About James
Mr. Garner, a Member of the firm is a trial lawyer specializing in commercial and complex litigation. He has been lead counsel in cases in New Mexico, California, West Virginia, Kansas, Arizona, Indiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, involving complex and class action litigation ranging from asbestos exposure, benzene exposure, mass closings of big box retailers, noise pollution, commercial, banking, bankruptcy and financial litigation. He is admitted to practice before the federal courts in Arkansas and all courts in Texas and Louisiana. He serves as regional counsel for several companies.Mr. Garner is very active in the oil and gas field, being a chemical engineer and former drilling engineer. He represents a number of companies as claimants in the BP Macondo Litigation. Mr. Garner is also lead counsel for Texas Brine Company in defending and prosecuting its claims in the Bayou Corne sinkhole litigation.Mr. Garner has extensive appellate argument experience by regularly arguing before the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, the Louisiana Courts of Appeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court. He was unanimously appointed by the Tulane Faculty to Adjunct Lecturer in Law for the Fall 2014 Semester, teaching Advanced Appellate Advocacy at Tulane University School of Law.While attending Tulane Law School, Mr. Garner served as a member of the Board of Editors for 1987-1988 and managing editor of the Tulane Law Review for 1988-1989. He is also a member of the Order of the Coif. As an undergraduate at Tulane, he was a member of the Tau Beta Pi, Phi Eta Sigma, Omega Chi Epsilon, and Omicron Delta Kappa honorary societies.Professional and civic activities include: American (member); Louisiana (member) and Federal (Director, Membership Chair, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, President Elect and Vice-President, President and National Council Delegate, member) Bar Associations; Defense Research Institute (member); Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (member); Louisiana Bankers Association (member); Holy Cross High School (Board Member); Our Lady of Holy Cross College (Development Board); Tulane University (Admissions Council and Externship Committee); Tulane Law Review Board of Advisory Editors; St. Catherine of Siena Cub Scout Pack 230 Den Leader.
Mr. Garner, a Member of the firm is a trial lawyer specializing in commercial and complex litigation. He has been lead counsel in cases in New Mexico, California, West Virginia, Kansas, Arizona, Indiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, involving complex and class action litigation ranging from asbestos exposure, benzene exposure, mass closings of big box retailers, noise pollution, commercial, banking, bankruptcy and financial litigation. He is admitted to practice before the federal courts in Arkansas and all courts in Texas and Louisiana. He serves as regional counsel for several companies.
Mr. Garner is very active in the oil and gas field, being a chemical engineer and former drilling engineer. He represents a number of companies as claimants in the BP Macondo Litigation. Mr. Garner is also lead counsel for Texas Brine Company in defending and prosecuting its claims in the Bayou Corne sinkhole litigation.
Mr. Garner has extensive appellate argument experience by regularly arguing before the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, the Louisiana Courts of Appeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court. He was unanimously appointed by the Tulane Faculty to Adjunct Lecturer in Law for the Fall 2014 Semester, teaching Advanced Appellate Advocacy at Tulane University School of Law.
While attending Tulane Law School, Mr. Garner served as a member of the Board of Editors for 1987-1988 and managing editor of the Tulane Law Review for 1988-1989. He is also a member of the Order of the Coif. As an undergraduate at Tulane, he was a member of the Tau Beta Pi, Phi Eta Sigma, Omega Chi Epsilon, and Omicron Delta Kappa honorary societies.
Professional and civic activities include: American (member); Louisiana (member) and Federal (Director, Membership Chair, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, President Elect and Vice-President, President and National Council Delegate, member) Bar Associations; Defense Research Institute (member); Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (member); Louisiana Bankers Association (member); Holy Cross High School (Board Member); Our Lady of Holy Cross College (Development Board); Tulane University (Admissions Council and Externship Committee); Tulane Law Review Board of Advisory Editors; St. Catherine of Siena Cub Scout Pack 230 Den Leader.
