James M. Garner

James M. Garner


Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert, L.L.C.

Recognized since 2006

New Orleans, Louisiana

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

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2016 - Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2014 - Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2013 - Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
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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.

Location
  • 909 Poydras Street, Suite 2800
    New Orleans, LA 70112
Languages
  • French
Education
  • Tulane University, Chemical Engineering, graduated 1986
Bar Admissions
  • Louisiana, Louisiana State Bar Association
  • Texas, State Bar of Texas
Affiliations
  • Class Action, Mass Tort & Complex Litigation Section -- Louisiana State Bar Association - Vice Chair
  • Federal Bar Association - Past President
  • Forekids Foundation - Associate Board Member
  • Holy Cross High School - Director
  • Louisiana Bar Foundation - Fellow
  • Tulane Alumni Association - Board Member
  • Tulane Law Review Board of Advisory Editors - Member
  • Xavier University Board of Visitors - Member

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2016 - Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2014 - Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2013 - Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs, New Orleans (2016)
  • Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs, New Orleans (2014)
  • Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, New Orleans (2013)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 for work in:
  • 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
Special Focus:
  • Appellate
  • Asbestos
  • Automobile
  • Aviation
  • Aviation Litigation
  • Banking
  • Bankruptcy
  • Bankruptcy and Creditors'-Debtors' Rights
  • Business Disputes
  • Class Actions
  • Complex Litigation
  • Construction
  • COVID-19
  • Defendants
  • Environmental
  • Federal
  • Fiduciary Duties
  • Insurance
  • Insurance Coverage
  • Insurance Defense
  • Intellectual Property
  • Litigation
  • Mass Tort
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Plaintiffs
  • Product Liability
  • Supreme Court
  • Toxic Tort
Awards:
  • 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
  • New Orleans City Business Power Generation, 2003
  • 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)
  • 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 – Construction, Litigation – Environmen
  • Chambers and Partners 2007 - 2016 USA Rankings in Litigation – Key Individuals: “The 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
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Administrative / Regulatory Law
  • Admiralty and Maritime Law
  • Advertising Law
  • Antitrust Law
  • Arbitration
  • Aviation Law
  • Banking and Finance Law
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice
  • Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
  • Civil Rights Law
  • CleanTech Law
  • Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
  • Collaborative Law: Civil
  • Collaborative Law: Family Law
  • Commercial Finance Law
  • Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
  • Communications Law
  • Copyright Law
  • Corporate Compliance Law
  • Corporate Governance Law
  • Criminal Defense: General Practice
  • Criminal Defense: White-Collar
  • Derivatives and Futures Law
  • DUI / DWI Defense
  • Economic Development Law
  • Elder Law
  • Electronic Discovery and Information Management Law
  • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Employment Law - Individuals
  • Employment Law - Management
  • Energy Law
  • Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television
  • Entertainment Law - Music
  • Environmental Law
  • Equipment Finance Law
  • Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
  • Family Law
  • Family Law Mediation
  • FDA Law
  • Financial Services Regulation Law
  • First Amendment Law
  • Food and Beverage Law
  • Franchise Law
  • Gaming Law
  • Government Relations Practice
  • Health Care Law
  • Immigration Law
  • Information Technology Law
  • Insurance Law
  • International Arbitration - Commercial
  • International Arbitration - Governmental
  • International Trade and Finance Law
  • IT Outsourcing Law
  • Labor Law - Management
  • Labor Law - Union
  • Land Use and Zoning Law
  • Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants
  • Legal Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
  • Leisure and Hospitality Law
  • Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
  • Litigation - Antitrust
  • Litigation - Banking and Finance
  • Litigation - Bankruptcy
  • Litigation - ERISA
  • Litigation - First Amendment
  • Litigation - Intellectual Property
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment
  • Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
  • Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Litigation - Municipal
  • Litigation - Patent
  • Litigation - Real Estate
  • Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
  • Litigation - Trusts and Estates
  • Mass Tort Litigation
  • Media Law
  • Mediation
  • Medical Malpractice Law
  • Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • Military Law
  • Mining Law
  • Municipal Law
  • Mutual Funds Law
  • Native American Law
  • Natural Resources Law
  • Nonprofit / Charities Law
  • Oil and Gas Law
  • Patent Law
  • Personal Injury Litigation
  • Privacy and Data Security Law
  • Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
  • Product Liability Litigation
  • Professional Malpractice Law
  • Project Finance Law
  • Public Finance Law
  • Railroad Law
  • Real Estate Law
  • Securities / Capital Markets Law
  • Securities Regulation
  • Securitization and Structured Finance Law
  • Sports Law
  • Technology Law
  • Timber Law
  • Trademark Law
  • Transportation Law
  • Trusts and Estates
  • Utilities Law
  • Venture Capital Law
  • Water Law
  • Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
  • Workers' Compensation Law - Employers

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Publications

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