Guide to Finding Lafayette Lawyer

Where is Lafayette?

There are many cities with the name Lafayette throughout the United States, but the city with the biggest population lies within the state of Louisiana. According to the 2010 census, the city of Lafayette, Louisiana has a population of 120,623 and stands as the fourth largest city in the state. The city is situated about 100 miles west by northwest of New Orleans and 30 miles west by southwest of Baton Rouge. The major highways that pass through the city of Lafayette are I-10 and I-49.

How Can I find a Lafayette Lawyer?

There are many resources to help you find a Lafayette lawyer. There are numerous lawyer associations around the state of Louisiana, and the city of Lafayette has lawyer associations of its own as well. If you’re looking for Lafayette lawyer, you should consider looking into the following lawyer associations:

• Lafayette Bar Association

• Lafayette Young Lawyers Association

You may also want to consider the following associations if you live in the city of Lafayette and are looking for a Lafayette lawyer within the state of Louisiana:

• Louisiana State Bar Association

• Louisiana District Attorney Association

• New Orleans Bar Association

• Hispanic Lawyers Association of Louisiana

• Jefferson Bar Association

The above associations are not a complete list of all lawyer associations within the state of Louisiana. If you are looking for a specialized lawyer, it’s always a good idea to talk to your family members, friends, and other community members. It’s not always a good idea to talk to people about your case, but if you trust the person it’s sometimes a good idea. Family members and friends can sometimes refer you to a specialized and confident Lafayette lawyer if they have been involved in a similar case. There are other measures to consider when looking for a Lafayette lawyer as well.

Law Schools in the state of Louisiana

It’s always a good idea to look at the education of a Lafayette lawyer before you decide to seek their legal advice. Certain institutions can produce graduates who are more familiarized with a certain aspect of law, and certain institutions just simply have a better ranking than others within the same state. Two of Louisiana’s law schools are in the city of Baton Rouge while the other two are in the city of New Orleans. The following law schools are all accredited under the American Bar Association:

1) Paul M. Hebert Law Center Louisiana State University- LSU’s law school is the highest ranked law school within the state of Louisiana and specializes in both civil and common law. The school recently ranked as the 80th best law school in the United States.

2) Southern University Law Center- the law school is located in the city of Baton Rouge and has a reputation for providing education to a wide range of racial, ethnical, and economic groups. Graduates of this university can and often choose to specialize in discrimination and other similar law.

3) Loyola University School of Law- the law school is often referred to as Louisiana’s second most accredited law school under LSU. The law school is one of the oldest in the state, and the school stresses ethical and professional standards.

4) Tulane University Law School- the law school is located in New Orleans and has a very strong Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program. The school is often well known for its healthcare law program and often produces graduate who specialize in healthcare law.

Apart from simply reviewing your lawyer’s education, it’s also a good idea to review the amount of CLE your prospective attorney has undergone within the last year. Under Louisiana state law, a Lafayette lawyer or a lawyer from other part of Louisiana must attend a minimum of 12.5 CLE hours every year. One hour must be devoted to ethics, while another hour must be devoted to professionalism. Some Lafayette lawyer decide to attend more CLE hours within a given year, and these Lafayette lawyer are often highly proficient in managerial practices. These same Lafayette lawyer often know how to get things done fast and efficiently.

What are common lawsuits within Lafayette?

Many of the numerous lawsuits that have resulted from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans don’t occur as frequently in the state of Lafayette. There were a massive amount of property damage lawsuits, flood insurance lawsuits, and other similar cases that occurred because of Hurricane Katrina. These same cases didn’t occur as frequently in Lafayette because the city was only affected by the western bands of Katrina. Since the city doesn’t lie within close proximity to the water, the residents saw much less damage. However, some buildings did accrue damage from the disastrous hurricane.

The same goes for lawsuits against British Petroleum. When the oilrig caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico in the summer of 2010, many of Louisiana’s coasts saw massive and detrimental damage from the oil. However, Lafayette wasn’t damaged by the oil spill because it doesn’t lie on the coast. In decades to come, many of Louisiana’s inlets and swamps may see indirect damage associated with the oil spill, and Lafayette contains many inlets. However, the statute of limitations won’t allow cities like Lafayette to file claims in the future.

Within recent years and the past decade, the state of Louisiana and city of Lafayette has been known to face large numbers of civil lawsuits. The state has also been subject to large amounts of environmental lawsuits that resulted in the state having to hand out huge, obtuse settlements. However, within the last couple of years, several organizations around the state have been trying to pass legislation that would reduce the amount of civil cases. These groups include:

• the Coalition for Common Sense

• Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch

There are a number of companies and organizations around the state that are hoping new legislation will make it harder for citizens to receive compensation in civil cases. Some supporters of the legislation include:

• Louisiana Association of Business and Industry

• Louisiana Chemical Association

• Louisiana Oil and Gas Association

• Louisiana State Medical Society