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Assistant

Donna Vince

504.299.6129

“An appellate lawyer isn’t just for the appeal. I enjoy participating in the trial court to focus on legal and procedural issues which are often at the center of an appeal. When a case moves to the appellate court, I have a deep understanding of appellate procedure and the unique oral advocacy that the appellate process entails.”

Overview

Kelly Becker is often retained by clients as appellate counsel for complex litigation, including environmental, energy, and commercial matters. Her appellate practice regularly includes cases before the Louisiana courts of appeal, the Louisiana Supreme Court, and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Because of her experience, Kelly is frequently retained to write amicus briefs on behalf of businesses and trade organizations in matters of industry-wide significance. Kelly is certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization as an Appellate Practice Specialist and currently serves on the Advisory Commission for the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization regarding Appellate Practice.  Kelly is one of only a handful of lawyers in the state of Louisiana who is a Board Certified Appellate Practice Specialist.

Building upon her appellate practice and skills, Kelly routinely represents clients in the trial court to handle legal defenses, including strategic motion practice and preservation of error for appeal. Currently, Kelly manages legal strategy and briefing for several energy industry clients in the Louisiana litigation dockets concerning claims for environmental contamination and coastal land loss.

Kelly is the co-chair of the firm’s Energy Litigation Practice Group and chair of the Appellate Practice Group. She is involved with various industry organizations and is a member of several appellate committees. Kelly is regularly recognized for her appellate practice by The Best Lawyers in America and the New Orleans Magazine.  She is ranked in the Chambers USA 2025 edition for Louisiana: Appellate Practice, and in the Chambers USA 2025 edition for Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas.

Insights

Highlights

Notable Experience

Cases in the Louisiana Supreme Court

  • Kelly served as appellate counsel for Union Carbide Corporation, securing a writ grant from the Louisiana Supreme Court involving the proper standard of review from a jury award of general damages.  Stauder v. Shell Oil Company, et al., 2023-C-0619 (La. 1/17/24)
  • Kelly served as appellate counsel, presenting oral argument to the Supreme Court on an issue of statutory interpretation concerning Louisiana’s Deficiency Judgment Act.  Newtek Small Business Finance v. Baker, 2022-C-1080 (La. 6/27/23)
  • As part of BP’s appellate team, Kelly obtained a writ grant from the Louisiana Supreme Court, reversing a decision of the Third Circuit Court of Appeal regarding the proper interpretation of a statutory attorney’s fee provision.  Sweet Lake Land & Oil Co. v. Oleum Operating Co., L.C., et al., 2022-C-0497 (La. 9/20/22)
  • Kelly served as appellate counsel for Union Carbide Corporation, obtaining a writ grant from the Louisiana Supreme Court which reinstated a defense verdict in Jerry Bagwell v. Union Carbide Corporation, 2020-C-01242 (La. 1/12/21).
  • Kelly was retained as appellate counsel by amici curiae, Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, and Louisiana Oil and Gas Association in two “legacy” cases before the Louisiana Supreme Court. One involved the proper prescriptive period for an environmental citizen suit statute, State of Louisiana ex rel. Justin Dale Tureau, 2021-0856, and the other involved the proper interpretation of Louisiana’s statue that governs oilfield remediation cases (“Act 312), State of Louisiana et al., v. Louisiana Land & Explor. Co., 2020-C-0685 (La. 6/1/22).
  • Retained by the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America to submit an amicus brief to the Louisiana Supreme Court on issue of statutory interpretation concerning tax statute in Newell Normand, Sheriff & Ex-Officio Tax Collector for the Parish of Jefferson v. Wal-Mart.com USA, LLC, 19-263 (La. 1/29/2020), 2020 WL 499760.
  • Represented Bechtel OG&C Construction Services, Inc., in obtaining a favorable writ grant from the Louisiana Supreme Court, reinstating trial court ruling sending employees’ claims to arbitration which had been reversed by Louisiana Third Circuit.  Martin Berotte v. Bechtel OG&C Construction Services, Inc., No. 18-CC-1973 (La. 2/18/19).
  • Kelly represented Cubic Energy, Inc. in Gloria’s Ranch, LLC v. Tauren Explor. Inc., 252 So. 3d 431 (La. 6/27/18), where the Louisiana Supreme Court decided the amount of damages available under the Louisiana Mineral Code for claims for unpaid royalties. The Supreme Court accepted defendants’ position that double, not treble, damages were allowed.
  • Kelly assisted trial team in obtaining writ grant from the Louisiana Supreme Court, reinstating dismissal of landowners’ suit to invalidate unit-wide orders of the Louisiana Commissioner of Conservation. Gatti, et al. v. State of Louisiana, through the Office of Conservation, et al, 2014-C-863 (La. 8/25/14).
  • Kelly obtained a writ grant from the Louisiana Supreme Court for Monsanto regarding enforcement of an arbitration agreement. v. Monsanto AG Prods., LLC, 2013-0169 (La. 3/1/13), 108 So. 3d 781.
  • Kelly represented Dow Chemical Company as appellate counsel in securing writ grant by the Louisiana Supreme Court dismissing class action plaintiffs’ claims for punitive damages. Thomas v. A. Wilbert & Sons, Inc, 2012-1534 (La. 10/12/12), 98 So. 3d 879.

