PROFILE
RUSS HERMAN is a Senior Partner of Herman, Herman & Katz, L.L.C. He graduated from Tulane University with a B.A. Degree and L.L.B. in
1966. In 1977, he was chosen "Outstanding Trial Lawyer" by the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, and was LTLA President in 1980-81.
He has authored over 200 articles, papers and books in various aspects of Civil Trial Practice and has been published in various works including Am Jur; Trials; Shepard's/McGraw Hill; The National Business Institute; Trial Magazine; The Forum; and Personal Injury Annual by Matthew Bender.
Mr. Herman is a principal faculty member of The Professional Education Group (P.E.G. ~ Minnesota, MN) and has served on the faculties of the Practicing Law Institute and The National College of Trial Advocacy. He has lectured at Tulane, L.S.U., Loyola, Georgetown, Hastings and other law schools.
Mr. Herman served as President of the (ATLA) Association of Trial Lawyers of America (1989-1990); President of the Civil Justice Foundation (1987-1988); and President of the Roscoe Pound Foundation (1991-1993). He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Liability attorneys; a Diplomate of the National College of Advocacy, a Fellow and Director of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA),a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers, and a Barrister of the American College of Barristers. In July of 2001, Mr. Herman was selected for The Leonard M. Ring Champion of Justice Award, which is the highest honor bestowed by ATLA. He has also received the ATLA Lifetime Achievement Award (1999) and the Joe Tonahill Award (1998); Pursuit of Justice Award (American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) 2005) and; City Business' Top 100 Leaders in Law for 2005 and 2006.
Mr. Herman has been selected for listing by Naifeth and Smith in their book "Best Lawyers in America" in Personal Injury, Maritime, Complex Litigation and Appellate Trial Practice areas.
He is the author and performer of ATLA's best selling, 6-Volume Video Trial Practice Series, "Courtroom Persuasion: Art, Drama & Science" and a 443-page book by the same title published by West Group, Clark Boardman Thomson and ATLA Press and is the author for West Group's two-volume series Louisiana Personal Injury. Current CLE programs by Mr. Herman: The Cutting Edge in Courtroom Persuasion and Storytelling and the Model for Winning at Trial are produced by The Professional Education Group (P.E.G.).
The National Law Journal named Mr. Herman as one of Louisiana's top ten litigators, and the American Law Journal highlighted Mr. Herman in its June 1999 issue. Fortune Magazine featured his litigation accomplishments in the July 3, 2000 issue.
In April 2003, the Third Edition of Chamber's USA "America's Leading Business Lawyers" (2003-2004) listed Mr. Herman as the leading individual trial lawyer in Louisiana in General and Commercial Litigation.
In 2004, a jury returned a $591,000,000 verdict in Scott v American Tobacco, et al. (96-8461, Orleans Parish, Civil District Court). Mr. Herman was lead trial counsel in this case. Mr. Herman is Court Appointed: Liaison and Lead Counsel in In Re Propulsid: MDL 1355 case; Liaison Counsel and Member of PSC Executive Committee and In Re Vioxx: MDL1657.
In 2005, Mr. Herman was selected from over 15,000 nation-wide nominees as one of American's 500 Leading Lawyers and Jurists by "Lawdragon" publications and in 2006, as one of America's Top 500 Litigators. In 2007, he was selected by "The Legal 500" as one of the 500 top litigators in the country. And again in 2008 as one of the 500 Top Litigators in the U.S.
Russ Herman was named 2007 Lawyer of the Year by Lawyers USA on December 19, 2007, citing his role as the lead negotiator for Plaintiffs in reaching the recent $4.85 Billion Settlement with Merck in the Vioxx Litigation.
Russ Herman and the Firm have been retained in 2008 as Special Counsel to the Council of the City of New Orleans.
