We are leaders in our field, a team of experts with the knowledge, skills and experience to tackle your most complex legal needs. Our team has achieved the AV Preeminent ranking by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating for legal knowledge and ethical standards that service provides, and our real estate team has been certified with the American Land Title Association’s Best Practices for real estate closings. Please use the links below to learn more about each of our attorneys.
William J. Jones Jr. | Partner
William J. Jones, Jr. has been a partner with Jones Fussell since its inception. Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest legal ability and ethical rating afforded by that service, Mr. Jones has more than 50 years of experience in the legal field. His extensive legal practice includes real estate matters, business and contract matters, hospital law, successions and estates, real estate litigation, and eminent domain litigation. He has served as City Attorney and Chairman of a Planning and Zoning Commission and has represented St. Tammany Parish Hospital as its corporate general counsel since 1990.
Jeffrey D. Schoen | Partner
Jeffrey D. Schoen has practiced with Jones Fussell for his entire career. A partner with the Firm for more than 35 years, he has experience and expertise in numerous areas, with primary attention in the business, real estate, transaction, and regulatory arenas. Mr. Schoen also handles general matters such as corporate law, contracts, wills, collections, successions, and general business. Mr. Schoen has handled more planning and zoning cases before the Parish of St. Tammany Planning and Zoning Commissions, as well as the former Parish Police Jury and current Parish Council, than any other practitioner in St. Tammany Parish over the past nearly 40 years. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest legal ability and ethical rating afforded by that service.
John R. Walker | Partner
John R. Walker’s legal career has centered on representation of business interests in a wide variety of matters, and is presently focused on aviation, insurance, health care, employment, real estate and construction. He has tried cases to verdict in all federal courts in Louisiana and numerous state courts throughout Louisiana, including many cases involving multi-million dollar exposures. This courtroom experience has proved invaluable in helping clients structure business arrangements to avoid the pitfalls that lead to lawsuits, and in making the best decisions for the bottom line when it comes to defending a lawsuit or needing to file one. Mr. Walker also uses his substantial experience in defending lawsuits to his advantage in helping select clients who are seriously injured in accidents secure recovery from those who are responsible. Mr. Walker is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest legal ability and ethical rating afforded by that service, and he holds an unlimited license to practice before all state and federal courts in Louisiana. He is also admitted to practice in federal courts in Texas and Florida, the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.
Sam J. Collett, Jr. | Partner
Sam J. Collett, Jr. is a well-respected civil litigation and criminal defense attorney with 35 years of broad-based experience at the pretrial, trial, and appellate levels in both state and federal courts. He has successfully handled a wide variety of legal matters for clients, ranging from civil and commercial litigation, personal injury, medical malpractice, criminal defense, family law (divorce, child custody and community property law) and probate matters. Sam has earned Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV Preeminent attorney peer-review rating for legal ability and ethical standards.
Margaret H. Kern | Partner
Margaret H. Kern, a family law specialist certified by the Louisiana State Bar Association Board of Legal Specialization, has been a partner with Jones Fussell since 1991. She has experience in all areas of family law, including custody, support and property division. Ms. Kern also has extensive litigation experience in the areas of medical malpractice and civil rights and has more than 30 years in trial and casualty litigation experience in state and federal courts. Since 1999, Ms. Kern has served as the general counsel for the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff in civil and tax matters. She is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest legal ability and ethical rating afforded by that service.
Calvin P. Brasseaux | Partner
Calvin P. Brasseaux has been a partner with Jones Fussell since 1999, where he concentrates his practice in the areas of corporate, securities, finance, intellectual property, employment law, and general business. He has extensive experience representing clients in public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities and venture capital transactions, merger and acquisition transactions, sophisticated commercial and residential real estate acquisitions, development, financing, and leasing, and the formation of limited liability companies, corporations, limited partnerships and joint ventures. He also has experience in various intellectual property matters, as well as health care and employment law. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell.
Thomas H. Huval | Partner
A lifelong resident of the Northshore, Thomas H. Huval has represented individuals and businesses in a wide array of legal matters over his 25-year career. These matters include complex injury cases, insurance coverage and defense, construction, professional liability, property rights, civil rights, collections, business formation, contracts, sales, leases and succession litigation. His clients range from Fortune 500 companies to local businesses and individuals faced with a myriad of legal issues, and he has had the privilege of serving as counsel for a local state political subdivision for the last 10 years. He is licensed to practice law in all state and federal courts in both Louisiana and Mississippi.
Paul J. Mayronne | Partner
Paul J. Mayronne has been a partner with the law firm of Jones Fussell since 2003. Paul’s practice is based in the representation of businesses of all types, from the handling of real estate and business transactions and entity formations to the procurement of entitlements, including planning and zoning approvals and regulatory work. Paul’s practice areas also include general corporate law, business litigation, contracts, wills, successions and collections. Paul is a licensed title insurance agent representing First American Title Insurance Company and Chicago Title Insurance Company, and in connection therewith he has closed a variety of complex transactions for multiple lenders.
Bailey Dirmann Morse | Partner
Bailey Dirmann Morse joined Jones Fussell in 2008. Bailey enjoys a broad general civil litigation practice spanning casualty and medical malpractice defense, general business litigation, personal injury, domestic relations and estate matters. In addition to appearing before the local courts, Bailey has litigated cases at both the state and federal levels, where she has had the opportunity to brief cases and participate in oral arguments before various panels of judges.
Sam J. Collett, III | Associate
Sam J. Collett, III joined the firm in 2015 after graduating from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. He participates in a diverse practice in both the litigation and transactional arenas, and he has experience dealing with regulatory permitting and compliance issues for clients. Sam also handles estate matters such as wills, trusts, and planning, as well as NFA firearms trusts.
Matthew J. Crain | Associate
Matthew J. Crain, a lifelong resident of St Tammany Parish, joined Jones Fussell in 2016 after graduating cum laude from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where he was appointed to the Chancellor’s list and received CALI awards in security devices and administration of criminal justice. Matthew’s practice encompasses both general and commercial litigation as well as transactions. He has gained experience in multiple practice areas including insurance defense, health, business, real estate, land-use and personal injury.