Herman, Herman, Katz & Cotlar, L.L.P. originally opened its doors in 1942 as Herman & Herman and quickly earned a reputation in the New Orleans community for promoting the rights of all citizens.

Over the past 60 years, our cases have become more diverse and sophisticated, yet we continue to advocate for the good of the public, whether we are representing a single plaintiff or thousands of people in a class action. Our expertise allows us to skillfully represent each of our clients and, in many instances, affords us the opportunity to create precedent that changes the face of the law. We believe that each case we litigate has the potential to open the door to a new avenue of justice.

The foundation of the firm's commitment can be traced to brothers Harry and David Herman, who formed Herman & Herman. Harry and David were born at the turn of the twentieth century to immigrant parents in the Irish Channel of New Orleans. During the 1930s, like most working-class Americans, the family lost its business in the Depression. Through sheer determination and years of hard work, they successfully rebuilt the business. This triumph through struggle had a life-long impact on Harry as evidenced throughout the years by his exemplary work ethic and compassion for the common man.

In the early 1940s, Harry met and married Reba Hoffman, who, at the age of 16, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Newcomb College. Together they pleaded for racial harmony when the first public school in New Orleans was integrated in 1959, and fought for the rights of women and minorities throughout the 1960s. Despite any opposition or obstacle, they both continued to defend the rights of all people for the rest of their lives. These civil convictions formed the groundwork of the law practice that Harry and David Herman created in 1942 and remain the cornerstone of the firm today.

Following in their father's footsteps toward excellence, Russ and Maury Herman, along with their named law partners, Morton Katz and Sidney Cotlar, have brought HHK&C's reputation to a national level.

In the early 1970s, HHK&C litigated the first personal injury case resulting from faulty hotel security after a trained sniper, from atop the downtown Howard Johnson's Hotel, went on a shooting spree killing several people. The damages recovered for the plaintiffs set a precedent by transforming the standards of hotel security on a national scale. In another landmark case, we successfully sued architects, engineers, contractors and insurers of Lloyds of London, to opening a new avenue for recovering damages done to historic French Quarter buildings.

The firm also successfully challenged the monopolistic practice of the State Motor Vehicle Commission, gave a New Orleans businessman the ability to establish and own not only one, but several, auto dealerships. This businessman, with our legal assistance and advice, was able to purchase the New Orleans Saints NFL franchise, keeping the team in New Orleans when leaving was a significant threat.

HHK&C was the first firm in the country to successfully eliminate the independent-contractor argument in a workman's compensation case. We also were co-lead counsel in one of the the first mass-disaster explosion cases in the nation, the outcome of which permanently changed the manufacture and design of grain elevators, and became the prototype for mass-tort litigation. Additionally, the firm was one of the first to successfully litigate against pharmaceutical companies in cases where liver disease resulted from high-level synthetic estrogen birth control pills.

In 1994, HHK&C, along with 60 other law firms, brought tobacco companies to court to recover Medicare costs and other economic damages incurred because of tobacco-related disease and death. We were the lead negotiating firm in the Ieyoub, ex rel. Louisiana v. American Tobacco Company litigation, which resulted in a $4.6 billion recovery.

Many of our partners have been profiled in such major publications as Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, National Law Journal, American Lawyer, USA Law Weekly , and most recently, Fortune . In addition, some of our attorneys have appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and CNN Newsline.

Members of the firm regularly lecture before the Louisiana State Bar, Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of American, and have lectured at Harvard Law School, Hastings Law School, Cumberland Law School, University of Alabama Law School, Georgetown University Law School, Louisiana State University Law School, Tulane Law School, and Loyola Law School.

Our attorneys serve on multiple committees of the state and national bars, on various ethics and professional committees of the Louisiana State Bar, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association.

The firm has appeared by brief and oral argument before the United States Supreme Court, the Louisiana Supreme Court, and state and federal trial and appellate courts in numerous states. In addition, the firm has appeared over 370 times on appellate issues in reported cases.

One of our most recent accomplishments is the formation of the "mega" firm, HERMAN, MATHIS, CASEY, KITCHENS & GEREL, LLP, which is the only law firm of its kind. It is a partnership comprised of five nationally prominent law firms and their members.* The firm represents consumers across the nation, drawing on the substantial expertise of its member firms' partners. It specializes in significant national class actions and other complex cases consistent with its mission of representing consumers, pursuing the public justice, and protecting the rights of families, children, and the elderly. This approach, unique among plaintiff firms, provides plaintiffs with the same access to national representation that large defense firms have long made available to corporations.

Since 1942, Herman, Herman, Katz & Cotlar, L.L.P. has maintained a family-oriented atmosphere and has dedicated itself to providing the best legal representation and counseling to our clients. We continue to strive for creative approaches to litigation and to seek solutions that will be long-lasting and beneficial to the community. We intend to maintain the high quality of our work team, the excellence and value of the legal services we provide, and the commitment to promoting the good of the public, which, since the firm's incarnation, has been our cornerstone.