Speakers

Brandi A. Barze
Partner, Keogh, Cox & Wilson

Brandi A. Barze is a Partner at Keogh, Cox & Wilson, Ltd. in Baton Rouge. Before joining the firm, she served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Louisiana where she defended the state and its entities and departments in a variety of court cases.

Today, Brandi’s work focuses on helping clients—mostly business entities and insurance companies, in areas of automobile and premises liability (cases involving car accidents or injuries that happen on someone’s property), merchant liability (an area of law that deals with when and how a store or business may be held responsible for injuries that happen to customers on its premises), and insurance defense ( area of law where attorneys represent people, businesses, or insurance companies in lawsuits that involve insurance claims—like car accidents, property damage, or injury cases.) In short, she’s often in court helping her clients tell their side of the story and find fair resolutions to legal conflicts. She handles cases in both state and federal courts.

Brandi is also passionate about mentoring aspiring lawyers and expanding access to the legal profession by ensuring that individuals who look like her are exposed to, prepared for, and supported in entering the field.

Russell W. Beall
Founding Partner, Beall & Theis LLC

Russell W. Beall is a founding partner in the Baton Rouge law firm of Beall & Thies LLC. His main area of practice is Civil Litigation including Torts, Products Liability, and Premises Liability. He earned his J.D at Louisiana State University Law School. Russell is an active member of the Louisiana Association for Justice.

Shelby Dunbar (’18)
Director of Government Relations, Louisiana Association of Business & Industry

Shelby Dunbar serves as Director of Government Relations at LABI, where she leads the Civil Justice and Technology councils. A native of Marksville, Shelby obtained her Juris Doctor from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 2018 and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Louisiana State University.

Before joining LABI, Shelby was part of a Baton Rouge-based practice primarily focused on insurance defense litigation.

Emily Chenevert
Louisiana State Representative, District 66

Emily Chenevert was born and raised in Leesville, Louisiana. She attended LSU and received her B.A. in Journalism, with a minor in Theatre. She started her career at WBRZ-TV, the ABC affiliate in Baton Rouge, as an associate producer for the morning show Tune-In.

She later attended The New York Film Academy in New York and completed the producing program for film and television. She has worked on both independent and feature films for various production companies and studios including Universal and 20th Century FOX, and more. As a line producer and production manager, Emily handled day-to-day operations of filmmaking including budgeting, hiring, and execution of projects.
For the past fifteen years, Emily has worked in the non-profit sector in the areas of media and communications, including for local ministries and for Trafficking Hope, an organization committed to combatting human trafficking. She currently serves as a consultant to non-profits and churches to help them put on live trainings, conferences, and other events.

Emily resides in Baton Rouge with her husband, Shane, and their four children. They have been members of Healing Place Church for over 20 years and serve with the Young Adult Ministry. Emily is also on the Board of FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, for the southern region of Louisiana. Emily is serving her second year of her first term as State Representative. She serves on the Civil Law, Health and Welfare, and Judiciary committees.

Thomas C. Galligan Jr. 
Professor of Law, LSU Law

Thomas C. Galligan Jr. holds the Dodson and Hooks Endowed Chair in Maritime Law. He teaches and writes about Torts, Admiralty, and Constitutional Law.

Galligan formerly served as LSU President (2020-2021) and Dean of the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center (2016-2019), where he began his academic career in 1985.  Prior to returning to LSU Law in 2016, he served as President of Colby-Sawyer College and Dean of the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Galligan has served as a member of the Council of the ABA Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, member and as chair of the American Bar Association Accreditation Committee, and member and chaired several site evaluation teams for the ABA and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

He is a frequent continuing legal education speaker, having given more than 250 speeches and presentations about Torts, Admiralty, Complex Litigation, Professionalism, and more. His scholarship has been cited by numerous courts including the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, various United States District Courts, the Louisiana Supreme Court, and various State Appellate Courts.

Hon. Guy Holdridge (ret.)
Mediator, Perry Dampf Dispute Solutions

Hon. Guy Holdridge (ret.) is currently a mediator at Perry Dampf Dispute Solutions. He retired from the bench in December 2023. In 2014, he was elected to the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal without opposition. Prior to that, he served as a judge in the 23rd JDC beginning in 1991.

Judge Holdridge received a Juris Doctorate from LSU Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Louisiana Law Review. He is a member of the LSU Law Center Hall of Fame.

Judge Holdridge has served on the adjunct faculty of the LSU Law Center for over twenty-five years and currently teaches Louisiana Civil Procedure. He also serves on the LSU Trial Advocacy Program Committee. Since 2021, Judge Holdridge has served as the editor of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure published by Thomson Reuters. He is a long-time member of the Council of the Louisiana Law Institute and is now serving as the Director of the Institute.

Judge Holdridge currently serves on the Judicial Council of the Louisiana Supreme Court. He is also a member and past President of the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Judicial College. Along with LSU Law Professor William Corbett, he is the co-chair of the Judicial College/Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel Torts Conference. Judge Holdridge is a frequent speaker at the Louisiana Association of Justice/Louisiana Judicial College program as well as various Louisiana State Bar Association and local bar association programs.

Tim Temple 
Commissioner of Insurance, State of Louisiana

Tim Temple was elected Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance in 2023. Since taking office, Tim has worked with state lawmakers to develop and pass significant insurance and legal reform aimed at promoting competitive, affordable property and auto insurance markets. He has championed resilience efforts like the Louisiana Forify Homes Program and Wind Mitigation Surveys for the benefit of all residents and businesses in Louisiana. As Louisiana’s chief insurance regulator, Tim embraces innovation and has modernized the Department to adapt to the rapidly changing insurance landscape it oversees.

Tim serves in several leadership roles with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, including Vice Chair for the Surplus Lines Task Force, Co-Vice Chair for the International Insurance Relations Committee, and Southeast Zone Whip for the Government Relations Leadership Council. He also serves on the P&C Committee and Reinsurance Task Force.