John Randall Whaley
Top rated Class Action & Mass Torts attorney in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Whaley Law Firm
Practice Areas: Class Action & Mass Torts, Personal Injury, Business Litigation; view more
Licensed in Louisiana since: 1998
Education: Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2012 - 2024 Call today:
225-302-8810
Whaley Law Firm
6700 Jefferson HighwayBuilding 12 Suite A
Baton Rouge, LA 70806 Visit website
Details
As the founder of the Whaley Law Firm, J.R. Whaley represents clients throughout Louisiana, as well as nationally. He focuses his practice on complex litigation, handling cases that involve financial injury and serious injury and death cases. He specializes in litigation with multiple issues and multiple parties. His clients include workers injured by defective equipment, Fortune 500 clients damaged by legal malpractice, classes of consumers cheated by insurance companies, and farmers who have lost money through no fault of their own.
In 1993, Mr. Whaley graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science from Louisiana State University. He then attended the Paul M. Herbert Law Center at Louisiana State University, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1998. While in his final year of law school, Mr. Whaley was the winner of the Ira S. Flory Mock Trial Competition and winner of the mock trial competition sponsored by the young lawyers section of the Louisiana State Bar Association.
Throughout his career, Mr. Whaley has worked in complex litigation, succeeding in winning settlements and verdicts for clients that are in the millions and tens of millions of dollars. He is admitted to several courts, including the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the Louisiana Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court.
In addition to his work in the courtroom, Mr. Whaley is the author of several articles, conducts multiple webinars, teaches continued legal education classes and speaks at numerous seminars, sharing his knowledge and experience with others.
Practice areas
Class Action/Mass Torts: Plaintiff, Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff, Business LitigationFocus areas
Class Actions, Personal Injury - Defense
- 50% Class Action/Mass Torts: Plaintiff
- 40% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
- 10% Business Litigation
First Admitted: 1998, Louisiana
Professional Webpage: http://www.whaleylaw.com/about-louisiana-attorney-jr-whaley/
Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):
- Over $50 million in vericts and settlements.
Educational Background:
- Louisiana State University, B.A. in History and Political Science, 1993
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- "Damasco v. Clearwire – Another Trap for the Unwary?" Louisiana Advocates, January 2012
- "Gathering Digital Data" Louisiana Association for Justice Last Chance Review of Louisiana Law CLE, December 15, 2006
- "Professional Orientation" LSU Law School, August 8, 2011
- "Daubert Motions in Class Certification Proceedings: Strategies for Plaintiffs and Defendants Using or Challenging Expert Testimony at the Certification Stage" Strafford CLE, June 21, 2011
- "Hanks v. Entergy Corp.: The Supreme Court Provides Some Clarity But Leaves A Big Question Unanswered" Louisiana Advocates, February 2007
- "Pre-Certification Communication With Putative Class Members: Issues Associated With When, How, and If Contact Can Be Made" Louisiana State Bar Association's 6th Annual Class Action/Mass Tort Symposium, October 20, 2006
- "Multi-Forum Litigation: Strategic Considerations; Leveraging MDL, State Mass Action Coordination, and Other Tactics to Meet Litigation Goals" Strafford CLE, February 24, 2011
- "Pre-Certification Discovery: A User's Guide" Tulane Law Review, 80 TLNLR 1827
- "Electronic Evidence & New Discovery Rules: Are You Ready for 2007?" LTLA and SeminarWeb Live!, September 20, 2006
- "Class Action Review" Louisiana Association for Justice Last Chance CLE, December 30, 2010
- "The Duty to Find a Knowledgeable Corporate Designee – Or to Educate One" Louisiana Bar Journal, Volume 55, Number 3
- "Litigation Demographics – Claims, Remedies, Venues, and MDL Issues" Harris Martin Contact Lens Solution Litigation Conference, July 26, 2006
- "Class Action Update" Baton Rouge Bar Association CLE By The Hour, December 29, 2010
- Book review, The Science of Settlement, TRIAL, November 2008
- "Electronic Evidence- Getting the Evidence You Need" Crossroads American Inn of Court CLE Event, March 21, 2006
- Moderator, Baton Rouge Bar Association Class Action Seminar, November 4, 2010
