Lauren Bridges was recognized by New Orleans CityBusiness as "One to Watch" in Law for her maritime and environmental practice focusing on toxic torts, personal injury, property damage, economic loss and other disputes in the maritime and energy industries. She has experience advocating for her clients in federal and state courts, at the trial and appellate levels, in both single-plaintiff and mass tort actions.
Throughout her career, Lauren has represented a variety of maritime operators in personal injury suits involving seamen and longshoremen. She has also gained extensive experience representing and defending clients in the energy sector in disputes involving land contamination and personal injury toxic tort exposure from Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), refinery emissions and oil spills. Fortune 500 clients have hired her to take a lead role in complex litigation involving multiple defendants and often hundreds or thousands of plaintiffs where the scope of discovery and e-discovery can be particularly voluminous.
Lauren handles a high volume of claims and she is experienced in guiding clients through the difficult process of complex litigation management. She routinely advises clients on strategies to minimize litigation costs and exposure to liability based on the client’s goals and the unique facts of each claim. She then works hand-in-hand with her clients to execute that strategy.
Lauren’s passion for maritime law began well before her legal career. She grew up in a shipping family living in various ports in the southeastern U.S. In addition to her formal legal education, she gained valuable insight while interning on the London marine insurance market and for a major shipping company in Hamburg, Germany.
Lauren serves on the board of directors for the Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, as chair of the Jefferson Bar Association Young Lawyers Executive Board and as a member of several industry organizations including Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association, Women’s Energy Network, New Orleans Bar Association and Federal Bar Association. She also serves as the Finance Council Secretary for the Junior League of New Orleans and volunteers her time as a pro bono attorney for the Re-Entry Court Legal Collaborative.