Ray Ward joined Adams and Reese in 2002 after learning about the firm's dedicated team of attorneys in the Appellate Advocacy Group. Since then, he has focused his practice on appellate law.
Ray serves on the steering committee for the Defense Research Institute's Appellate Advocacy Committee, for which he served several years as Chair of Publications. Combining his love of writing with his practice of law, Ray has written several articles for DRI publications on appellate practice and legal writing. He is one of four co-editors of "A Defense Lawyer's Guide to Appellate Practice," published by DRI in 2004, for which he also wrote two chapters.
His other significant accomplishments include the following:
· Winning reversal of a judgment against a pesticide manufacturer and a holding that the manufacturer's duty to avoid accidental damage to farm-raised crawfish did not extend to plaintiffs, who bought crawfish from crawfish farmers for resale. Phillips v. G & H Seed Co., 10 So. 3d 339 (La. App. 3 Cir.), writ denied, 21 So. 3d 284 (La. 2009).
· Winning reversal of an $88.75 million judgment against an electrical-products manufacturer, in a case arising from a massive explosion at an industrial plant. In re Gramercy Plant Explosion at Kaiser, 927 So. 2d 492 (La. App. 5 Cir.), writ denied, 929 So. 2d 1271 (La. 2006). Ray was the principal author of the winning brief.
· Obtaining an important ruling from the Louisiana Supreme Court that a class-certification order, though interlocutory, can be appealed as of right. Davis v. Jazz Casino Co., LLC, 849 So. 2d 497 (La. 2003). This rule has since been codified by the Louisiana Legislature in Act 205 of the 2005 Regular Session.
· Persuading the Louisiana Supreme Court to reverse the lower courts and hold that under Louisiana law, liability for conversion depends on a finding of fault. Prior law held defendants strictly liable for conversion, regardless of fault. Dual Drilling Co. v. Mills Equipment Investments, Inc., 721 So. 2d 853 (La. 1998), reversing 705 So. 2d 1246 (La. App. 4 Cir. 1998).
Ray has taught many CLE classes on appellate practice, legal writing, and other topics. He also edits The (New) Legal Writer, a blog devoted to legal writing. He counts General Russel Honore among the people he most admires for his leadership in resurrecting New Orleans following the devastating levee failures and resulting flood of 2005.
In his free time, Ray practices his skill at playing blues-style guitar. At his church, he serves in the music ministry and as a lector.
Professional Memberships / Affiliations
American Bar Association, Council of Appellate Lawyers
Defense Research Institute, Appellate Advocacy Committee
Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel
Scribes - The American Society of Writers on Legal Writers
Other Distinctions
Loyola Law Alumni Award - Loyola Law Review 1990
Editorial Board Award - Loyola Law Review 1990
President's Law Award - Franciscan University of Steubenville 2005
Order of St. Louis IX Medallion - Archdiocese of New Orleans 2008
Articles / Publications
Representing Clients with Mental Illness: A Resource for Louisiana Defenders, 6/28/2011
Immortal Forms: The Vampires of Legal Writing, 1/1/2009
Counting Each Shot: Techniques for Emphasis and De-emphasis, 11/1/2008
The Right Tool for the Job, 10/1/2008
Beyond Technical Training: More Effective E-Mail, 7/1/2008
Counting Each Shot, 6/1/2007
At Your Fingertips: Online Resources for Writers, 6/1/2007
How to Write an Appellate Brief, 1/1/2006
Noun Plague: Breaking the Chains, 12/1/2005
Punching up Your Writing: Advice from the Experts, 6/1/2005
Form and Function: Clear, Effective Jury Instructions, 7/1/2004
A Writ in Time, 2/1/2004
Style, Chapter 14 of A Defense Lawyer's Guide to Appellate Practice, 1/1/2004
Standards of Review, Chapter 7 of A Defense Lawyer's Guide to Appellate Practice, 1/1/2004
Humility, 11/1/2003
What Does "Shall" Mean?: Words of Authority, 2/1/2002
An Essay on Style, 5/1/2001
Phrases to Avoid: Unlearning Bad Habits, 3/1/2000
Simple, Concise, Direct: Pleading in Plain English, 11/1/1999
The Importance of Earnest Oral Argument, 6/1/1999
Preparing to Write an Appellate Brief, 4/1/1998
Seminars
Louisiana State Bar Association, Bridging The Gap, "Appellate Practice and Procedure (2011), 10/19/2011
Louisiana State Bar Association, Bridging The Gap, "Appellate Practice and Procedure", 10/19/2010
14th Biennial Conference of the Legal Writing Institute, "Techniques for Emphasis and De-emphasis", 6/30/2010
Louisiana State Bar Association, Bridging the Gap, "Appellate Practice and Procedure", 10/21/2008
Louisiana State Bar Association, Louisiana Justice Community Conference, "Supervisory Writs", 10/10/2008
Louisiana State Bar Association, What's the Deal With Appeals?: Views From the Inside, 3/28/2008
Louisiana State Bar Association, Bridging the Gap, "Appellate Practice and Procedure", 10/25/2007
Louisiana State Bar Association, Louisiana Justice Community Conference, "Preserving Your Right to Appeal", 11/3/2006
Louisiana State Bar Association, Bridging the Gap, "Appellate Practice & Procedure", 10/26/2006
Louisiana State Bar Association, Bridging the Gap, "Appellate Practice and Procedure", 1/27/2006
The Public Law Center, International Legislative Drafting Institute, "Drafting Judicial Rules", 6/23/2005
Louisiana State Bar Association, Bridging the Gap, "State Civil Court Rules & Motions", 10/20/2004
The Public Law Center, International Legislative Drafting Institute, "Drafting Judicial Rules", 6/24/2004
Louisiana State Bar Association, Bridging the Gap, "State Civil Court Rules and Motions", 10/23/2003
Academy of New Orleans Trial Lawyers, "Rules for Louisiana District Courts", 1/15/2003
Loyola CLE, Loyola Law School, New Orleans, "New Rules for Louisiana District Courts: One Set of Rules - No Joke", 11/9/2002
Louisiana State Bar Association, Bridging the Gap, "State Civil Court Rules and Motions", 10/17/2002
New Orleans Bar Association, Procrastinators' Program, "Plain Language for Lawyers", 12/20/2000
New Orleans Bar Association, Young Litigator's Forum, "Top 10 Ways to Use Plain Language in Legal Writing", 8/24/2000