Tam Catherine Bourgeois joined the firm as an associate in 2006.  Her areas of practice include general litigation with an emphasis on toxic tort litigation, products liability litigation and insurance defense litigation.  Mrs. Bourgeois obtained her Juris Doctorate and a Bachelor of Civil Law from Paul M. Hebert Law School at Louisiana State University in 2006.  She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Louisiana State University in 1999.  Before entering law school, she worked on Capitol Hill as the Executive Assistant to Congressman Jim McCrery and then Cloakroom Assistant in the U.S. Senate Republican Cloakroom.

Mrs. Bourgeois is admitted to practice before all Louisiana courts, state and federal, as well as the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.  She belongs to the Federal Bar Association, the Louisiana State Bar Association, and the Baton Rouge Bar Association.   She is also a member of the Junior League of Baton Rouge’s Research and Development Committee as well as a volunteer for the local Alzheimer’s Foundation.

Mrs. Bourgeois’ current practice includes, among others, the following:

• Participation as national counsel for a major chemical manufacturer in defending multiple and simultaneous product liability claims involving calcium hypochlorite products and related federal preemption issues, with emphasis on drafting pleadings as well as  expert and lay witness preparation and coordination;
• Participation as counsel for a major chemical manufacturer in defending major class actions involving groundwater contamination and a chemical release;
• Participation as counsel for major chemical manufacturing companies in defending multiple occupational disease premises liability suits relating to asbestos exposure;
• Participation as counsel for a major chemical manufacturer in defending complex commercial litigation involving salt cavern mining and storage, with emphasis on interpretation of commercial lease issues;
• Participation as counsel for a builder’s risk insurer in complex construction litigation regarding coverage issues.