- "Settlement Strategies for Complex Global Litigation" TRIAL, December 2007
- "Dealing with Daubert" Crossroads American Inn of Court CLE Event, February 23, 2005
- "Daubert Motions in Class Certification Proceedings: Strategies for Plaintiffs and Defendants Amid Differing Circuit Court Standards" Strafford CLE, October 14, 2010
- "Will Daubert Challenge Your Class Certification" TRIAL, July 2009
- "Evaluation of a Tort Claim" St. Denis Inn of Court CLE Event February 22, 2005
- "Gulf Oil Spill Governmental Claims; What's Recoverable, Who Pays and Who Can Bring the Claims" Louisiana State Bar Association Admiralty Symposium, September 24, 2010
- "Right To Jury Trial In Louisiana Class Actions" Louisiana Advocates, January 2009
- "Handling Expert Testimony Issues Under Daubert" and associated paper, "Cheairs v. State, DOTD and Louisiana Appellate Courts' Decisions on Expert Testimony in 2004″ Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association Aspen Winter Ski Program, February 10, 2005
- "Recent Case Law Review in E-Discovery- Pension Committee and Rimkus" Louisiana State Bar Association Electronic Evidence Seminar, September 10, 2010
- "Multidistrict Litigation and Bellwether Trials: Leading Litigants to Resolution in Complex Litigation" The Brief, Fall 2009, 39:1
- "Alexandria Young Lawyers Bench Bar Conference" Program Chair, 2004
- "Recent Developments" LSBA Section on Torts, Insurance, Negligence, and Worker's Compensation Annual Meeting, Destin, Florida 2004, Moderator, Panel Presentation with Hons. G. Thomas Porteous, Richard T. Haik, and Dean Thomas Galligan
- Moderator at the American Association for Justice Gulf Coast Oil Spill Litigation Group Seminar, Vancouver, Canada, July 14, 2010
- "Class Action Law To Be (Re) Shaped by Three Upcoming Supreme Court Decisions" Louisiana Advocates, March 2011
- "Closing the Deal, Papering It, and Doing it Ethically" Louisiana State Bar Association's Class Action/Mass Tort Symposium, October 2004
- "Foodborne Illness: Ten Critical Questions" American Association for Justice Litigation at Sunrise, July 12, 2010
- "Food-borne Illness Litigation: Critical Questions" Louisiana Advocates, March 2010
- "Medical Malpractice and You" LSU PreMed Society, 2003
- "The Federal Pleading Standard: Notice A Difference?" American Association for Justice Heart Device Litigation Group Annual Meeting, July 10, 2010
- "AT&T v. Conception – A Blow to Consumer Rights" Louisiana Advocates, June 2011
- "Lawyer Advertising and Ethics" LSU Manship School of Communications, 2003
- Moderator for Harris Martin's Oil Spill Litigation Conference, June 23, 2010
- "Agricultural Biotechnology: U.S. Supreme Court Rejects 'Blame-The-Bean' Defense" Louisiana Advocates, July, 2013
- "Federal Practice" Louisiana Association of Paralegals, 2001
- "MDL Status," Harris Martin's Oil Spill Litigation Conference, June 23, 2010
- "Dukes v. Wal-Mart: Another Adverse Decision For Class Actions" Louisiana Advocates, August 2011
- "Supreme Court Relies On Earlier Cases To Further Limit Recoveries" Louisiana Advocates, August, 2013
- "The Media and the Administration of Justice" LSU Manship School of Communications, 1999 - Present
- "A Plaintiff Attorney's Guide to Daubert & Frye" TrialSmith CLE, June 8, 2010
- "The (Un)Availability of Act of God and Force Majeure Affirmative Defenses After Rita, Katrina" Louisiana Advocates, June 2006
- "Attorney General and Other Governmental Actions," Louisiana State Bar Association Gulf Coast Oil Spill Symposium, May 25, 2010
- "Brill v. Countrywide Homes: Burden of Proof in Remand Proceedings for Class Actions Removed Under CAFA" The Federal Lawyer, May 2006
- "Bellwether Trials: Evolving Trends in Class Action and Complex Litigation, Strategic Use of Bellwethers by Plaintiffs and Defendants," Strafford CLE, March 25, 2010
- "Knowledge is Power: A Practical Proposal to Protect Putative Class Members from Improper Pre-Certification Communication" Federal Courts Law Review, 2006 Fed. Cts. L. Rev. 2
- "Of MDLs, Class Actions, and Bellwethers: Where Will the Toyota Litigation Be Transferred and How Will it Be Litigated? " Harris Martin Symposium, March 24, 2010
- "Gathering Digital Evidence" TRIAL, October 2005
- "Lone Pine Orders in Class Action, Mass Tort and Products Liability Litigation: Bringing and Defending Pre-Trial Motions Regarding Exposure, Causation and Damages," Strafford CLE, February 18, 2010
- "Using Conflicts Principles to Obtain Punitive Damages in Louisiana Courts" Louisiana Advocates, May 2005
- Moderator, Louisiana Association for Justice CLE a la Carte, New Orleans, Louisiana, December 30, 2009
