Laura R. Caviness, J.D., CMSP
Partner
504-715-3318
(Greater New Orleans Metropolitan Area)
lcaviness@curry-lawfirm.com
Practice Areas:
Environmental Litigation; Toxic Tort Defense; Environmental Regulation; Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM); Oil & Gas Law; Employment Law; Medicare Secondary Compliance Act
Awards & Recognition:
Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated
Louisiana Super Lawyers, Rising Star 2017-2021
William Crowe Scholar, 2007
Loyola Law Review, 2007
Finalist, J. Sanford Levy Best Brief Competition
Law Excellence Award (Highest Grade) in Criminal Law, Obligations, Legal Research & Writing, Evidence, Successions, Civil Law of Persons, Security Rights of Persons, and Insurance
Education:
Loyola University College of Law, J.D., 2007
summa cum laude, graduated first in class
Louisiana State University, B.S., Business Administration, 2004
summa cum laude
Bar and Court Admissions:
Louisiana, 2008
U.S. District Court, Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana
U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal
Professional Associations:
Louisiana State Bar Association
New Orleans Bar Association
22nd JDC Bar Association
22nd JDC Inns of Court
Louisiana Law Institute, Honorary Member 2008
Pro Bono:
Louisiana State Bar Association, Pro Bono Publico Award, 2017
Louisiana Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year, Pro Bono Project, 2015
Laura has achieved her Certified Medicare Secondary Payer professional certification from the Louisiana Association of Self Insured Employers. As a CMSP professional, she is able to provide a complete list of services for Liability and Workers’ Compensation insurers, including self-insureds, as well as their claims department personnel and attorneys to ensure compliance with the Medicare Secondary Payer Act and corresponding Regulations. She is able to assist clients in the preparation of settlement documents and releases to ensure the necessary Medicare verbiage and provisions are included, ensure compliance with Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act (MMSEA) Section III Mandatory Reporting Obligations, Medicare Conditional Payment Demands/Liens, assist with Medicare Advantage Plan claims resolution and repayment, prepare Medicare Set-Aside and liability settlement allocations, and formulate medical cost projections and reserve allocations. She is also able to perform consulting services for clients with regard to their policies and procedures, including providing client education and training services,
Laura graduated summa cum laude and first in her class from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 2007. She made school history by making the finals and placing second in the National First Amendment Moot Court Competition at Vanderbilt Law School, was a finalist in the J. Stanford Levy Best Brief Competition and was the published author of a Comment critiquing Louisiana’s relocation laws in the context of divorce and child custody.
Prior to joining the firm, Laura gained extensive litigation experience in both civil and criminal proceedings as a solo practitioner. She has handled cases from inception to trial and through appeal. She became a sought after contract writing attorney due to her renowned research and writing skills. Local counsel contracted her to prepare everything from motions and memoranda to writ applications and appellate briefs, for which she has been credited with achieving reversal of unfavorable judgments on appeal.
Laura is an active member of our community serving as a volunteer judge at Tulane Law School’s Moot Court Competition, representing indigent clients in civil cases, and serving as court-appointed counsel for the disabled in interdiction proceedings. Following Hurricane Katrina, Laura took her civic duties a step further, putting her legal studies on hold for a semester. She joined her church on the PRC Compassion Disaster Relief Team and assisted in distributing food and supplies to the community. Her commitment to community involvement has carried over to her professional life, where she served as a member of the firm’s pro bono task force and was responsible for drafting and implementing the firm’s pro bono policy. As a result, the firm was named the 2015 Louisiana Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year by the Pro Bono Project and received the Louisiana Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award in 2017.