients. Our client base and scope of practice resemble those typically found in larger firms. Our work product and integrity has earned us the respect of the bench and bar alike.

Administrative Law - Compliance, Defense, and Enforcement.

The firm has deep experience in administrative law proceedings. The firm represents Louisiana’s two largest electric public utilities in regulatory proceedings.With respect to professional disciplinary proceedings, the firm has wide-ranging experience in the prosecution of physicians for violations of the Medical Practice Act and the defense of law firms, attorneys and judges in disciplinary proceedings.The firm’s experience in these proceedings renders it well-suited to navigate administrative law issues that arise in civil litigation.

Related Attorneys: Richard C. Stanley / W. Raley Alford, III / Kathryn Munson / Alison Palermo / John P. D’Avello

Appeals – The Art of Appeals

The end of a trial rarely means the end of a case.

Successful appellate advocacy requires a specialized skill set that includes superior research, analytical writing, oral advocacy skills, and the ability to distill a voluminous trial court record to the winning appealable legal and factual issues.Our appellate lawyers have developed these skills through appellate clerkships in both federal and state courts, decades of appellate practice, and personal trial experience.

The lawyers in our appellate group understand the differences between trial and appellate advocacy. A favorable verdict at trial can be a fleeting victory; likewise, in the right hands, a district-court loss can become only a temporary setback.Our lawyers work closely with trial counsel to develop the most effective appellate strategy.

Because of our experience and results, our firm is routinely engaged after rendition of a verdict or entry of judgment for the appellate phase of a case. Our appellate clients range from solo and small-firm practitioners who retain us to handle their appeals to business clients looking for experienced appellate counsel to handle an appeal.

Related Attorneys: Richard C. Stanley / Jennifer L. Thornton / W. Raley Alford, III / Kathryn W. Munson / Thomas P. Owen, Jr. / Matthew J. Paul / John P. D’Avello / Brandon A. Naquin

Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Creditor-Debtor Rights

Whether in a period of economic prosperity or uncertain and difficult times, businesses face critical issues when their commercial partners or their own entities face financial insolvency. When business disruptions occur, the importance of obtaining professional advice and sound representation in a bankruptcy setting becomes paramount. We combine the experience of several attorneys in this practice area who are seasoned commercial litigators and who have gained bankruptcy experience in a variety of settings. This practice group represents businesses and entities who find themselves trying to navigate the insolvency of their own business or that of a crucial business partner, particularly in situations where litigation in the context of a bankruptcy may be necessary, and can include enforcing your contractual rights as a creditor in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, enforcing leases and employment contracts, defending director & officer or lender liability claims, or negotiating or defending preference claims.

Related Attorneys: W. Raley Alford, III / Thomas P. Owen, Jr.

Business Litigation

Today’s business climate is litigious. To survive, businesses need solutions tailored to their disputes. We provide those solutions. Our firm has extensive experience with all aspects of business litigation. While we have represented many minority interest owners of businesses, our specialty is the representation of sophisticated businesses and their owners, including lawyers, accountants, engineers, architects, restauranteurs, developers, as well as national clients with local business disputes.

Related Attorneys: Richard C. Stanley / Bryan C. Reuter / Jennifer L. Thornton / W. Raley Alford, III / Thomas P. Owen, Jr. / Leonard A. Davis / J. Andrew Mieras / Brandon A. Naquin

Class Actions – Confining and Managing Risk

A class action allegation can make an ordinary lawsuit a serious matter. Our firm has a history of fighting and defeating class certification motions in both federal and state courts in a variety of disciplines, including products liability, casualty claims and securities law. Even when classes are certified, and particularly when embedded in multi-district proceedings, we work with co-counsel to find ways to confine and manage litigation risk by focusing on dispositive issues that lead to early and successful resolutions for the client.

Related Attorneys: Richard C. Stanley / Jennifer L. Thornton / W. Raley Alford, III / Thomas P. Owen, Jr. / Matthew J. Paul / Leonard A. Davis

Complex Litigation – Our Mainstay

In many of our commercial cases we hear the statement: “This is an issue of first impression.” It is that feature that converts an ordinary case into a complex commercial or personal injury litigation that our firm routinely handles. Our cases also typically feature multiple parties with differing defenses and liabilities, insurance coverage issues, and questions involving predecessor or successor liabilities. Our Firm has the experience to sort through these multi-faceted questions quickly and strategically for our clients.

Related Attorneys: Richard C. Stanley / Bryan C. Reuter / Jennifer L. Thornton / W. Raley Alford, III / Thomas P. Owen, Jr. / Leonard A. Davis

Construction – We help you build

Our lawyers can provide advice for your construction projects, whetherthe client is the owner, the architect, the engineer, and the subcontractor. Our construction lawyers not only provide advice at the outset of the project, such as drafting contracts, but also have extensive experience litigating construction disputes, working with liens, and untangling insurance issues.

Related Attorneys: Bryan C. Reuter / W. Raley Alford, III

Employment Law - Focus on your business and let us handle the technicalities.

