Biography

Biography

Lee is a trial lawyer. He has approximately 35 years of experience in civil litigation, including business and commercial disputes, oil and gas litigation, natural resources litigation, products liability claims, professional malpractice defense, trucking defense, personal injury claims, fraud claims, insurance coverage, and insurance bad faith defense.

Lee received his law degree from the Louisiana State University Law Center, where he was a member of the Louisiana Law Review and the Order of the Coif, an honorary society of the top ten percent of each graduating class. He was ranked 4th in his law school class. He was admitted to practice in 1988. He is licensed to practice in all Louisiana district and appellate courts and the Louisiana Supreme Court. Lee is also admitted to practice in the federal district courts sitting in Louisiana and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal.

Lee is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. The ACTL is a premier invitation-only organization of exceptional trial lawyers from diverse backgrounds in the United States and Canada. It maintains and seeks to improve the standards of trial practice, professionalism, ethics, and the administration of justice.  He serves on the ACTL Boot Camp Committee, which presents trial advocacy programs for young lawyers.

Lee is also a Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. The LCA is an invitation only trial lawyer honorary society. Membership is limited to 3,500 Fellows, representing less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. In the LCA, Lee serves as Vice-Chairman of the International Institute for Environmental, Energy, and Natural Resources Litigation.

Lee is also a member of the Defense Research Institute (DRI), the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel (LADC), the Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit, the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Shreveport Bar Association and the New Orleans Bar Association.

Lee has previously served on the Board of Directors of the LADC, as well as a faculty member for the LADC Trial Academy. Lee has also served as a faculty member for LSU Law School’s Trial Advocacy Training Program.

From 2006-2009, Lee was the State Representative for Louisiana to the DRI. In 2008, he was named as the Outstanding State Representative. Lee served on the Board of Directors for the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) from 1994-2000. He also served on LABI’s Executive Committee from 1998-2000.

Representative Experience

Representative Experience
  • Substantial jury and bench trial experience.
  • Extensive litigation of commercial and business disputes, including claims for breach of contract and property disputes.
  • Extensive litigation involving successions, donations, last wills and testaments, and trusts.
  • Litigation of oil and gas matters such as cases involving the disputed existence of mineral servitudes, the disputed existence of mineral leases, and disputes over ownership of lease bonuses.
  • Litigation of land use and property matters.
  • Substantial litigation of professional liability claims including medical malpractice, legal malpractice, accounting malpractice, and claims of malpractice against counselors, pastors, and other professionals.
  • Extensive litigation of insurance matters, including coverage issues and insurance policy interpretation.
  • Extensive litigation of liability cases in other diverse areas, including personal injury claims, claims made against owners of business premises, defective products claims, and strict liability claims.

Education

Education
  • Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, J.D. 1988
  • Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; B.S. Business Administration 1985

Professional Recognition

Professional Recognition
  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
  • “AV” rating on Martindale-Hubbell
  • Named by Lawdragon in 2023 & 2024 as a member of the 500 Leading Litigators in America
  • Paul M. Hebert Law Center Hall of Fame
  • Order of the Coif
  • Selected to be a member of National Association of Distinguished Counsel, 8th year
  • Louisiana Law Review
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America, 2005 through 2023
  • Named by Best Lawyers in 2023 as “Lawyer of the Year” in the Shreveport area in the category of “Product Liability-Defendants”
  • Named by Best Lawyers in both 2007 and 2020 as “Lawyer of the Year” in the Shreveport area in the category of “Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants”
  • Listed in Super Lawyers for Louisiana, 2007 through 2023
  • Listed by Super Lawyers as being among the “Top 50” in Louisiana in 2020 and 2021
  • Listed in SB Magazine as one of Shreveport-Bossier’s best lawyers, 2006 through 2023

 

Activities and Affiliations

Activities and Affiliations
  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
  • Member, Louisiana State Bar Association
  • Member, Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit
  • Member, New Orleans Bar Association
  • Member, Shreveport Bar Association
  • Member, International Association of Defense Counsel
  • Member, Defense Research Institute
  • Member, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel
  • Chairman, LADC Environmental and Energy Law Practice Group – 2024 – 2025

Presentations

Presentations
  • Faculty member, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy (multiple years)
  • Faculty member, LSU Law School Trial Advocacy Training Program (multiple years)
  • Faculty member, ACTL’s Boot Camp Committee (2023)
  • Lee is also a frequent author and speaker on topics such as trial techniques, natural resource litigation, fraud litigation in Louisiana, bad faith litigation, products liability, and media relations in high profile litigation.

 

Industries/Practices
  • Business and Commercial Litigation
  • Energy, Oil and Gas and Natural Resources Litigation
  • Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Defense
  • Professional Errors and Omissions
  • Premises Liability Litigation
  • Products Liability Litigation
  • Trial Practice
Bar Admissions

Louisiana, 1988

  • Top 50. LASuper lawyers LHAAyres. Best Lawyers of the Year 2020

LHA lawyer-43409-US-basic-M-E25

LHA MDH

 

Best Lawyers Award Badge

Lee Ayres SL