Superior Litigation & Trial Strategies
The distinctiveness of every case requires unique and adaptable legal tactics. Accordingly, The Lausten Group, LLC works collaboratively with other attorneys, large litigation firms, and solo practitioners to tailor their scope, workflow, and approach to ensure that the best strategy is always fully implemented towards an optimal result. Kristin is also affiliated with several New Orleans law firms where she has expanded her parachute and rescue counsel trial practice.
As parachute counsel, Kristin is retained in the months leading up to trial to assist with evidentiary analysis, preparation of electronic trial notebooks, trial assistance, and appellate brief writing, if necessary. She can provide services for all components of a trial including exhibit selection, pre-trial motions, jury instructions, direct and cross-examination outlines, post-testimony motions (limiting motions), drafting of opening/closing statements, and post-trial motions and briefing. As parachute counsel, Kristin provides trial support to lead counsel, who generally controls the direction of trial and takes lead in jury selection and witness examinations.
In addition to providing parachute trial assistance, Kristin and her team have been retained to take complete control of a case in the months leading up to trial. Often referred to as “rescue” counsel, this option is available for attorneys and law firms that do not have the time or resources to take a case through trial. As rescue counsel, Kristin and her team actually conduct the trial, from voir dire through verdict. This option allows attorneys to focus on other cases while ensuring the interests of their client are protected in trial.
Kristin aggressively prepares every case with a “trial-ready” mentality. The Lausten Group, LLC’s elite level of preparation allows us to uncover critical evidence that others miss, maximize the persuasiveness of the legal arguments involved, and clearly articulate complex issues to judges, juries, and the general public. By utilizing the latest methodologies and litigation techniques, we have been integral to our clients’ successes – whether through reduced settlements, dismissal of claims, or favorable verdicts.
Our Litigation Experience Includes:
- Class Action / Mass Tort Defense
- Breach of Contract
- Commercial Litigation
- Maritime/Admiralty
- Appellant Issues
- Environmental / Regulatory Litigation
- Bad Faith Actions
- General Liability
High-Level Of Counsel Legal Services
- Claim Review, Evaluation, & Valuation
- In-Depth Discovery / Deposition Services
- Evidentiary Support and Preparation
- State, Federal, and Appellate Brief Writing
- Jury Consulting / Voir Dire Assistance
- Focus Group & Witness Prep
- Trial Prep Analysis / Consulting
Recent Cases of Note
- Pontchartrain Nat. Gas Sys. v. Texas Brine Co., et al.;
- EnLink Midstream Operating, LP. v. Texas Brine Co., et al.;
- Crosstex Energy Services, LP. v. Texas Brine Co., et al.;
- Florida Gas Transmission Co., LLC. v. Texas Brine Co., et al.
In these consolidated pipeline cases, Kristin was retained as parachute trial counsel prior to the Phase I liability trial for the insurer of various oil and gas defendants. The owners of multiple natural gas pipelines alleged that their pipelines were damaged as a result of the sinkhole; in addition, a mandatory evacuation was imposed on the nearby city of Bayou Corne.
- The Complaint of Larry Doiron, Inc. No. 16-30217 (5th Cir. Jan. 8, 2018)
Kristin was retained as the insurer’s appellate counsel as the primary brief writer to be filed before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting en banc, and a Petition for Writ of Certiorari filed before the United States Supreme Court. This case required the court to determine whether a contract for the performance of specialty drilling and oil production services under an MSA on navigable water was maritime in nature. The court found that the MSA did not control the subsequent work orders and that the work order in question was non-maritime. In perhaps the most significant development in maritime law in the last quarter-century, the Fifth Circuit re-framed the analysis for maritime contracts.