Jess, Mark A.

Rudie R. Soileau, Jr. is a member of Lundy, Lundy, Soileau & South, L.L.P. in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He graduated from LSU Law School in 1983. Since graduation, his focus has been almost exclusively on civil litigation. Mr. Soileau has obtained verdicts for the plaintiff asserting claims for: wrongful death in an interstate highway construction scene accident; sexual harassment pursuant to the Louisiana discrimination and harassment statute; a 1983 federal civil rights violation arising from the fatal shooting of a citizen by a deputy sheriff; and two separate wrongful death claims against the sheriff on behalf of the families of deputies killed in action. He prosecuted a medical malpractice action that resulted in a decision by the Louisiana Supreme Court that significantly limits the right of the Louisiana Patient's Compensation Fund to contest liability when appealing a successful verdict at the trial court. His litigation experience also includes claims arising from maritime accidents, environmental contamination and toxic exposure, and pipeline explosions.

Mr. Soileau serves on the Board of Governors for the Louisiana Association for Justice, and he is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and the Southwest Louisiana Bar Association. Mr. Soileau also serves on the Board of Directors for NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) of Southwest Louisiana. He is trained as a counselor/teacher for the NAMI Family-to-Family Program for families with mentally ill children or family members. He has also taught members of law enforcement for the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) in Lake Charles. He is the Attorney Chairman for the Human Relations Commission for the City of Lake Charles, and he is a member of the Albert Tate Inns of Court in Lake Charles. Mr. Soileau previously served on the Board of Directors for the Indigent Defender Board of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, and the Louisiana State Bar Association's Federal Bench/Bar Liaison Committee.