Sandi Trahan

504.556.4060

Involvement

  • Vanderbilt Law School, Adjunct Professor, 2010 - Present
  • Environmental Law Institute - Member
  • Federal Bar Association - Member
  • Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel - Member
  • Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel - Member
  • Louisiana Bar Foundation - Member
  • Louisiana State Bar Association - Member
  • Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute - Member
  • The University of Houston Law Center, Lecturer, Past

Recognition

  • Chambers USA – (Band 1)  Environmental Litigation, 2007–2025
  • Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year,” Litigation – Environmental, Oil and Gas Law, 2013-2026
  • The Best Lawyers in America®, 2007–2025
  • Louisiana Super Lawyers, Energy & Resources, 2007-2008, 2011-2012, 2014-2026
  • Louisiana Super Lawyers, Top 50 Louisiana Lawyers List, 2022
  • BTI 2020 Client Service All-Star
  • New Orleans Magazine’s List of “Top Lawyers,” 2015-2019, 2022
  • Benchmark Litigation’s 2018 “Local Litigation Star”
  • New Orleans CityBusiness Leadership in Law Class of 2012

Credentials

Education

  • Tulane University (LL.M., Energy and Environmental Law, with Distinction, 1993)
  • Tulane University Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1984)
    • Moot Court Board
  • Vanderbilt University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1981)

    Phi Beta Kappa

Bar Admissions

  • Louisiana, 1984
  • North Carolina, 2018
  • Montana, 2019

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court, Western District, North Carolina, 2024
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1993
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 1986
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District, Louisiana, 1985
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District, Louisiana, 1989
  • U.S. District Court, Western District, Louisiana, 1987
  • Louisiana Supreme Court, 1984
  • Louisiana State Courts, 1984

Presentations

  • Panelist, “Recent Developments in Louisiana Ethics,” Louisiana State Bar Association, “Trial Practice," 2017
  • Panelist, “A Revolution in Property Rights: The Strange History of the Subsequent Purchaser Theory after Eagle Pipe,” 22nd Annual Tulane Environmental Law & Policy Summit presented by The Tulane Environmental & Energy Law Society, 2017
  • Presenter, “An Overview of Coastal Wetlands Legal Issues,” Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel’s 12th Annual FDCC Corporate Counsel Symposium, 2015
  • Presenter, “Louisiana Rising: Oilfield Contamination Litigation,” Louisiana State Bar Association, LSBA Annual Meeting & LSBA/LJC Summer School and LSBA 27th Annual Summer School Revisited, 2015
  • Presenter, “Recent Legislative Developments: The 2014 Legislature,” Louisiana State Bar Association, Energy and Environmental Law Summit, 2014
  • Presenter, “Update: Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – East v. Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., et al.,” Louisiana Section of the Air and Waste Management Association, 2014
  • Presenter, “Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – East v. Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., et al.,” Louisiana State Bar Association, Environmental Law Section Annual Meeting, 2014
  • Presenter, “Act 312 (Legacy Site) Plan Approval Process,” Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Annual Seminar, Louisiana Oil & Gas: From SONRIS to Sunset, 2013
  • Adjunct Professor, Vanderbilt Law School
  • Lecturer, University of Houston Law Center, 2012
  • Presenter, “Deposing Non-Medical Opposing Experts,” Louisiana State Bar Association Mastering the Deposition: Tips & Techniques Seminar, 2012
  • Presenter, "Recent Judicial Developments in Legacy Litigation,” Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Annual Seminar, Louisiana Oil & Gas: From SONRIS to Sunset, 2012
  • Presenter, "The Limited Admission at Trial," Louisiana Oil & Gas: Legacy Lawsuit Seminar & Legislative Recap, 2012
  • Presenter, “Louisiana Legacy Litigation Update,” Liskow & Lewis Energy Law Seminar, 2011
  • Presenter, “Louisiana Ground Water Resources,” Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Annual Seminar, Louisiana Oil & Gas: From SONRIS to Sunset, 2011
  • Presenter, "Ethical Issues and Communications When Dealing With State or Federal Agencies," Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Annual Seminars, Louisiana Oil & Gas: From SONRIS to Sunset, 2008–2010
  • Presenter, “Louisiana Oilfield Cleanup Litigation,” Tulane Environmental Law Seminar, 2007
  • Presenter, “Act 312: Louisiana's New Oilfield Cleanup Legislation,” Louisiana State Bar Association, Environmental Law Section Annual Meeting, 2006

Publications

Additional Background

Rob teaches at Vanderbilt Law School as an Adjunct Professor and served as a Lecturer at the University of Houston Law Center (2012).

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