Leblanc
Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell announced Friday that it would retain the services of Baton Rouge attorney Burt LeBlanc to "provide a comprehensive evaluation of all environmental and economic damage" as a result of the BP oil spill.
"It is our goal to obtain maximum recovery for the people of Louisiana for damage suffered by them and our state arising out of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster," Caldwell stated in a press release.
A spokesperson for Caldwell's office said that LeBlanc has been offered a three-year contract. The contract has not been finalized but the spokesperson said that, depending on experience, lawyers are usually paid between $150 and $400 per hour.
LeBlanc's staff said he could not be reached because he was traveling.
LeBlanc made his name in Baton Rouge litigating hundreds of asbestos cases. In May 2008, he was appointed as co-lead counsel in a suit by the state of Mississippi against Semtech Corp. for alleged consumer fraud.
LeBlanc is a two-time winner of the American Association for Justice's (AAJ) Wiedemann Wysocki National Finance Council Award. He currently serves as AAJ secretary and has previously served as treasurer and parlimantarian.
LeBlanc co-founded the firm LeBlanc & Waddell in Baton Rouge, which merged with Dallas-based firm Baron & Budd. Leblanc is a Baron & Budd shareholder.