I started practicing law at Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan in 1987. I was fortunate to be able to learn from the many talented lawyers there. I did some transactional work in the beginning, but mostly I concentrated on litigation with emphasis on federal court cases. During the eighteen years that I practiced at Gordon, Arata I handled a variety of cases, including arbitration and mediation matters. In addition to the many cases I've handled in the Eastern District federal court, I've also had many cases in the Middle District and the Western District.
I also have handled cases in the local state courts, especially Orleans Parish Civil District Court and the 24th Judicial District Court. My general approach to litigation is simple: I use technology in to be more efficient and more thorough. I scan all my documents to PDF and use tools like Casemap to organize my case information. In my laptop computer I can carry the equivalent of hundreds of boxes of paper, which means that wherever I go I have all the information for all of my cases with me. Check out my website PDF for Lawyers for information on using PDF files to practice law more efficiently.
In 2002 I started a website called Ernie the Attorney to discuss legal and social topics in a straightforward way; this, in turn, resulted in my being featured in the book Naked Conversations. More importantly, the website introduced me to countless lawyers and legal professionals around the country, many of whom I've gotten a chance to meet in person.
I'm a past president (and current member) of the Thomas More Inn of Court, a local chapter of the American Inns of Court that meets regularly at the federal courthouse in New Orleans. I believe the Inns of Court serve an important role in mentoring young lawyers, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful organization.
