Roland Vandenweghe, Jr., joined Adams and Reese in 1997 and has supported a broad spectrum of litigation matters and clients — bringing in new business from his network outside the firm footprint and providing an international link as Honorary Consul of Belgium for Louisiana and Arkansas. He is also involved in firm recruitment.
His clients range from individuals to Fortune 100 companies in matters including commercial disputes, professional and executive officer liability, labor and employment, oil and gas, toxic tort and environmental, admiralty/maritime, class action and complex litigation, intellectual property, products liability, construction and asbestos litigation.
Roland’s acumen at whittling down an array of defensible allegations and claims in a cost-conscious manner allows the focus of more-intense discovery to be on the critical issues of the case. He offers top-flight analytical skills at assessing and evaluating cases quickly, early and accurately.
His significant contributions include:
- Representing employers, manufacturers and distributors in personal injury cases alleging exposure to radiation, asbestos and a variety of chemicals/toxins. He has also defended oil and gas companies in property damage cases involving alleged groundwater and soil contamination and demands for remediation made by landowners.
- Extensive experience in defending employers in tort lawsuits involving nuanced issues of tort immunity based upon state and federal workers' compensation statutes and borrowed and statutory employer issues.
- Litigating admiralty/maritime matters ranging from personal injury and property damage claims to collisions/allisions, limitation of liability proceedings, contract litigation and marine and energy defense and indemnity issues.
- Representing employers in breach of contract actions and in disputes involving the validity of non-competition and non-solicitation agreements. He has also defended employers in arbitration proceedings involving wrongful termination allegations made by union members.
- Representing companies and individuals in intellectual property disputes, including trademark and patent infringement.
Roland has represented clients in state and federal courts throughout Louisiana, federal courts outside of Louisiana and before governmental agencies, including OSHA and the Chemical Safety Board. He has participated both in arbitration proceedings and in numerous mediations. He has also been involved in multi-district and class action litigation.
Co-author of Recent Developments in Admiralty and Maritime Law ABA Tort and Insurance Law Journal, Roland also is a frequent presenter on related legal issues. He serves as Treasurer of the New Orleans Consular Corps and is a former middle school mentor and high school mock trial coach. He regularly screens cases for the elderly and destitute as part of a project administered by the New Orleans Pro Bono Project.
In his free time, Roland enjoys LSU and Tulane athletic events and New Orleans Saints football, balanced with family time.
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