Practice Areas
Appellate Practice
Commercial Litigation
Construction Law
Education Law
Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
Litigation - Construction
Litigation - Environmental
Litigation - Securities
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs
Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs
Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
Case History
Education
Professional Affiliations
Awards & Recognition
- Lawyer of the Year: Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs, New Orleans (2016)
- Lawyer of the Year: Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs, New Orleans (2014)
- Lawyer of the Year: Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, New Orleans (2013)
- Recognized: Appellate Practice
- Recognized: Commercial Litigation
- Recognized: Construction Law
- Recognized: Education Law
- Recognized: Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
- Recognized: Litigation - Construction
- Recognized: Litigation - Environmental
- Recognized: Litigation - Securities
- Recognized: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
- Recognized: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs
- Recognized: Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
- Recognized: Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
- Recognized: Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
- Recognized: Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
- Recognized: Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs
- Recognized: Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
- Practice Area: Administrative / Regulatory Law
- Practice Area: Admiralty and Maritime Law
- Practice Area: Advertising Law
- Practice Area: Antitrust Law
- Practice Area: Arbitration
- Practice Area: Aviation Law
- Practice Area: Banking and Finance Law
- Practice Area: Bet-the-Company Litigation
- Practice Area: Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice
- Practice Area: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- Practice Area: Civil Rights Law
- Practice Area: CleanTech Law
- Practice Area: Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
- Practice Area: Collaborative Law: Civil
- Practice Area: Collaborative Law: Family Law
- Practice Area: Commercial Finance Law
- Practice Area: Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
- Practice Area: Communications Law
- Practice Area: Copyright Law
- Practice Area: Corporate Compliance Law
- Practice Area: Corporate Governance Law
- Practice Area: Criminal Defense: General Practice
- Practice Area: Criminal Defense: White-Collar
- Practice Area: Derivatives and Futures Law
- Practice Area: DUI / DWI Defense
- Practice Area: Economic Development Law
- Practice Area: Elder Law
- Practice Area: Electronic Discovery and Information Management Law
- Practice Area: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
- Practice Area: Employment Law - Individuals
- Practice Area: Employment Law - Management
- Practice Area: Energy Law
- Practice Area: Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television
- Practice Area: Entertainment Law - Music
- Practice Area: Environmental Law
- Practice Area: Equipment Finance Law
- Practice Area: Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
- Practice Area: Family Law
- Practice Area: Family Law Mediation
- Practice Area: FDA Law
- Practice Area: Financial Services Regulation Law
- Practice Area: First Amendment Law
- Practice Area: Food and Beverage Law
- Practice Area: Franchise Law
- Practice Area: Gaming Law
- Practice Area: Government Relations Practice
- Practice Area: Health Care Law
- Practice Area: Immigration Law
- Practice Area: Information Technology Law
- Practice Area: Insurance Law
- Practice Area: International Arbitration - Commercial
- Practice Area: International Arbitration - Governmental
- Practice Area: International Trade and Finance Law
- Practice Area: IT Outsourcing Law
- Practice Area: Labor Law - Management
- Practice Area: Labor Law - Union
- Practice Area: Land Use and Zoning Law
- Practice Area: Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants
- Practice Area: Legal Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
- Practice Area: Leisure and Hospitality Law
- Practice Area: Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
- Practice Area: Litigation - Antitrust
- Practice Area: Litigation - Banking and Finance
- Practice Area: Litigation - Bankruptcy
- Practice Area: Litigation - ERISA
- Practice Area: Litigation - First Amendment
- Practice Area: Litigation - Intellectual Property
