Practice Area: Commercial litigation, probate litigation, professional liability defense, personal injury
About: In 1988-89, James “Jim” Gibson began handling legal malpractice cases for his insurance clients. At that time, no law dedicated to attorney malpractice existed in Louisiana. Instead, litigants contorted existing negligence and contract law to apply in a professional malpractice setting. The resulting contradictory case law created a “Wild West” atmosphere that challenged the best litigators.
In 1990, the Louisiana Legislature passed statutes governing the timing and venue of professional liability suits against lawyers, accountants and insurance agents. See La. R.S. 9:5604-5606. The same year, the Louisiana Supreme Court created the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel serving as its investigative and prosecutorial arm. The Louisiana Judiciary Commission, the body that administers complaints against sitting Louisiana judges, had been established since 1968. When complaints against lawyers or judges are filed with one of these bodies, the respondents routinely request that Jim Gibson defend them.
Over the years following the enactment of the attorney malpractice statute in 1990, Jim testified before Committees of the Louisiana Legislature regarding proposed amendments. Most recently, he spoke against creating an exception to statutory peremptive periods for attorneys who continued to represent a client after a potential malpractice event. However, Jim’s most important contribution to the professional liability arena has been his creative and aggressive trial and appellate practice in cases involving lawyers, insurance agents and accountants. The new body of case law that arose after the enactment of the professional liability statutes is peppered with precedent litigated across Louisiana by Jim Gibson and his law partners.
Co-founders of Gibson Law Partners, Jim and Charles “Chuck” Kreamer began working together in 1994 in the professional liability arena. Over the following twenty-four years, numerous cases involving commercial or probate litigation in the underlying matters led to their substantial experience in those areas. Consequently, the commercial and probate cases handled by Jim and Chuck have become increasingly complex. Jim and Chuck later added Stacy Kennedy, Alan Stewart and Michael Adley to the team. Stacy has been defending professionals for the great majority of her twenty-two year legal career. Most recently, her focus has been on defending attorneys and insurance agents in professional liability suits and in appellate practice. Alan Stewart and Michael Adley contribute to the team with their exceptional legal skills and dedication to getting the best results for their clients.
Former Firm Names: The founding five attorneys all worked at Allen & Gooch before the founding of Gibson Partners.
Clients: Our clients value our commitment to privacy and professionalism.
Other Office Locations: We offer remote legal services and assist clients anywhere.
References: References are shared directly with clients to ensure confidentiality.