- "Daubert Lite: Daubert's Role, If Any, at Class Certification Hearings" Louisiana Bar Journal, Volume 52, Number 5
- "Daubert: Practical Applications" Last Chance Seminar Review of Louisiana Law, December 10-11, 2009
- "Daubert Motions in Class Certification Proceedings, Strategies for Plaintiffs and Defendants Post In re Hydrogen Peroxide" Strafford CLE, November 17, 2009
- "Class Action Settlement of Future Claims" Louisiana Advocates, December 2004
- "Mass Food Borne Illness Torts: Procedural – Class Action vs. Individual Causation" LSBA Class Action/Mass Tort Symposium, October 16, 2009
- "Leveraging Daubert Motions in Class Certification" Strafford Webinar, May 29, 2013
- "Trial Plans and the Increasing Role, Function and Application of Bellwether Trials" LSBA ClassAction/Mass Tort Symposium, October 17, 2008
- "Ethics – What We Need To Know" Louisiana Association for Justice ala carte CLE (Baton Rouge) December 27, 2012
- "Does Daubert Apply to Class Certification?" AAJ Annual Convention, July 12, 2008
- "Ethics – What We Need To Know" Louisiana Association for Justice ala carte CLE (New Orleans) December 28, 2012
- "Why Should A PI Lawyer Care About Class Actions?" Louisiana Association of Justice CLE Highlights of 2008, January 24, 2008
- "Professional Orientation" LSU Law School, August 10, 2012
- "The Implications of CAFA on Class Actions" Louisiana State Bar Association 19TH Annual Summer School Revisited Seminar, December 14, 2007
- "Daubert Motions in Class Certification After Dukes: Using or Challenging Expert Testimony Amid Divergent Court Standards" Strafford Webinar, May 1, 2012
- "Professionalism in Today's World" Central Louisiana Pro Bono Project's Last Roundup CLE, December 7, 2007
- "Teenagers and Safe Driving" Assumption High School Safe Driving Week, April 20, 2012
- "What Constitutes Appropriate Class Action Notice and Why You Should Care… Due Process, Costs and Practical Efficacy" Louisiana State Bar Association's 7th Annual Class Action/Mass Tort Symposium, New Orleans, LA, October 19, 2007
- "Class Actions – A Year in Review" Baton Rouge Bar Association CLE By The Hour, December 30, 2011
- "Professionalism – Does It Pay?" Louisiana Association for Justice, Valuable Litigation Insights, May 18, 2007
- "Class Action Review – State and Federal" Louisiana Association for Justice Last Chance CLE (Baton Rouge), December 30, 2011
- "Preservation and Spoliation of Electronic Evidence" Louisiana Association for Justice, One More Chance CLE, January 25, 2007
- Class Action Review – State and Federal" Louisiana Association for Justice Last Chance CLE (New Orleans), December 29, 2011
- "Ethical Issues and The Practice of Law" Louisiana Association for Justice2006 CLE à la Carte, December 29, 2006
- "Personal Injury Claims & the Medicare Secondary Payer Act" Strafford Webinar, September 28, 2011
Representative Clients:
- OpelousasTrust Authority v. Cleco Corporation, __So.2d __ (Jurisdictional Issue Regarding Class Action on behalf of Consumers)
- Johnson v. Ned, 2001 WL 1161270 (Insurance Coverage Issue in Sexual Molestation Case)
- Crutchfield v. Landry, 778 So. 2d 1249 (Insurance Coverage Question Regarding Choice of Law Issues. Position advanced was ultimately accepted by the Louisiana Supreme Court in Champagne v. Ward, 893 So.2d. 773)
- Marlon Simmons v. CTL Distribution, Inc., 868 So. 2d 918 (Wrongful Death and Survival Action Following Overturning of Molten Sulfur Truck)
- In re: Complaint of River City Towing Services, Inc., 199 F.Supp.2d. 495 (Class Action Plaintiffs' Motion to Dismiss Defendant's Declaratory Judgment granted)
- Marsh v. USAgencies Casualty Insurance Company, 957 So.2d 901 (Certification of Insurance Class Action)
- Mac Hatten v. Schwerman Trucking, 889 So.2d. 448 (Venue Issue Surrounding Toxic Release)
Bar/Professional Activity:
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1998
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Louisiana, 1998
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2002
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Louisiana, 1998
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 2012
- U.S. District Court Western District of Louisiana, 1998
- Louisiana, 1998
Honors/Awards:
- Flory Trial Competition Winner, 1998
- Young Lawyers Section Louisiana Law Schools' Mock Trial Competition Winner, 1998
Industry Groups:
- Health Insurance
- Health Insurance
- Oil
- Oil
Office location for John Randall Whaley
6700 Jefferson Highway
Building 12 Suite A
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
Phone: 225-302-8810
Selections
13 Years Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyers: 2012 - 2024
