Jeffrey (Jeff) Richardson represents clients in litigation, especially class actions and complex litigation. A major emphasis of Jeff’s practice is appellate litigation, where he has substantial experience sifting through complex trial court records to select the focus of the briefs and oral argument. Whether arguing motions at the trial court level or representing a client in an appeal, Jeff crafts the best argument to catch the judge’s attention and turn the decision his client’s way.
His appellate work often begins at the trial court level when clients ask Jeff to join their existing trial counsel to best position the case for an eventual appeal and then to represent them on appeal. Jeff also has experience considering the defense of litigation from the client side because one of Jeff’s clients, a New York-based Fortune 25 company, hired him to serve as visiting in-house counsel, working on a variety of complex class action and tort cases.
Jeff’s complex litigation practice encompasses a variety of clients and issues, including contractual disputes and tort or statutory claims — especially those that tend to be both sophisticated and very risky for the client. A member of the Product Liability Advisory Council, he also defends clients in high-stakes product liability litigation.
One example of Jeff’s experience with complex litigation is a recent case in which he served as appellate counsel before the Louisiana Supreme Court for a pharmaceutical company, gaining a reversal of a $337 million award. Another example is the issue of class certification.
Plaintiff attorneys often ask the courts to certify cases as class actions, which can turn a small case into a multimillion-dollar one. Jeff has experience helping clients convince trial and appellate courts that class certification is inappropriate. Jeff has presented appellate oral argument in large class action cases three times, in both Louisiana state and federal appellate courts.
In 2008, Jeff created iPhoneJD.com, the oldest and largest website for attorneys who use iPhones and iPads. Jeff writes about the ways lawyers can employ technology most productively in their work. With tens of thousands of readers, he’s well known for sharing his knowledge with attorneys around the country and the world. His blog has frequently been named the best legal technology website, and the ABA Journal had made iPhone J.D. part of its Blawg Hall of Fame.
Jeff is a long-time volunteer for Louisiana Appleseed, an organization which works to devise effective solutions that will increase access to education, opportunity and justice for large numbers of people, often through legislative and rule changes. For example, Jeff was instrumental in getting rules changed to allow Louisiana attorneys to receive continuing legal education credit by performing pro bono work, thus making it easier for all Louisiana attorneys to increase their pro bono activities.
Education:
- Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1994, magna cum laude
- Emory University, B.A., 1991, summa cum laude
Professional Affiliations & Memberships:
- American Bar Association
- Louisiana State Bar Association, Chairman of Technology Committee (2007-2008)
- Defense Research Institute
- New Orleans Bar Association
- Florida Bar Association
Cost
Rate : $$$