Stephen J Herman

Practice Areas

Steve Herman has more than 30 years of experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in commercial, class action, and professional liability matters, and is often called on to provide expert testimony in these areas.

His recent work includes submitting a series of declarations in support of class counsel’s successful fee petition in the multi-billion-dollar Aqueous Film-Forming Foam MDL settlements; serving as a special master to review litigation expenses and allocate awards to hundreds of plaintiffs in a multi-million-dollar landfill settlement; and conducting an independent ethics investigation of the parish’s Inspector General at the request of the Jefferson Parish Ethics and Compliance Commission.

Career

Steve maintains a broad civil practice, handling matters ranging from highway defect and products liability cases to fire and flood losses, attorney fee disputes, employment cases, and special appellate work before the Louisiana Supreme Court and other courts of appeal. Notably, he was appointed in 2010 to serve as one of two Liaison and Lead Class Counsel for all businesses, individuals, and local governments involved in the Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill litigation.

Steve teaches an advanced torts seminar on class actions at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and an advanced civil procedure course in complex litigation at Tulane University Law School. He has given numerous speeches on consumer fraud, tobacco, maritime, and managed care litigation; complex discovery, electronic discovery, and spoliation; preemption, privilege, trial preparation, deposition strategy, motion practice, legal ethics and professionalism, class actions, and complex litigation.

Professional Memberships

• American Association for Justice: Member, 2025-26 AAJ Executive Committee; Chair, Amicus Curiae Committee; Louisiana Representative, Board of Governors (since 2014); Chair, AI Task Force; Treasurer, AAJ Endowment Board

• American Bar Foundation, Patron Fellow

• American Law Institute, Member

• Civil Justice Foundation, Past President

• Civil Justice Research Initiative, Member, Board of Directors

• International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Fellow

• Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow

• Louisiana Appleseed, Former Member, Board of Directors

• Louisiana Association for Justice: Chair, Amicus Curiae Committee; Past President

• Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, Past Lawyer Chair, Hearing Committee

• Louisiana State Bar Association: Chair, Section on Class Action, Mass Tort, and Complex Litigation; Member, Rules of Professional Conduct Committee

• National Civil Justice Institute (formerly the Pound Civil Justice Institute), Past President

• New Orleans Bar Association: Member; Past President (2023-2024)

• Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, Former Member, Board of Directors

Publications

Steve is the author of America and the Law: Challenges for the 21st Century, and he maintains a What’s New in the Courts law blog (or “blawg”) at GravierHouse.com.

Work Highlights

In 2010, Steve was appointed by the Court to serve as one of two Liaison and Lead Class Counsel for all businesses, individuals, and local governments involved in the Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill Litigation. He was instrumental in coordinating the trial efforts with the States of Louisiana and Alabama, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, and in securing several multi-billion-dollar settlements, including the establishment and administration of the $13-plus billion claims Settlement Program with BP, as well as tax loss compensation settlements with approximately 600 local governments.

Education

Awards