James Hailey III

Partner

James.Hailey@lewisbrisbois.com

James W. Hailey III is a partner in the New Orleans office of Lewis Brisbois, a vice-chair of the First Party Property Practice, and a member of the Insurance Coverage Practice. He is a fifth generation New Orleanian. For over the past two and a half decades Mr. Hailey has assisted his insurance and corporate clients in detecting, deterring, and defeating fraud in construction, premises, transportation, and general litigation matters, including coverage. 

Mr. Hailey has made numerous presentations to clients’ special investigation units (SIU) and to industry personnel, including the Insurance Services Offices (ISO), National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and International Association of Special Investigation Units (IASIU) Chapters nationwide. He is very active in local claims organizations serving as President (2013 and 2014, 2016-2019) of the New Orleans Claims Association (NOCA), Board member (2014 to present) of the Southeast Louisiana Chapter of the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS), past president and present Assistant General Counsel of the Honorable Order of The Blue Goose International claims organization, founding Secretary (2013 and 2014, 2016 and 2017) and presently President (2018-2019) of the Louisiana Chapter of the Claims and Litigation Management organization (CLM), Louisiana Claims Association, and many others. He has been honored as a “Top Lawyer” by New Orleans magazine and "Best Lawyers" for the past several years. 

He is an avid sports fan and enjoys time on the Gulf Coast. 

Primary Area(s) of Practice

  • Insurance Coverage
  • Insurance Law
  • First Party Property
  • Bad Faith Litigation
  • Construction
  • Transportation
  • General Liability
  • Professional Liability
  • COVID-19: Insurance Coverage
  • Defense Base Act Practice
  • Federal Black Lung Defense Practice

Admissions

Louisiana

All Courts in the State of Louisiana

The United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Louisiana

The United States District Courts for the Middle District of Louisiana

The United States District Courts for the Western District of Louisiana

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Associations

  • American Association for Justice (AAJ)
    • Student Trial Advocacy Competition, Judge 
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America
    • National Student Trial Advocacy Competition Judge 
  • Blue Goose - Claims Adjusters Organization, President 2002-2004
    • Jurisprudence Committee of the Honorable Order, 2017-Present
    • Elected past president and present Assistant General Counsel of the Honorable Order of The Blue Goose International Claims Organization
    • Selected as the delegate to represent the Louisiana Pond at the 2018 Blue Goose National Convention 
    • Constitution and Bylaws Committee
  • Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
    • President, 2018-2019
    • Adjuster Training, Chairman 
    • Insurance Fraud Committee 
    • Board Events Coordinator, 2013 and 2014, 2016-2018 
    • Southeast Louisiana Chapter, Founding Member/Secretary, 2013 and 2014, 2016 and 2017
  • Defense Research Institute
    • Lawyers’ Professionalism and Ethics Committee 
  • International Association of Defense Counsel 
  • International Association of Insurance Professionals 
  • International Association of Special Investigation Units (IASIU)
    • Legal Advocate 
  • Jefferson Bar Association 
  • Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel 
  • Louisiana Claims Association 
  • Louisiana Professional Brokers and Associates, Founding Member 
  • Louisiana State Bar Association
    • Torts Bar Examinations “Super Grader” 
    • High School Mock Trial Competition, Judge 
    • Public Access and Consumer Protection (Illegal Practice of Law) Committee 
    • Insurance, Tort, Civil Law and Litigation Sections 
  • Louisiana State Bar Foundation, Fellow 
  • National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association (NRRDA)
    • Planning committee member for the 2018 national convention 
  • New Orleans Bar Association, Insurance Law Committee 
  • New Orleans Bar Association Inn of Court 
  • New Orleans Claims Association
    • Board of Directors 
    • President, 2013 and 2014, 2016-2019
  • Risk and Insurance Management Society (R.I.M.S.)
    • Southeast Louisiana Chapter and Insurance Management Society, Board Member 2014-present 
  • St. Thomas More Catholic Lawyers Association 
  • Transportation Lawyers Association 

Awards & Honors

  • Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating of AV Preeminent 
  • Elected President (2013 and 2014, 2016-2019) of the New Orleans Claims Association (NOCA)
  • Elected Board member (2014 to present) of the Southeast Louisiana Chapter of the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
  • Elected past president and present Assistant General Counsel of the Honorable Order of The Blue Goose International claims organization
  • Appointed  founding Secretary (2013 and 2014, 2016 and 2017) and presently President (2018-2019) of the Louisiana Chapter of the Claims and Litigation Management organization (CLM)
  • Louisiana delegate for the Blue Goose Claims Organization for the International Conference 2017 and 2018
  • "Best Lawyers" in America as voted by his peers
  • "Top Lawyers" List Member, published by New Orleans Magazine 