- Practice Area: Litigation - Labor and Employment
- Practice Area: Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
- Practice Area: Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions
- Practice Area: Litigation - Municipal
- Practice Area: Litigation - Patent
- Practice Area: Litigation - Real Estate
- Practice Area: Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
- Practice Area: Litigation - Trusts and Estates
- Practice Area: Mass Tort Litigation
- Practice Area: Media Law
- Practice Area: Mediation
- Practice Area: Medical Malpractice Law
- Practice Area: Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
- Practice Area: Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Practice Area: Military Law
- Practice Area: Mining Law
- Practice Area: Municipal Law
- Practice Area: Mutual Funds Law
- Practice Area: Native American Law
- Practice Area: Natural Resources Law
- Practice Area: Nonprofit / Charities Law
- Practice Area: Oil and Gas Law
- Practice Area: Patent Law
- Practice Area: Personal Injury Litigation
- Practice Area: Privacy and Data Security Law
- Practice Area: Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
- Practice Area: Product Liability Litigation
- Practice Area: Professional Malpractice Law
- Practice Area: Project Finance Law
- Practice Area: Public Finance Law
- Practice Area: Railroad Law
- Practice Area: Real Estate Law
- Practice Area: Securities / Capital Markets Law
- Practice Area: Securities Regulation
- Practice Area: Securitization and Structured Finance Law
- Practice Area: Sports Law
- Practice Area: Technology Law
- Practice Area: Timber Law
- Practice Area: Trademark Law
- Practice Area: Transportation Law
- Practice Area: Trusts and Estates
- Practice Area: Utilities Law
- Practice Area: Venture Capital Law
- Practice Area: Water Law
- Practice Area: Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
- Practice Area: Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
- Special Focus: Appellate
- Special Focus: Asbestos
- Special Focus: Automobile
- Special Focus: Aviation
- Special Focus: Aviation Litigation
- Special Focus: Banking
- Special Focus: Bankruptcy
- Special Focus: Bankruptcy and Creditors'-Debtors' Rights
- Special Focus: Business Disputes
- Special Focus: Class Actions
- Special Focus: Complex Litigation
- Special Focus: Construction
- Special Focus: COVID-19
- Special Focus: Defendants
- Special Focus: Environmental
- Special Focus: Federal
- Special Focus: Fiduciary Duties
- Special Focus: Insurance
- Special Focus: Insurance Coverage
- Special Focus: Insurance Defense
- Special Focus: Intellectual Property
- Special Focus: Litigation
- Special Focus: Mass Tort
- Special Focus: Pharmaceutical
- Special Focus: Plaintiffs
- Special Focus: Product Liability
- Special Focus: Supreme Court
- Special Focus: Toxic Tort
- Global Law Experts Oil & Gas Tort Litigation Attorney of the Year in the USA, 2015
- Louisiana Super Lawyers 2007-2016, recognized in the New Orleans Top 50 (2013, 2015, 2016), and Louisiana Top 50 (2007-2013, 2015, 2016)
- New Orleans City Business Power Generation, 2003
- New Orleans City Business has awarded Mr. Garner the first annual Leadership in Law Award, as one of the top 50 Lawyers in New Orleans, 2005
- Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition -- Business Litigation, 2008
- Gerson Lehrman Group, GLG Leader, 2010 - Present
- Benchmark: The Definitive Guide to America's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys, Local Litigation Star, 2008 - 2014
- Top 50 Lawyers, Louisiana Super Lawyers: Appellate Law and Commercial, Mass Tort, Products Liability and Personal Injury Litigation, 2007 - 2012
- The Lawdragon 500 New Stars, New Worlds, 2006
- Lawdragon's 100 Managing Partners You Need to Know, 2008
- The Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America, 2007 - 2012
- 2013 Top Rated Lawyer for Energy, Environmental and Natural Resources, Martindale-Hubbell
- 2014-2015 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
- Best Lawyers in America since 2006 with special designations, during 2016 or a prior year, in Appellate Practice, Arbitration, Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Litigation β Construction, Litigation β Environmen
- Chambers and Partners 2007 - 2016 USA Rankings in Litigation β Key Individuals: βThe highly regarded James Garner is well versed in class action work, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in areas such as noise pollution, banking and the energy sec
- New Orleans CityBusiness - 2016 Leadership in Law Honoree