Litigation matters involving oil, gas and property issues are the focus of Mr. Simon's practice. For three decades, he has handled a wide variety of general commercial disputes in federal and state courts throughout Louisiana.
His extensive experience in energy litigation cases covers each of the major substantive areas affecting the oil and gas industry for the past 25 years. He also has broad experience litigating issues involving regulatory rulings and orders of the Department of Conservation.
Mr. Simon's practice emphasizes oil and gas royalty and other mineral lease issues, energy marketing contract disputes and cases involving the processing of natural gas and the contracts affecting these operations. He has additional experience in utility regulation, including in telecommunications regulation. He served as counsel for the Louisiana Public Service Commission in its rate cases for Bell South Corporation and in the implementation of price regulation for the company.
Prior to his law career, he served in the U.S. Army Reserve for six years, attended the U.S. Army Intelligence School at Ft. Holabird, and received a theology degree from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.
Mr. Simon, who speaks French, is the past president of the American Inn of Court of Acadiana. Over the years, he has been appointed to numerous key legal committees by the Louisiana Supreme Court. He currently serves on the Board of Governors for the Louisiana State Bar Association.
Honors & Affiliations:
· American Inn of Court of Acadiana - President 2004 - 2005; Member, 1999 - present
· Lafayette Parish, Louisiana State and American Bar Associations - Member
· American Bar Association - Young Lawyers Division, Executive Council, 1979 - 1980
· American Judicature Society - Board of Directors, 1985 - 1989
· Louisiana Bar Foundation and American Bar Foundation - Fellow
· Louisiana State Bar Association - Young Lawyers Section -Board Member 1977 - 1979; Chairman, 1978 - 1979
· Louisiana State Bar Association Outstanding Young Lawyer, 1983
· Louisiana State Bar Association House of Delegates, 2000 - 2004
· Louisiana State Bar Association Nominating Committee, 1980 - 1981, 1988 - 1992
· Louisiana State Bar Association Board of Governors, 2008 - 2010
· Louisiana Supreme Court - Appointed as a member to the following committees:
- Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Committee, 1987 - 1995
- ADR Committee, 1991 - 1993
- Louisiana Task Force on Women in the Courts, 1989 - 1992
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- Accreditation Subcommittee of MCLE - Chairman, 1987 - 1989
- Long Range Planning Committee, 1987 -1989
- IOLTA Committee, 1987 - 1989
- Occupational Tax Review Committee, 1987 - 1989
- Committee for Revisions of the Louisiana State Bar Association Disciplinary Procedures, 1985
- Special committee to develop experimental program for judicial performance evaluation, 1983
- Committee on Economics of Practice of Law - Chairman, 1983 - 1989
- Development of legislation for small claims courts, 1980
· U.S. Army Reserve, 1968 - 1974, Honorable Discharge, 1974
· U.S. Army Intelligence School, Ft. Holabird, 1969
· The Best Lawyers in America, 2007-2012
· Baton Rouge Area "Best Lawyers Natural Resources Lawyer of the Year," 2011, and Baton Rouge Area "Best Lawyers Oil & Gas Law Lawyer of the Year," 2012
· Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America
· Selected as a Top Lawyer by Corporate Counsel
· Chambers USA America's Leading Lawyers for Business, 2010-2011
· Listed as a Louisiana "Local Litigation Star" in Benchmark Litigation
Presentations:
· "Recent Developments in Louisiana Law on Servitudes," Louisiana Law of Servitudes Seminar, 2003, 2004, 2005
· "Implied Covenants of a Mineral Lessee: A Survey of Case Law in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana," The Center for American and International Law, Energy Litigation Conference, November 2004
· "Contra Non Valentem: A Survey of Case Law," 51st Mineral Law Institute, April 2004
· "Documenting Your Case," Tulane Law School Seminar, December 1999
· "Recent Developments and Trends in Oil and Gas Litigation," Liskow & Lewis Seminar, Houston, September 1999
· "Gas Royalty Issues in the Era of Take or Pay," Executive Enterprises, Houston, 1987
Publications:
· "Comment, Equal Protection in the Urban Environment - The Right to Equal Municipal Services," 46 Tul. L. Rev. 496 (1972)