Smith

Lea Ann is a member of our Products, Catastrophic and Industrial Litigation group. She represents clients in a wide range of high-stakes litigation across the country. She defends product manufacturers, chemical suppliers, oil and gas companies, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, trucking companies, industrial machinery and recreational vehicles manufacturers and suppliers. 

• Environmental Litigation
• Toxic Torts, Asbestos & Silica Litigation
• Tort, Transportation & Specialized Litigation
• Products, Catastrophic & Industrial Litigation
• Premises Liability
• Groundwater & Chemical Exposure Litigation
• Mass Torts

Lea Ann has trial experience in some of the nation’s most challenging venues.  She has served on multiple national coordinating counsel teams in large-scale mass tort actions.  Lea Ann has played a key role in toxic tort and MDL litigation, developing defense strategies, coordinating large-scale discovery, and working closely with corporate and expert witnesses.  She has taken and defended pivotal and fact and expert depositions, argued key motions and prepared corporate witnesses.  She was part of the national wave discovery and expert teams for a multinational manufacturing company in the largest mass tort MDL in history concerning the sale of allegedly defective early to the military. 

Lea Ann’s practice includes environmental and toxic tort litigation. She worked on community-wide groundwater contamination cases at two different sites. Each site generated dozens of plaintiffs alleging both property damage and personal injury claims as well as litigation brought by the Attorney General. Her expertise includes extensive work with medical, industrial hygiene, environmental, engineering, toxicology, and remediation experts.  Lea Ann has worked closely with industrial hygiene experts to develop and execute studies addressing exposures during the use of clients’ products. 

In addition, Lea Ann serves as lead trial counsel in personal injury, trucking and asbestos claims in Louisiana and Mississippi and has successfully defended clients in recreational vehicle claims and licensing issues before the Louisiana Motor Vehicle Commission.

• National wave discovery coordinating counsel for a multinational manufacturing company in the largest mass tort MDL in history concerning sale of allegedly defective earplugs to the military.
• Lead trial counsel for trucking company in multiple state court actions.
• Defended community-wide groundwater contamination cases related to two different sites. Each site generated dozens of plaintiffs and multiple lawsuits, including litigation brought by the Attorney General suing on behalf of the State.
• Lead trial counsel in Louisiana asbestos litigation for a national home construction company.
• Successfully defended medical device manufacturers, heavy equipment suppliers, paper manufacturer and construction companies in complex product liability and premises cases.
• Secured summary judgement dismissal of contractor’s premises liability claim against paper manufacturer. 
• Member of national trial teams defending benzene and toxic tort cases across jurisdictions.
• Provided strategic litigation management for Fortune 500 companies, including national counsel oversight, risk mitigation advice, and dispute resolution.
• Coordinated large-scale discovery in hundreds of toxic tort claims, including corporate representative depositions and employer document discovery.
• Represented clients in toxic tort litigation, including silica, asbestos and chemical exposure cases in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky.

• Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers®
  • Mid-South Rising Star, Personal Injury Defense, General, 2010-Present
• BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America®
  • Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions, 2017-2026

• Kentucky, 2002
• Mississippi, 2003
• Louisiana, 2013
• U.S. Court of Appeals
• 5th Circuit
• 6th Circuit

• Mississippi College, J.D., 2002
• Eastern Kentucky University, B.S., 1999

• Kentucky Bar Association
• Mississippi Bar
• Louisiana Bar Association
  • Continuing Legal Education Committee Appointee
  • Professionalism Committee Appointee
• New Orleans Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)
  • Toxic Tort and Environmental Law Steering Committee
  • Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Committee
    • Publications Co-Chair, 2020, 2021
    • Annual Meeting Liaison, 2019
    • Social Media Chairman, 2018

• Presenter, “From Blank Canvas to Masterpiece: The Art of the 30(b)(6) Deposition,” Litigation Skills Workshop, DRI Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Seminar, Phoenix, Ariz., February 19, 2020.
• Steering Committee and Panel Coordinator, “Convincing the Millennial Juror,” DRI Toxic Tort and Environmental Law Conference, 2018.
• Speaker, “Most Active Jurisdictions,” Harris Martin National Litigation Conference, 2013.