Professional Presentations

  • "Defense Base Act & War Hazards Compensation Act," CaseExperts Webinar, May 2023
  • "Burning Down the House – Insurance Fraud Primer," Canopius Insurance Company Presentation, April 2022
  • “CAT’s Out of the Bag: Insurance Fraud in Catastrophic Losses” and “Advanced Vehicles, Unsophisticated Criminals: Using Science & Technology to Prove Your Case,” NICB Insurance Fraud Management Conference, March 2022
  • "Recognizing Risk Transfer Opportunities,” Dallas Claims Association Fall Seminar, November 2021 
  • "Legal Update - Legislation, Litigation and Fraud" and "Advanced Vehicles, Unsophisticated Criminals: Using Science to Prove Your Case," IASIU Annual Seminar & Expo, September 2021
  • Louisiana Law for Safe Harbor Insurance Company and Tender Demands, Acceptances, and Risk Transfers for Gallagher Bassett, August 2021
  • Property Damage Rules and Regulations, Safepoint Insurance Company, May 2021
  • "Master the pandemic playbook: Legal strategy & fraud,” Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, November 2020
  • "Insurance Fraud," Lewis Brisbois, July 16, 2020
  • “Surviving the Swamp, Louisiana Claims & Statutes Update," New Orleans Claims Association, January 2020
  • “Creating a Successful SIU Collaborative Team,” 2019 CLM Southeast Conference, Orlando, Florida, October 2019
  • “Preparing Client Representatives for Depositions and Trial Testimony,” Association of Corporate Counsel, Louisiana Chapter, July 31, 2019
  • “Aspects of Insurance Fraud,” Dallas, Texas, June 11, 2019
  • "Ethically Investigating and Evaluating Claims," Utah Department of Insurance Fraud Division, Insurance Fraud Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • “Premises Liability,” RIMS South Louisiana Chapter Event
  • “Preparing Claims Adjusters and Representatives for Depositions and Trial Testimony in a Fraud Case”, CLM Fraud Conference, Atlanta, Georgia
  • “To Defend or Not to Defend: the Dilemma for Carriers, Subcontractors and Their Counsel in Construction Defect Cases”, CLM & Business Insurance Construction Conference, San Diego, California
  • “Surviving the Swamp”, updates and overview of Louisiana claims and statutes presented to several clients
  • “Preparing Claims Adjusters and Client Representatives for Depositions and Trial Testimony”, New Orleans Claims Association Chapter Meeting - 1 hr CEU; Louisiana Claims Association
  • “Catastrophic Loss: Hurricanes/Energy 101: Hurricanes, Floods and Storms – Catastrophic Loss Perspectives from the Lawyers and the Experts”; DRI Construction Law Seminar 
  • “The Emergency Response to Catastrophic Accidents”, CLM Southeast Louisiana Chapter Education and Networking Event 
  • “Email and Electronic Etiquette”, New Orleans Claims Association
  • “Instagram, Twitter and Everything in Between: A Course on How to Effectively and Ethically Use Social Media in Defending Personal Injury Lawsuits”, LCA Education Conference
  • Preparing Experts for Depositions and Trial Testimony 
  • Preparing Claims Adjusters and Representatives for Potential Ethical Issues During Depositions and Trials 
  • First Party Claims Management 
  • Fraud Claim Management: Getting to, Through, and Beyond the EUO 
  • Aspects of Claims Handling in Louisiana 
  • Premises & Trucking Liability Fraud 
  • Understanding the New Defense and Indemnity and Escrow Statutes 
  • Louisiana: A Tricky Jurisdiction 
  • Good Faith Claims Handling 
  • Departmental/Practical Area Strategic Session 
  • Aspects of Claims Handling in Louisiana and Mississippi 
  • Claims and Litigation Management 
  • First Party Claim Management: SIU and Legal Relations 
  • Email and Electronic Etiquette 
  • lnstagram. Twitter and Everything in Between: A Course on How to Effectively and Ethically Use Social Media in Defending Personal Injury Lawsuits 
  • Ethically Investigating and Evaluating Claims in Louisiana and Mississippi 
  • Ethically Investigating and Evaluating Claims - General Claims Handling. Catastrophe Claims Handling, Email & Electronic Etiquette 
  • Ethically Investigating First Party Claims 
  • First Party Fraud Claim Management: Getting To, Through and Beyond the EUO 
  • How to Evaluate and Litigate Fraud Claims from Katrina, Isaac and 2000 Era New Orleans/Gulf Coast Catastrophes 
  • Tales from Post-Katrina and Isaac Gulf Coast: Evaluating and Litigating Fraud Claims in the Wake of a Major Catastrophic Event 
  • Good Faith Dealings in First Party Claims 
  • Ethically Investigating and Evaluating Claims 
  • Emerging Issues in Fraud Litigation Management 
  • Detecting and Defeating Insurance Fraud 
  • Aspects of Insurance Fraud in Louisiana 
  • Recent Developments in Fraud Litigation for 2010
  • Aspects of Insurance Fraud in Louisiana: The Latest Trends of Fraud in Louisiana

Education

Loyola University of New Orleans

Juris Doctor

  • Member, Thomas More Inn of Court (13 selected) 
  • Student Practitioner, Law Clinic - Tax Litigation 
  • Participant, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) 
  • Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity 

Loyola University of New Orleans

Bachelor of Science, Economics 

Jesuit High School

Publications

  • “What to Expect When Catastrophes Strike”, Claims Management Magazine, 2013 
  • “Insurance Law-Choose Your Friends Wisely: Social Media Ethics in Claims Management and Investigations”, West, 2012 
  • “Inside the Minds – Defending Against Insurance Fraud Claims”, West, 2011