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LAMOTHE LEA AERTKER, LLC recently was acknowledged as one of the Gold Ribbon Sponsors for The Children’s Advocacy Center/Hope House Darkness to Light campaign. Within the last 3 years, LAMOTHE …
Stephen Conrad, Aertker, Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and has lived in the New Orleans metropolitan area for most of his life. In 1994, Stephen graduated summa cum laude with Upper Division Honors Distinction from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. While at Louisiana State University, Stephen was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key National Honor Society. He was also chosen as Louisiana State University’s Outstanding Student in Political Science. In 1997, Stephen graduated cum laude from Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana with a Juris Doctor and received an Honors Designation in Trial Advocacy and a Certificate in Maritime Law.
Stephen is licensed to practice law in Louisiana and Mississippi. He is admitted to practice in all state courts of Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as the United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana and the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi. Stephen is also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He also represents clients in many other states by means of pro hac vice admission through local counsel.
Stephen earned an “AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell based upon peer review from fellow attorneys and judges. An “AV” rating means that Stephen is deemed to have very high professional ethics and pre-eminent legal ability. In 2009, New Orleans Magazine recognized Stephen as one of the “Top Lawyers” in the New Orleans metropolitan area in the field of litigation.
Although he began his career by representing mainly insurance companies and other corporate defendants, Stephen now focuses his trial advocacy skills, legal knowledge, experience and work ethic to serve individuals who have sustained severe injuries due to the negligent acts or omissions of others in a variety of situations. Stephen’s personal injury clients have suffered grave injuries such as traumatic brain injuries (This), limb amputation, burns/lesions, paraplegia/quadriplegia, spinal injuries (e.g. herniated discs in cervical, thoracic and/or lumbar spine) and/or broken/fractured bones. His personal injury practice spans the entire spectrum of tort law, including general liability, medical malpractice, premises liability, products liability, motor vehicle liability, maritime and admiralty law, toxic torts, defamation (libel/slander) and civil rights.
Regarding medical malpractice, Stephen has helped clients recover substantial sums of money as a result of being victimized by medical negligence committed by doctors, nurses, physician assistants and hospitals. He is experienced in a variety of medical malpractice scenarios, including: (a) failure to remove foreign objects (e.g., surgical instruments, gauze, stents, etc.) utilized during surgery; (b) failure to diagnose and treat aortic dissections and other heart-related injuries; (c) failure to prevent and quickly diagnose/treat vascular injuries such as blood clots, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE); (d) failure to diagnose and treat placental abruptions within pregnant clients involved in car accident or other trauma resulting in the wrongful death of an unborn child; (e) failure to timely diagnose and treat cancer; and (f) failure to ensure the health and welfare of patients who sustain injuries such as compression sores/pressure ulcers or broken/fractured bones as a result of negligent care received during hospitalization.
Regarding premises liability law, Stephen represents clients injured in slip-and fall accidents, trip-and-fall accidents, and other misfortunes involving defects within public or private property, including: (a) hotels and motels; (b) parking lots, sidewalks, and parking garages; (c) department stores, grocery stores, casinos, banks and other commercial establishments; (d) restaurants, bars, lounges and taverns; (e) parks, stadiums, golf courses, campgrounds and other recreational areas; and (f) homes, apartment complexes, or condominiums.
Concerning products liability law, Stephen represents the interests of individuals injured or killed by a product that is “defective” in terms of its construction and composition, design, warnings and/or warranties. Defective products range from automobiles, recreational vehicles, tractors, industrial equipment and heavy machinery, medical devices and instrument, pharmaceuticals/prescription drugs, drywall, asbestos and other building products, ladders and scaffolding, food products and beverages, etc.
Regarding admiralty and maritime law, