I focus on litigation – from the complex to the more mundane. Many of the cases I counsel clients on involve the oil and gas industry and include a toxic tort and environmental element, including allegations of exposure to various chemicals and alleged toxins – ranging from asbestos to radiation – and including both personal injuries and property damage. I also defend personal injury matters and represent commercial litigation clients. Additionally, I defend Americans with Disability Act claims. I defend manufacturers against product liability claims. And I counsel clients through investigations involving and charges brought by federal and state regulatory agencies. I know what it takes to gather and synthesize the many technical facts of a case, consider contractual and insurance issues early on and address claims with strong scientific and legal strategies and communicate clearly and effectively to judges and juries.
Roland Vandenweghe defends organizations and individuals involving the petrochemical refinery setting, environmental arena - including Louisiana oilfield legacy litigation, toxic tort matters, maritime issues, product liability cases, construction defect matters and Americans with Disabilities Act.
Serving clients in the energy, offshore, maritime, manufacturing and health care sectors, Roland represents clients in state and federal courts and before governmental agencies including the United States Department of Justice, the United States Department of Labor, the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the United States Chemical Safety Board, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.
Roland counsels refinery clients on a variety of matters, including alleged chemical exposure incidents, as well as ancillary insurance and contractual issues related to those events. Roland also counsels oil and gas companies in property damage cases involving alleged groundwater and soil contamination and landowners’ demands for remediation. He also defends employers and statutory employers in lawsuits involving nuanced issues of tort immunity based upon state and federal workers’ compensation statutes and borrowed and statutory employer issues. He has also defended health care organizations/hospitals from Americans with Disabilities Act claims.
His maritime litigation practice encompasses admiralty matters which range from personal injury and property damage claims and contract issues to collisions and allisions, limitation of liability proceedings and marine and energy defense and indemnity issues.
As the Honorary Consul of Belgium for Louisiana, Roland helps enable positive trade relationships with Belgium and serves as a liaison between the country and the State of Louisiana. Additionally, he serves on the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Consular Corps. He contributes his time and legal skills to the New Orleans Pro Bono Project by regularly screening cases for the elderly and destitute at the Harahan Senior Center.
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“ I strive to provide consistently excellent defense to clients — both large and small — in critical cases day in and day out. I enjoy listening to my clients, determining their real priorities and working with them to develop and execute the best approach for their needs. ”
Education
Bar Admissions
Areas of Practice
Acknowledgements
- AV® Peer Review Rated - Martindale-Hubbell
- Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year - New Orleans Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, 2023
- Best Lawyers® - Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
- New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute, Class of 2016