Cases in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

  • Kelly served as lead appellate counsel and handled oral argument where the Fifth Circuit affirmed dismissal of claim brought by surety against former leaseholder seeking reimbursement of over $11 million for decommissioning costs in connection with an offshore lease. Lexon Insurance Co., Inc. v. Chevron U.S.A. Inc., et al., 151 F. 4th 786 (5th Cir. 2025).
  • Retained as appellate counsel and assisted trial team in securing affirmance of multi-million dollar breach of contract award. Chevron TCI, Inc. v. Capitol House Management, Inc., 22-30271 (5th Cir. Aug. 31, 2023)
  • Served as appellate counsel for the BP Defendants in Saavedra-Vargas v. BP Exploration & Prod. Inc., et al, 22-30010 (5th Cir. Sep. 2, 2022),  securing a unanimous opinion in favor of BP affirming dismissal of plaintiff’s personal injury claims on summary judgment.
  • Kelly represented BP America Production Company before the U.S. Fifth Circuit in Grace Ranch, L.L.C. v. BP Am. Prod. Co., 989 F.3d 301 (5th Cir. 2021), securing a unanimous opinion that claims brought under a Louisiana environmental citizen suit statute could be litigated in federal court. Ms. Becker argued to the Fifth Circuit on behalf of all defendants in the case.
  • Kelly represented Hess Corporation before the U.S. Fifth Circuit in Guilbeau v. Hess Corp., 854 F.3d 310 (5th Cir. 2017), securing a unanimous opinion that a landowner’s claims for property damage were barred by Louisiana’s subsequent purchaser doctrine given that the landowner did not own the property at the time the alleged damage occurred.

Legacy Litigation

  • Represented ExxonMobil Corporation in securing unanimous opinion from the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal affirming dismissal of all claims based upon res judicata of earlier action. Global Marketing Solutions, L.L.C. v. Chevron U.S.A. Inc., 2018-1765 (La. App. 1 Cir. 9/27/19), 286 So. 3d 1054.
  • Represented BP America Production Company in securing unanimous opinion from Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal affirming application of Louisiana’s subsequent purchaser doctrine to dismiss current landowner’s claims for pre-purchase property damage. Grace Ranch LLC v. BP America Production Company, et al, — So. 3d – (La. App. 7/18/18).
  • Represented BP America Production Company in securing unanimous opinion from Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal affirming procedure used under Act 312 to settle claims in land damage litigation when settlement procedure was challenged by insurer of a co-defendant. The insurer’s writ application to the Louisiana Supreme Court was denied. Britt v. Riceland Petroleum Company, et al, 240 So. 3d 986 (La. App. 3 Cir. 3/7/18).
  • Represented ExxonMobil in a legacy case and secured (i) unanimous opinion from the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal affirming the dismissal of the Plaintiff-landowner’s claims based on the subsequent purchaser doctrine, Global Mktg. Solutions, L.L.C. v. Blue Mill Farms, Inc., 2013-2132 (La. App. 1 Cir. 9/19/14), 153 So. 3d 1209, and (ii) denial of Plaintiff-landowner’s writ application to the Louisiana Supreme Court.
  • Retained as appellate counsel for Shell Oil Company in a legacy case and secured (i) unanimous opinion from the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal reversing that portion of a trial court judgment which had awarded Plaintiffs-landowners $34 million, holding that the Plaintiffs-landowners were not entitled to a private money judgment for the cost of remediation of their property to state regulatory standards, Savoie v. Richard, 13-1370 (La. App. 3 Cir. 4/2/14), 137 So. 3d 78, and (ii) denial of the Plaintiff-landowners’ writ application to the Louisiana Supreme Court.
  • Represented BP in a legacy case and secured (i) unanimous opinion from the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal affirming a jury verdict in favor of BP, Houssiere v. ASCO USA, 12-791 (La. App. 3 Cir. 1/16/13), 108 So. 3d 797, and (ii) denial of Plaintiff-landowners’ writ application to the Louisiana Supreme Court. The Houssiere plaintiffs brought breach of contract and tort claims against BP under Act 312 for alleged contamination of property caused by historic oil and gas operations. The jury rejected Plaintiffs’ claims, finding that BP did not cause environmental damage to Plaintiffs’ property. The Third Circuit affirmed the jury’s findings and also held that the trial court properly applied Act 312 to Plaintiffs’ claims as presented at trial.

