Ryan K. French

Taylor Porter Partner Ryan French handles cases in a variety of areas, including commercial and complex litigation, church property law, general appellate work, contract disputes of every type, community property matters, corporate ownership fights, and property right disputes. Ultimately, however, Ryan looks at every case and every appeal as a new obligation to become proficient on the applicable law, and as a new opportunity to help his clients with whatever happens to be the most pressing legal problem. This breadth of experience has enabled him to obtain favorable judgments or settlements on behalf of his clients in cases involving bank lending agreements, property disagreements between churches and their affiliated denominations, real estate commission claims, contested business valuations, community property reimbursements, corporate manager self-dealing, employment contract breaches, legal malpractice (representing both clients and attorneys), patent valuation, disputed ownership of corporate securities, profit-sharing agreements, real property damages, mishandling of business funds, business divorces, unfair trade practices, trust litigation, non-compete/non-solicitation agreements, and various other contractual and property claims.

Ryan has been continually ranked by Louisiana Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in Business Litigation for the last ten years, and he has also been named by Best Lawyers in America (2020-2025) in Commercial Litigation.

Ryan is an Eagle Scout, the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America program. Ryan graduated from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where he served as executive senior editor of the Louisiana Law Review, graduated in the top 2% of his class, and earned the highest grade awards in numerous classes.

Following law school, Ryan clerked for the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division in Dallas, Texas. He then clerked for the Honorable W. Eugene Davis on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, where he gained extensive experience in federal procedure and appellate practice.

In addition to his legal practice, Ryan boasts a background in accounting and finance, having obtained a B.S. in accounting from Louisiana State University, where he earned a 4.0 GPA and finished as a University Medalist. Before attending law school, Ryan successfully completed the CPA Exam in 2009.

Because of his accounting background, Ryan is better able to understand his clients’ businesses and can personally assess valuation issues, damage calculations, present value determinations, and related expert witness testimony. Ryan’s background as an appellate clerk has also made him uniquely able to assist clients on appeal, both with brief-writing and with oral argument presentation. Ryan has argued in several of Louisiana’s appellate courts, as well as the United States Fifth Circuit, and he has further briefed, argued, and won cases before the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Mississippi Supreme Court, and the Alabama Supreme Court.

In addition to attending church at Grace Life Fellowship in Baton Rouge, Ryan is proud to be able to dedicate a significant amount of his practice to representing churches across the United States. In particular, Ryan has developed a national practice assisting local churches that find themselves battling national denominations for control of the local church’s property. As a result, he has advised churches in Louisiana, Texas, California, Arizona, Mississippi, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Georgia, Florida, and Missouri with understanding and protecting their property rights; where necessary, Ryan has represented those churches in lawsuits by or against religious denominations, including the successful representation of a Presbyterian church through the Mississippi Supreme Court and the successful representation of a Methodist church before the Alabama Supreme Court. This practice has also enabled Ryan to separately develop a niche assisting churches and other non-profit organizations with property transactions, asset protection, and preparation of charters, bylaws, and other governing documents.

• Representation of clients sued by prior employers for alleged violation of non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.
• Representation of Fortune 500 chemical company against plaintiffs alleging misappropriation of property.
• Representation of multiple clients in lawsuits involving disputed business valuations and related claims.
• Serving as lead counsel or co-counsel for local churches in property ownership disputes, including the representation of multiple Presbyterian churches in lawsuits with national entities concerning the existence of a denominational trust.
• Representing businesses with bad faith insurance claims for wrongful denial of insurance coverage and defense costs.
• Obtaining breach-of-contract damages on behalf of business-owners, including damages for lost profits and lost business opportunities.
• Representation of multiple closely-held business clients in corporate ownership/stockholder disputes.
• Representing businesses against lenders who have failed to honor terms of borrowing agreements and/or promissory notes.
• Defending an individual client in a multimillion-dollar securities fraud case.
• Representation of various clients through appeal before the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeals, the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Mississippi Supreme Court, and the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

• Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, J.D., summa cum laude, 2012
• Louisiana State University, B.S., Accounting, summa cum laude, 2009

• Louisiana
• United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

• Baton Rouge Bar Association
• Louisiana State Bar Association
• Louisiana Association of Business & Industry Legal Advisory Council

• Louisiana Super Lawyers – “Rising Star” – Business Litigation
• Best Lawyers in America – Commercial Litigation

• “What Lawyers Need to Know About Notarial Liability in Louisiana,” CLE, Louisiana Legislature, Dec. 4, 2020

• “E-Signature, Electronic Endorsement of Notary Temporarily Acceptable in COVID-19,” The Taylor Porter Legal Blog, April 28, 2020
• “Think Before You Sign: Notarial Liability in Louisiana,” Louisiana Bar Journal, Louisiana State Bar Association, April/May 2019
• ​”Gone Trespassin’: Why Your Next Fishing Trip Might Be A Criminal Activity,” Around The Bar, Baton Rouge Bar Association, June 2017

• American Red Cross Louisiana Capital Area – West (Past Board Member)