Environmental Law

The attorneys at Degan, Blanchard & Nash are highly experienced in handling the wide range of environmental issues that are faced by employers in the oil and gas, maritime, refinery, manufacturing, and transportation industries. Our attorneys handle claims ranging from bad faith to the defense of Superfund litigation. Our representation and defense of many different types of environmental claims includes the defense of chemical manufacturers, employers, corporations using hazardous chemicals in the course of their operations, and other companies either directly or peripherally involved with the manufacture, handling, transportation and distribution of chemicals.

The firm defends numerous types of environmental claims, including wrongful death, personal injury and property damage claims. Our attorneys have represented employers as well as product manufacturers and others engaged in the handling, transportation and distribution of chemicals, including hazardous chemicals. We have worked extensively with experts such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, air modelers and meteorologists, and we are familiar with the scientific issues pertinent to the defense of environmental claims. We have worked closely with both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality in connection with unexpected chemical releases, and have also counseled clients regarding appropriate response measures following unexpected chemical releases. These efforts are instrumental in minimizing the potential costs that can be associated with a chemical release, both from a regulatory and civil litigation perspective.

We have a group of seasoned, experienced attorneys and an extensive litigation database that is essential to defense of environmental claims, and which enables us to litigate these claims more efficiently than less experienced attorneys. We are extremely mindful of the costs associated with the defense of environmental claims and strive to minimize costs to the greatest extent possible in keeping with the potential exposure for the claims.

The attorneys have considerable experience in handling large class action lawsuits as well as individual claims, including personal injury, wrongful death and property damage claims. Our experience enables us to provide our clients with a cutting edge defense while minimizing the costs of litigation, which can be considerable in environmental claims due to the nature and complexity of the issues involved.

The firm also maintains a growing library of scientific information/data, which is often beneficial in obtaining an understanding of the complex issues arising from environmental disputes. Degan, Blanchard & Nash maintains an extensive list of expert witnesses who are often involved in the handling of environmental cases. Through the use of these and other efficient systems of operation, the firm is positioned to efficiently represent our clients while maintaining a strong defensive posture.

Finally, the technical expertise, including the education and training of several of our attorneys involved in the handling of insurance coverage and environmental defense litigation, can often be invaluable when dealing with the inevitably complex legal, factual and scientific issues which arise from these claims.

Practice Area Spotlight

Admiralty and Maritime

Degan, Blanchard & Nash employs dedicated attorneys with proficiency in admiralty and maritime law. The practice of Admiralty and Maritime law is a highly focused area of law that is not widely practiced throughout the United States. As one of the oldest branches of law, harkening back to ancient times, maritime law today covers a broad area of issues, ranging from injuries and working conditions at sea to shipping and commerce, navigation, collisions, ….

Read More >
Construction

Navigating a complex construction project requires assistance from an experienced legal team well-prepared to tackle the issues that regularly arise on the construction site. During any phase of a construction project, disagreements can turn into bitter disputes over insurability, schedule, cost, and quality of the end product.

Read More >
Professional Liability

Our professional liability defense group is comprised of attorneys with unsurpassed expertise in defending professionals from a variety of industries, including claims involving medical/healthcare providers, the legal/accounting industries, real estate agents/brokers, insurance agents/brokers, design professionals/architects and engineers, financial planners, investment advisors, and other professional disciplines.

Read More >
Property and Casualty

Through its many years of experience, Degan, Blanchard & Nash's property litigation section attorneys has developed a technical expertise in handling a wide array of property cases involving both commercial and residential properties. With offices in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this includes defense of claims due to the weather - e.g., for damage occurring as a result of storms or extreme temperatures.

Read More >
Trucking and Commercial Vehicle

In short, we know the commercial vehicle and trucking business. We recognize the integral role commercial trucking plays in the economy and can help clients navigate the myriad of federal and state laws that may apply.

Read More >
Workers' Compensation Defense

Employers spend millions of dollars every year settling workers' compensation claims that might otherwise have been reduced or dismissed. At Degan, Blanchard & Nash, our attorneys defend cases involving work-related injury or disease, from the most minor to the most severe. While the workers' compensation courts prefer to settle disputes through mediation, there are cases which require litigation. This is when a work-related legal dispute moves to the courts and a workers' compensation lawyer is required.

Read More >
Longshore and Harbor
Workers' Compensation Act
and Defense Base Act

Originally began as a maritime defense law firm, Degan, Blanchard & Nash has diversified from its traditional role primarily in the Louisiana and Texas maritime area into, among other areas, the "blue water" and international marine fields. The firm's approach is to consistently reflect our attorneys' broad knowledge and deep understanding of admiralty and insurance coverage law together with effective representation of the clients, the cornerstone of our longstanding client relationships.

Read More >
Insurance Coverage and Litigation

Degan, Blanchard & Nash's insurance coverage practice has many decades of combined experience in providing insurance coverage advice and in defending insurers in coverage litigation. The coverage group maintains its national expertise and handles claims and litigation arising in all fifty states. Although the insurance coverage group focuses exclusively on the coverage advice and litigation needs of insurers, our coverage lawyers are also skilled in defending liability issues, especially in Louisiana where, due to the state's Direct Action Statute, insurers are most often sued directly by plaintiffs.

Read More >