Energy Litigation

  • Represented High Point Gas Gathering Company in Morgan City Land & Fur Co., LLC v. Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., et al, 2021-C-704 (La. 10/12/21), obtaining writ grant from the Louisiana Supreme Court regarding the interpretation of the obligations of pipeline companies under right-of-way agreements.
  • Kelly represented Chevron U.S.A. Inc. in Karen May v. The Succession of Mayo Romero, 2020 WL 5844153 (La. App. 3 Cir. 11/12/20), securing unanimous opinion from the Louisiana Third Circuit affirming dismissal of landowner’s claims for allegedly unpaid royalties as time-barred under Louisiana’s statute of limitations/prescriptive period.
  • Retained as appellate counsel by Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and Louisiana Midcontinent Oil & Gas Association to submit amicus brief to the Louisiana Supreme Court. In this case in which the Supreme Court addressed the proper application of the manifest error standard of appellate review, the Court agreed with the position of the amici and reversed a decision of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal, reinstating the district court judgment for defendant-operators which rejected a claim for lost hydrocarbons due to alleged imprudent operations. Hayes Fund for the First United Methodist Church of Welsh, LLC v. Kerr-McGee Rocky Mt., LLC, 2014-C-2592 (La.12/8/15), 193 So. 3d 1110.
  • Secured dismissal at the pleadings stage of RICO and fraud claims asserted against numerous oil and gas producers and their corporate officers. The dismissal was affirmed on appeal. Bonvillain v. La. Land & Exploration Co., No. 10-30810, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 13366 (5th Cir. June 28, 2011).
  • Represented a major oil and gas company at the trial and appellate levels in its defense of a claim for more than $60 million brought by the State of Louisiana. On cro6ss motions for summary judgment, the district court ordered the money refunded to the taxpayer. The Louisiana First Circuit of Appeal affirmed, and the Louisiana Supreme Court denied writs. BP Prods. N. Am. v. Bridges, 2010-1860 (La. App. 1 Cir. 8/10/11), 77 So. 3d 27.
  • Obtained a unanimous Louisiana Supreme Court decision in favor of an integrated energy company in a dispute over property taxes. Gisclair v. La. Tax Comm’n, 2009-0007 (La. 6/26/09), 16 So. 3d 877.
  • Retained as appellate counsel for a major oil and gas producer against whom a Louisiana district court had entered judgment assessing damages with respect to operations conducted on leased premises to support a drilling operation on an adjoining tract. This trial court judgment was reversed in its entirety by the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal and confirmed by a writ denial from the Louisiana Supreme Court. Fuller v. XTO Energy, Inc., 43,454 (La. App. 2 Cir. 8/13/08), 989 So. 2d 298.

Involvement

  • Women’s Energy Network Southeast Louisiana Chapter, Founding Chapter Board Member
  • Institute for Energy Law, Former Advisory Board Member
  • The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, Member
  • Louisiana Oil & Gas Association, Member
  • Liskow, Former Member of the firm’s Board of Directors
  • Louisiana State Law Institute, Council Member
  • Louisiana State Law Institute, Code of Civil Procedure Committee
  • Louisiana State Bar Association, Member, Appellate Section
  • New Orleans Bar Association, Board of Directors (2019-2021)
  • New Orleans Bar Association, Chairperson of Appellate Practice Subcommittee
  • New Orleans Bar Association, Chair, Oil and Gas Subcommittee (2014)
  • New Orleans Bar Association, Inns of Court, Member
  • Louisiana State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association – Appellate Committee
  • Federal Bar Association
  • Women’s Energy Network, Member
  • Women's Energy Network, Former Board of Directors and Membership Chair (2010)

Recognition

  • Chambers USA - (Band 3) Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas, 2022-2025; (Band 1) Litigation: Appellate, 2024-2025
  • New Orleans CityBusiness Women of the Year Class, 2023
  • Inside New Orleans "Elite Lawyers" Edition - Oil & Gas Law, 2023
  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Appellate Practice, Energy Law, Litigation- Environmental, Oil and Gas Law,  2020-2026
  • Louisiana Super Lawyers, Top 50 Louisiana Lawyers List, 2026
  • Louisiana Super Lawyers, Top 25 Louisiana Women Lawyers List, 2026
  • Louisiana Super Lawyers, Top 50 New Orleans Lawyers List, 2026
  • Louisiana Super Lawyers, Appellate, 2022-2026
  • New Orleans City Business, Leadership in Law, 2016 
  • New Orleans Magazine's List of "Top Lawyers," 2015-2019, 2022