The field of employment law is rapidly changing; federal and state laws governing the screening and hiring of employees, employer provisions of benefits to employees, grounds for layoffs and termination, and post-employment competition are in constant evolution. A critical part of any business for both employers and executives is employment relations. As with any aspect of business, addressing employment issues requires planning, negotiation, and sometimes litigation.Our firm counsels employers and executives on navigating these matters.

Our firm focuses on protecting your interests in handling important and sensitive employment matters. Specifically, our firm can advise business leadership on negotiating and drafting agreements with and on the behalf of key employees (including issues of equity compensation, non-competition, and trade secrets) to providing advice on executive and employee separation (including advising on the rights and obligations of former executives and employees). If these issues cannot be resolved through negotiations, our firm is equally able at litigating cases involving alleged employment discrimination, the enforceability of non-compete agreements, and other disputes concerning the rights and obligations arising under employment agreements.

In either instance, our lawyers use their judgment and skills to avert and/or resolve employment issues expeditiously while protecting your interests and minimizing the disruptions to your core business and functions.

Related Attorney: Thomas P. Owen, Jr.

Energy and Public Utilities

We represent public utilities in a variety of matters before Louisiana’s state and federal courts, the Louisiana Public Service Commission, the Council of the City of New Orleans, and in negotiations with other parties.We work closely with our clients on the regulatory issues central to their businesses, and our experience, knowledge of the industry, and attention to detail are what drive the successful results that we have helped our clients to achieve.

Related Attorneys: W. Raley Alford, III / Alison Palermo / John P. D’Avello

Intellectual Property- Protect and defend your intellectual property.

Intellectual Property is vital to business.Our lawyers advise clients on all aspects of IP, including trademark and copyright prosecution, trade secrets, confidentiality agreements between businesses, and transactional issues associated with IP.

We have experience litigating copyright, trademark, and unfair competition cases in both the state and federal courts, and combine insight and experience with a solid understanding of business and technology to efficiently and effectively resolve clients’ IP concerns.

Related Attorneys: Bryan C. Reuter / W. Raley Alford, III / Thomas P. Owen, Jr.

Legal Ethics- We are lawyers’ lawyers.

We take great pride in being the lawyers whom other lawyers trust with their most valuable professional assets—their licenses, law firms, and reputations.Our attorneys have unique and wide-ranging experience in virtually all aspects of the law of lawyering in Louisiana and the disputes and difficult issues that face the members of our profession.We are a full-service law firm providing representation to our peers and colleagues in attorney-disciplinary matters, disputes over legal fees, the formation and dissolution of law firms, lawyer departures, actions for legal malpractice, and forward-looking advice under the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct.Whether it is an urgent case or the start of a relationship that grows with a client’s practice, we have seen, heard, and done it all.

Related Attorneys: Richard C. Stanley / Kathryn W. Munson / Thomas P. Owen, Jr. / Matthew J. Paul / Patrick Bollman / John P. D’Avello / J. Andrew Mieras / Brandon A. Naquin

Local Counsel – Partnering with law firms nationwide

We frequently partner with national firms to represent national clients in very significant matters, sometimes referred to as a “virtual law firm” model. Our depth of experience in local and regional representations throughout Louisiana and the Gulf South region makes us particularly well-suited to serve as local counsel, and we take pride in our track record of efficient and effective collaboration with national firms.

Related Attorney: Richard C. Stanley / Bryan C. Reuter / Thomas P. Owen, Jr. / Leonard A. Davis

Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution

Our firm recently has formed a Mediation Practice Group. The purpose of the group is to bring over 80 years of complex litigation practice to the resolution of business disputes. While other mediation services are certainly available, our mediators offer an ability to understand the details of complex disputes and find resolutions that allow both sides to avoid the expense and uncertainty of years of litigation.

Related Attorneys: Bryan C. Reuter / Thomas P. Owen, Jr. / Leonard A. Davis

Multidistrict Litigation- Experienced in all Aspects of Multidistrict Litigation

The firm’s attorneys have broad experience in federal MDL matters, having participated in at least six MDL cases as counsel to one or more of the parties. In other cases, our lawyers have acted as counsel to the Claims Administrator in the BP/Deepwater Horizon litigation and also been appointed to the role of Special Master for the settlement allocation in the Pool Products Antitrust Litigation. Our MDL work spans decades and includes cases involving issues in antitrust, securities, products liability, and pharmaceutical products liability.The firm’s size and range of experience allow us to serve clients alongside national counsel and provide a virtual local office to manage these complex cases efficiently.

Related Attorneys: Richard C. Stanley / Bryan C. Reuter / W. Raley Alford, III / Thomas P. Owen, Jr. / Matthew J. Paul / Leonard A. Davis

Products Liability- State-of-the-Art Representation

We have defended thousands of products-liability cases across industries, including asbestos, benzene, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, chemicals, and medical devices. In addition to general product-liability claims, we also litigate Louisiana specific causes of action, such as redhibition. Our strategy on these cases is two-fold. Along with our command of the law in these areas, we also immerse ourselves in a thorough understanding of your product for a successful and efficient resolution of your case.

Related Attorney: Bryan C. Reuter