Insurance Defense

Degan, Blanchard & Nash provides insurance defense representation to insurance companies, self-insured corporations and third-party administrators. With offices in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, we take pride in providing efficient and cost-effective representation to our insurance clients throughout Louisiana.

Insurance defense constitutes a substantial part of our law practice. Our experienced attorneys work closely with our insurance clients and their policyholders in order to ensure that we are responsive to their needs and requests. We understand that insurers need effective and efficient legal services, and we are constantly striving to identify and implement creative and cost-effective approaches when handling our insurance defense cases.

Our attorneys are experienced in all aspects of insurance defense and offer the highest level of professional service and representation to our insurance clients and their policyholders. Our extensive experience in insurance litigation includes:

Automobile Accident Liability Defense
Uninsured Motorist Claims
Wrongful Death and Survival Actions
Property Damage Claims
Product Liability Defense
Premises Liability Defense
Professional Liability
Building and Construction Claims
Excess Insurance claims
Workers' Compensation Issues
"Bad faith" claims
Coverage disputes
Subrogation
Toxic Torts

We recognize and appreciate that timely and consistent collaborative planning and communication between the attorney and the client is essential to achieving a desired result in civil litigation. We are also cognizant of the importance of proactive reporting so that our clients remain closely apprised of how each case is progressing.

Each case that we handle requires its own individualized defense strategy, depending on its own unique set of facts and circumstances. Our extensive experience enables us to identify and recommend the best and most practical approach to achieve the desired result. In some cases, pursuing reasonable settlement early may be the most prudent course of action in order to minimize unwarranted litigation costs. Other times, a thorough defense must be developed through discovery to substantially reduce the value of the plaintiff's claim before a reasonable compromise can be reached without the need for an expensive trial. However, in those situations where a case must proceed to trial, rest assured that our experienced and capable litigators will be well prepared to present a compelling and persuasive case to a judge or jury.

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, ….

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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