 

Credentials

Education

  • Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center (J.D., 2001)
    • Order of the Coif
    • Louisiana Law Review, Managing Editor, 2000-2001
  • University of Virginia (B.A., with Distinction, 1998)

Bar Admissions

  • Louisiana, 2001

Court Admissions

  • Louisiana Supreme Court
  • Louisiana Appellate Courts
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District, Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District, Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court, Western District, Louisiana
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

Presentations

  • "The Appellate Script: Protecting Your Story For a Second Audience," New Orleans Bar Association's Procrastinators' Programs CLE, Masters of the Courtroom, December 11, 2025, New Orleans, LA
  • "Climate Change and Environmental Litigation," Liskow's Energy Law Seminar, October 30, 2025, Houston, TX
  •  "Appellate Practice Committee Lunch & Learn," Moderator, New Orleans Bar Association, June 26, 2025, New Orleans, LA
  • Co-Presenter at “A Seat at the Table: A Co-Ed Discussion of Implicit Bias & Legal Culture,” Federal Bar Association, New Orleans, March 11, 2025
  • "Practical Tips on Appellate Law for Louisiana Trial Lawyers,” New Orleans Bar Association, December 19, 2024
  • "A Discussion on Appellate Practice at the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals," Moderator, New Orleans Bar Association, March 6, 2024
  • "Jury Trends in Energy Litigation," Liskow's Energy Law Seminar, October 26, 2023
  • "Legacy Litigation Update," LSU Law Center's 70th Mineral Law Institute, March 24, 2023
  • "Roundtable Discussion with Law Clerk from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit: Dos and Don'ts," New Orleans Bar Association's Appellate Practice Committee CLE, March 2, 2023
  • “Evolution of Environmental Citizen Suits in Louisiana," Louisiana State Bar Association, April 6, 2022
  • “Roundtable Discussion with Law Clerks from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals: Dos and Don’ts CLE,” New Orleans Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Committee, March 30, 2022
  • "The Evolution of Legacy Litigation & Citizen Suits," Liskow & Lewis Energy Law Seminar, October 28, 2021
  • “Preservation of Error for Appeal,” Client Presentation, March 25, 2021
  • “Discussion of Appellate Practice Pointers,” with Chief Judge McKay from the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and Chief Judge Chehardy from the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, New Orleans Bar Association, February 26, 2021
  • “Louisiana Supreme Court:  Civil Writ Trends in the 2019-2020 Term,” New Orleans Bar Association, December 16, 2020
  • “Perspectives on the Role of Appellate Counsel Throughout the Life of a Case,” Client Presentation, July 16, 2020
  • “Motions, Motions, Motions:  Motions for Summary Judgment” with Judge Jay Zainey, and Shannon Holtzman, Louisiana State Bar Association Seminar, October 23, 2019
  • “Louisiana Supreme Court: Civil Writ Trends in the 2017-2018 Term,” New Orleans Bar Association, April 3, 2019
  • "Coastal Land Loss Litigation in Louisiana," Coastal Law Seminar, March 14, 2019
  • “The Winning Brief: Persuading the Court and Following the Rules,” along with Judge Terri Love, 4th Circuit Court of Appeal, and Judge Susan Chehardy, 5th Circuit Court of Appeal, Louisiana State Bar Association’s Advanced Appellate Practice Seminar, November 16, 2017

Publications

Kelly was requested by Thomson Reuters to author the Practical Law State Q&A for “Initial Civil Appeals: Louisiana” and “Additional Civil Appeals: Louisiana” for Thomson Reuters.  In response, Kelly co-authored the following materials which are updated annually.

Initial Civil Appeals: Louisiana

A Q&A guide to appealing from a trial court of general jurisdiction in Louisiana. This Q&A addresses starting an appeal (as of right or by permission), obtaining a stay pending appeal, completing preliminary requirements (like mediation), submitting a factual record or appendix, briefing the appeal, arguing the appeal, and requesting rehearing.

Additional Civil Appeals: Louisiana

A Q&A guide to appealing from an intermediate appellate court to the court of last resort in Louisiana. This Q&A addresses starting an appeal (as of right or by permission), obtaining a stay pending appeal, completing preliminary requirements (like mediation), submitting a factual record or appendix, briefing the appeal, and arguing the appeal.

Other Publications:

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