PRACTICE GROUPS
EDUCATION
ADMITTED TO PRACTICE
- Louisiana
- Louisiana Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Second and Eleventh Circuits
- United States Supreme Court
- USDC for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana
AFFILIATIONS
- Louisiana Association for Justice - Member (1966 - present), Legislative Committee (1966 - present, Chair for 5 years), Board of Governors (1972-1977), Amicus Curiae-Medical Malpractice Liability Section (1973 - present), Executive Committee (1976-1977), Building Committee (1976 - present), Key-Person Committee (1976 - present), Secretary-Treasurer (1978-1979), Public Affairs Committee Fund Raising Chairman (1978-1981), PAC Trustee (1979-1985), President Elect (1979-1980), President (1980-1981), Seminar Chairman (1980-1984), Nominating Committee (1980-1985), Annual Convention Committee (1981, 1982, 1984, 1987), Long Range Planning Committee (1984 - present), Past President's Council (1984 - present), Life Member (1984 - present), Tort Reform Committee (1985 - present), Political Research Committee (1986-1987), Louisiana Foundation for Law & Society Trustee (1986)
- American Association for Justice - Member (1966 - present), M Club (1980 - present), Sustaining Member (1984 - present), Board of Governors (1984-1988), Key-Person Committee Chairman (1985 - present), Public Relations Committee (1985 - present), Public Affairs Committee (1985 - present), Elections Committee (1985 - present), Executive Committee (1986-1991, 1998-1999), National College of Advocacy, Faculty - Basic & Advance Course (1986 - present), PAC Task Force (1986-1990), Lambert Chair (1987 - present), Parliamentarian (1987-1988), Convention Committee Chairman (1988-1989), Organization Review Committee Chairman (1988 - present), PAC Trustee (1988 - present), Home Office & Budget Committee (1988-1991), President-Elect (1988-1989), President (1989-1990), Immediate Past President (1990-1991)
- American Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- Federal Fifth Circuit Bar Association
- Alabama Trial Lawyers Association
- Arizona Trial Lawyers Association
- California Trial Lawyers Association
- Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers
- Kentucky Association of Trial Attorneys
- Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association
- New Hampshire Trial Lawyers Association
- Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association
- New York State Trial Lawyers Association (1985-1986)
- Citizens for Justice, Inc. (1980-1981)
- Civil Justice Foundation - President (1988-1989), Trustee (1988 - present)
- Railroad Crossing & Highway Litigation Group - Founder and Chairperson (1994 - present)
- International Academy of Trial Lawyers - Director (1997 - present)
- Trial Diplomacy Journal - Member Board of Editors (1991 - present)
- Roscoe Pound Foundation - Trustee (1988-1999); Vice-President (1989-1992); President (1992-1994)
- Trial Lawyers for Public Justice - Founder, Trustee (1987-1992)
- National College of Advocacy - Trustee (1990-1993)
- National Paralegal Association - Director (1993-1996)
- Shepards/McGraw Hill - Member Board of Advisors "Expert Evidence Reporter" (1989-1991)
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See Library Tab for articles, publications and presentations
by Russ Herman
EDITORIAL REVIEW
The New Orleans legend maintained his winning ways as plaintiffs’ liaison counsel in the Chinese drywall litigation, adding hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and reaching a global deal.
—2011 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
The Bard of the Bayou brought the BP litigation home, landing co-lead counsel status for his firm with a ‘To be or not to be” presentation in Idaho, not to mention prior monster wins in Vioxx and the Chinese drywall litigation.
—2009-2010 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
The king of New Orleans has championed tobacco, Vioxx, Hurricane bad faith and antitrust claims, and has repped the City Council in a housing probe.
—2008 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
There's nothing easy for defendants when it comes to the biggest plaintiffs' lawyer in New Orleans, who led the $4.85B Vioxx deal and is now arguing toward insurers who failed to timely pay hurricane claims
— Lawdragon, January 2008
Among this Bayou Boss’ accomplishments, he homed in on Big Tobacco for his home state, landing $4.6 billion for Louisiana.
— Lawdragon, February 2007
The New Orleans class action guru is plaintiffs’ liaison for federal Vioxx suits.
— Lawdragon, October 2006
Mr. Class Action, Russ Herman was recently named the plaintiffs' liaison for all federal Vioxx cases, which could result in big bucks for victims after July 2005's $253 million verdict in a Texas Vioxx case involving a single plaintiff. Herman was the lead negotiator for the plaintiffs in the nationwide tobacco litigation resulting in a $368 billion settlement. In 2004, handling all federal claims involving injuries incurred from taking Propulsid, a heartburn medication, Herman obtained a $90 million settlement. Not limited to helping consumers in the Big Easy, Herman is a founding member of Herman, Mathis, Casey, Kitchens & Gerel, a nationwide plaintiffs' firm. This attorney is a member of the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
— Lawdragon, October 2005
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