Adams and Reese Partners Gerard Gaudet and Diana Surprenant have been selected by New Orleans CityBusiness among the 2023 “Leadership in Law” honorees. The 19th annual publication recognizes New Orleans area professionals in the field of law for their career and community accomplishments.
Honorees will be celebrated at an in-person event on Oct. 9 at the New Orleans Museum of Art from 4 to 6 p.m. A special Leadership in Law insert profiling all honorees will run in the Oct. 20 issue of CityBusiness.
Gaudet, in his commercial/corporate litigation and catastrophic injury litigation practice, advises clients in the maritime, energy, oil and gas, and construction industries. He also serves as outside general counsel to businesses, advising them on business growth, including lease agreements, construction contracts, employment issues, and vendor disputes. Gaudet is ranked among Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” in Commercial Litigation.
In the community, Gaudet serves as Executive Council Vice-Chair of the New Orleans Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section. He helps organize various fundraisers for nonprofit organizations that provide legal services to the indigent and veterans. Gaudet is a graduate of both Leadership Jefferson and the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute.
Surprenant serves as the Firm’s Products Liability Team Leader. She assists clients in the oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, agricultural, hospitality, health care, and pharmaceutical arenas. She advises employers in state and federal courts, arbitration proceedings and in administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Louisiana Commission on Human Rights. Surprenant maintains a post-trial motion practice and drafts appellate briefs stemming from toxic tort litigation and medical malpractice litigation.
In the community, Surprenant is an active member of the Young Friends of St. Andrew’s Village. She provides legal consultation and notary services through the Homeless Experience Legal Protection program. She is also a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel. She serves on the Board of Directors for the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the New Orleans Labor & Employment Law CLE Committee.