Fishman Haygood LLP

Number of partners: 21

Number of other lawyers: 24

Fishman Haygood was founded in the mid-1990s by leading business and litigation lawyers from three of the largest firms in Louisiana. Today, we enjoy a reputation as one of the state’s leading business law firms.

Banking & Finance

• Advised Sanderson Farms, Inc., in connection to its $1 billion revolving credit facility with a consortium of banks led by BMO Harris Bank, N.A., as agent.
• Serves as bank counsel to First Horizon Bank for the $65 million renovation of the Ragin Cajun stadium expansion project at the University of Louisiana Lafayette.
• Represented Provident Resources Group, Inc. as borrower under the issuance of $81,670,000 in tax-exempt and taxable Revenue Bonds (Series 2024A and Series 2024B) by Palm Beach County, Fla., to finance the acquisition and construction of undergraduate student housing at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.

Bankruptcy & Restructuring

• Represents the plant-based food company Atlantic Natural Foods, which owns and distributes vegan brands Loma Linda, Chik’n, Tuno, Neat, Kaffree Roma, and Modern Menu nationwide, in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
• Represented the Chapter 11 Trustee in a jointly administered bankruptcy case of Westbank Holdings, Inc., in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana; the Debtors also had significant insurance claims stemming from Hurricane Ida, vandalism, theft, and fires that Fishman Haygood prosecuted and settled on behalf of the Liquidating Trust.
• Represented numerous law firms and their class representative clients in high profile bankruptcy cases, including Clark, Love, & Hutson, a law firm representing over 15,000 tort claimants in multi-district litigation involving ear plug product liability claims against the Debtors and the 3M Company; firm was successful in protecting the claimants’ rights and opposing the preliminary injunction sought by the Debtors in favor of the 3M Company.
• Represented the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the Alfred Miller Contracting Company case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Represents the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of S2 Operating in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Venture, Inc. in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.

Corporate, Securities and M&A

• Represents services and infrastructure-focused private equity management firm Bernhard Capital Partners in acquisitions and investments related to the firm’s numerous portfolio companies.
• Prior to the company’s recent sale, represented H&E Equipment Services, one of the country’s largest rental equipment companies, in mergers and acquisitions; transactions for the Baton Rouge-based company spanned the country, including deals in California, Arizona, and Montana.
• Represented Danos Group Holdings, LLC in its acquisition of Performance Energy Services and Danos, LLC in its acquisition of Wood Group PSN’s offshore labor supply operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Represented Sanderson Farms, Inc., handling financing and securities matters and advising management and Board of Directors on an ongoing basis, including securities law compliance and reporting, corporate governance, executive compensation, risk management, shareholder engagement, and capital markets and M&A transactions; advised the company on its agreement to be acquired by a joint venture for $203/share in cash, representing a total equity value for Sanderson Farms of $4.53 billion.

Real Estate

• Provides ongoing representation of regional grocery chain Rouse’s Enterprises, LLC in its acquisitions, development, and leasing of stores across the Gulf South.
• Provides ongoing representation of Stirling Properties, LLC and its affiliates; recent deals include a joint venture with Level Homes to develop Arabella at Dutchtown Townhomes (Geismar, La.), the refinancing of Old River Marketplace Shopping Center (Shreveport, La.), and acquisition and financing of the United IV Office Building (Baton Rouge, La.).
• Represented two affiliates of Hajari Hospitality in connection with the refinancing of a Suburban Extended Stay Hotel and a Candlewood Suites Hotel (Avondale, La.).
• Represented Provident Resources Group, Inc. as non-profit borrower in the acquisition by ground lease, renovation, and equipping of Radford Court, a 399-unit apartment facility, and Nordheim Court, a 146-unit apartment facility, on the campus of the University of Washington.

Land Use & Economic Development Projects

• Serves as lead counsel for the renovation, expansion, and development of several Louisiana State University (LSU) Athletic Facility Projects and LSU Research District and Entertainment District. The potential projects are estimated to exceed $1 billion upon completion, and—in addition to the development of a new arena—include renovations and expansion of Pete Maravich Assembly Center, relocation and development of a new track and fieldhouse facility, development of mixed-use LSU Town Center, and development of mixed-use development on the LSU Golf Course Property.
• Formed over fifteen Economic Development Districts through the state of Louisiana for private development and was recently retained by the City of Lafayette/Parish of Lafayette Consolidated Government to establish five real estate-based economic development districts within the City of Lafayette; continues to serve as general counsel for the EDDs.
• Represented parties in numerous public private partnerships, serving as lead counsel in connection with the entitlement, incentives, permitting and development of the following projects: Water Campus, IBM Building Complex (Baton Rouge), IBM Center (Monroe), Shaw Center, Port Wonder (Lake Charles), and Moncus Park (Lafayette).

Litigation & Arbitration:

Commercial

• Lead counsel representing Knauf Gips KG, an international manufacturer of building products, in multi-district litigation and in state court product liability cases throughout the Gulf South.
• Represented a putative class of student borrowers whose private loans to non-qualified schools were discharged in bankruptcy but continued to be subjected to collection by the servicer; the nationwide settlement resulted in approximately $236 million in debt relief for these borrowers, as well as $44 million in cash compensation.
• Represents drilling rig operator Transocean with respect to 755 cases in ongoing litigation related to the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Environmental

• Represents private landowners and governmental entities, including the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, seeking to restore land loss caused by pipeline canals across Louisiana.
• Represents and has obtained favorable outcomes in multiple actions brought on behalf of clients whose private property has been contaminated by oil and gas exploration and production activities.
• Represents landowners in oil and gas plug and abandonment and equipment removal cases.

First Amendment & Media Law

• Regularly represents media outlets and individuals in defamation cases and public record and access disputes, including cases for the Associated Press, the Guardian, Cable News Network, and The New York Times.

Securities

• Represented the Official Stanford Investors Committee and individual Stanford investors with claimed damages exceeding $5 billion, resulting from the infamous Stanford International Bank certificate of deposit Ponzi scheme; settlements totaling $1.6 billion were reached with five bank defendants on the eve of trial.
• Lead counsel prosecuting securities fraud claims against Raymond James, as underwriter of over $330 million of public finance municipal bonds used to construct a wood pellet manufacturing facility in Urania, La.
• Represented hundreds of individual investors against their brokers or investment advisors, recovering tens of millions of dollars for these clients.

Tax Litigation

• Represents the Louisiana Department of Revenue in cases seeking to recover corporate income, franchise and sales taxes from among the largest taxpayers in the State; the firm has recently represented or currently represents the Department in cases against Conoco Philips, General Mills, W.W. Grainger, Inc., Monsanto Company, Rent-A-Center, Inc., and Home Depot USA, Inc.

International Arbitration

• Represents claimant-investors in confidential international arbitrations against sovereign nations with particular attention to matters involving North African and Eastern European nations; cases involve construction projects, large-scale infrastructure and industrial development projects, and complex financial transactions.

• New Orleans: 201 St. Charles Ave., Ste. 4600, New Orleans, LA 70170 | 504.586.5252
• Baton Rouge: 100 North St., Ste. 800, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 | 225.706.4040