NEW ORLEANS – Renowned criminal defense attorney and local City Councilmember Jason Williams has collaborated with Baton Rouge-based Unglesby Law Firm to form the litigation firm Unglesby + Williams.
The new firm combines the partners’ extensive trial experience, winning high-profile, high-stakes cases, with diverse leadership and a commitment to the community.
Both Williams and the father-son team of Lewis and Lance Unglesby have been locally, regionally and nationally recognized in the field for their unique trial tactics, winning highly publicized, major cases that have resulted in more than 20 multi-million dollar jury verdicts.
“My associates and I have built a strong, professional practice over the years, and I’m proud to now be partnering with such a respected team as the Unglesbys,” said Williams, partner at the firm. “By combining our strengths, we’ll offer maximum value to our clients and other attorneys who are looking for a partner to help take their case to trial—which is where we thrive.”
Unglesby + Williams will represent cases that are likely going to a jury trial. The firm’s major practice areas include cases of wrongful death, environmental contamination, serious or catastrophic personal injury, product defects, class action, and criminal defense.
“We collaborated as a firm because we saw an opportunity to serve the New Orleans region as it continues on a path of economic growth,” said Lance Unglesby, partner at the firm and a former New Orleans public defender. “We also wanted to partner because we’re friends, and we wanted to work with a trusted team that’s smart and focused on trial strength.”
The U + W partners have spent decades winning historic cases, including the first use of Battered Women’s Syndrome in Louisiana in a murder defense; products liability suits against major manufacturers; and personal injury damages sustained due to negligence, including a $4 million dollar jury verdict against Entergy this year.
“We’re passionate about serving and representing the New Orleans community, whether it’s through civic service or in the courtroom, fighting for justice,” Williams said.
• About Jason R. Williams
A native of New Orleans, Jason R. Williams attended Tulane University and Tulane Law School, graduating in 1997. Williams worked a few years at local law firms before moving into private practice, founding Jason Rogers Williams & Associates, where he gained a reputation as one of the preeminent trial attorneys in New Orleans. In 2003, Williams was appointed to serve as a state court judge in the Criminal District Court by the Louisiana Supreme Court. In addition to his experience as a high-profile criminal defense attorney, Williams has served as an adjunct professor at Tulane Law School and a legal analyst for numerous local and national media outlets. Williams was elected to the New Orleans City Council in March 2014, where he works to improve job opportunities and reduce crime in addition to his trial work.
• About Lewis Unglesby
Veteran and renowned attorney Lewis Unglesby has successfully won acquittals in more than 50 felony jury trials in state and federal courts. He has achieved more than 20 multi-million dollar jury awards and over 40 jury awards exceeding one million dollars. He has successfully argued before the Louisiana Supreme Court more than 20 times, and has tried cases throughout the southern United States, as well as Nevada. He is a fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers and is certified as a civil and criminal trial advocacy specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (presently one of only two attorneys in Louisiana). He has been recognized in “Best Lawyers in America” since 1986, as well as having been cited by Martindale-Hubbell in the “Bar Register of Prominent Lawyers” since 1996. He has presented numerous times as lecturer for the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, Louisiana Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, American Trial Lawyers Association and the National Business Institute. Unglesby’s cases have twice been the subject of ABC’s 20/20, and he has also been featured on Good Morning America and CNN. Unglesby received a B.A. from the University of Mississippi in 1971 and a J.D. from Louisiana State University in 1974.
• About Lance Unglesby
Originally from Baton Rouge, Lance Unglesby attended the University of Mississippi before earning his J.D. from Loyola Law School in 2004. Unglesby spent five years working for the Orleans Public Defenders, where he participated in and won multiple complex criminal cases. Since joining Unglesby Law Firm, Lance has had a series of impressive results—a certification of a class-action in a toxic tort case, a more than two million-dollar settlement in a wrongful death action, an acquittal in an armed robbery trial, and a reduction to manslaughter in a spousal murder trial.
Unglesby + Williams is located at 607 St. Charles Ave.
