James F. d’Entremont

James d’Entremont received his B.A. from Loyola University in New Orleans in 1994 and his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1998.

He represents injured people and their families in serious personal injury and wrongful death claims resulting from medical malpractice, unreasonably dangerous products and hazards, and various other types of negligence, professional liability, insurance, and intentional tort cases. He is admitted before all Louisiana state and federal courts and has lead counsel trial experience at both the state and federal court levels. He has also appeared before all Louisiana state appellate courts, including the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Since becoming a plaintiff-only litigator in 2011, James has helped clients obtain significant verdicts and settlements in challenging personal injury cases.

In September 2023, James served as lead trial counsel in a case where he, along with firm lawyer Sarah Hunter, obtained a $15,960,602.58 jury verdict in a medical malpractice birth injury case, Morley et al. v. Dauterive, et al., 19th Judicial District Court, East Baton Rouge Parish, No. 572,203. The verdict was one of the top 100 verdicts in the United States in 2023 (as reported by Best of the Bar), one of the top 50 medical malpractice jury verdicts in the United States in 2023 (as reported by TopVerdict) and one of the largest medical malpractice verdicts in Louisiana (reported as the largest medical malpractice verdict in Louisiana in 2023 by TopVerdict).

James views every case as if it will need to be tried in a court of law. Often times, however, the pretrial work he puts into a case will lead to a settlement without having to go to trial. Of the many settlements James has helped clients obtain, among the most notable are a $3,000,000 confidential settlement for a client rendered quadriplegic due to the negligent failure to timely diagnose and treat a spinal epidural abscess, a $2,250,000 confidential settlement for a client who suffered irreversible damage to his heart because his doctors did not prescribe the correct blood thinners, and a $1,030,000 confidential settlement for a client whose stroke was not properly treated, an $825,000 confidential settlement for the family of a heart attack patient who died when an angiogram machine broke down during the middle of a procedure, and a $500,000 confidential settlement for a client who suffered permanent damage to her facial structure due to botched orthodontic procedures.      

A frequent speaker and author on legal issues, James’ published works have appeared in a variety of local and national legal publications and been cited in legal treatises including THE LAW OF TOXIC TORTS, PROOF OF FACTS 3d and TRIALS. He has spoken before local, national and international audiences on a wide range of topics including insurance bad faith, product liability, medical malpractice, jury trial presentation, unique theories of liability and liability risks associated with construction and building practices.   

Prior to becoming a plaintiffs-only litigator in 2011, James was a litigator with a large regional law firm with offices throughout the Gulf Coast and London, England where he represented domestic and international clients in a wide variety of matters, often acting as defense counsel in the same types of cases that he now pursues on behalf of the firm’s clients.  During this time, he also served on the board of directors of the New Orleans Association of Defense Counsel (2006-2008). This experience provides him with a unique perspective when facing industry and professional defendants in his current practice.             

James lives in Baton Rouge with his wife, Michelle, both of whom are active in various community organizations. Among the organizations that they have supported over the years are the Baton Rouge Bar Association’s Summer Youth Legal Institute, a summer program started in 2014 for Gardere-area youth ages 12 to 17 to work on their analytical and presentation skills, culminating in a “mock trial” at the end of the program, the Baton Rouge Children’s Advocacy Center, a local facility and organization providing therapy and services to help children heal from abuse, violent crime and trauma, and USGBC-Louisiana, a non-profit organization promoting sustainable development in Louisiana, for which James is a former board member.       

Memberships and Associations

Louisiana State Bar Association

Louisiana Association for Justice

American Association for Justice

American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics

Publications

Amusement Park and Adventure Sport Liability in Louisiana, Around the Bar, February 2017.

Behind the Green Label, Trial, November 2014.

(REACH for the Sky) The Next Generation of Global Chemical Liability? In-House Defense Quarterly, Summer 2007.

Fear Factor: The Future of Cancerphobia and Fear of Future Disease Claims in the Toxicogenomic Age, 52 LOY.L.REV. 807 (2006).

Difficult Times in the Big Easy, University of Kentucky College of Law Lawnotes, Spring 2006.

Presentations

Amusement Park and Adventure Sport Liability in Louisiana, Baton Rouge Bar Association CLE by the Hour, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, December 8, 2017.

Insurance Coverage Litigation: Secrets Insurance Companies Don’t Want Attorneys to Know, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, March 21, 2017 and New Orleans, Louisiana, March 24, 2017 and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, October 20, 2015 and New Orleans, Louisiana, October 27, 2015.

Effectively Framing Your Insurance Coverage Position, Jefferson Bar Association 29th Annual CLE by the Sea, Biloxi, Mississippi, March 31, 2016.

Communicating with the Jury, Voir Dire to Verdict, Baton Rouge Bar Association CLE by the Hour, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, December 18, 2014.

Products Liability for Inherently Dangerous Products, Baton Rouge Bar Association CLE by the Hour, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, December 5, 2013.

Lost Chance of Survival Actions Under Louisiana Law, Baton Rouge Bar Association CLE by the Hour, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, December 6, 2012.

LEED Contracting: Latest Developments, Strafford Publications Webinar, November 27, 2012.

Green Building Codes, Building Codes in Louisiana Seminar, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, October 25, 2011 and Scott, Louisiana, April 12, 2013.

LEED Certification Litigation: Emerging Risks, Strafford Publications Webinar, January 6, 2011, December 20, 2011 and November 27, 2012.

Notable Appellate/Reported Cases

White v. LAMMICO, 2021-1222 (La.App. 1 Cir. 4/8/22), 342 So.3d 63.

Coody v. Barraza, 47,732 (La.App. 2 Cir. 3/6/13), 111 So.3d 485.

Ferguson v. Sugar, 2005-0921 (La.App. 4 Cir. 6/25/08), 988 So.2d 816.

Denoux v. Vessel Management Services, Inc., 2007-2143 (La. 5/21/08), 983 So.2d 84.

Landry v. Avondale Industries, Inc., 2003-3432 (La. 7/2/04), 877 So.2d 970.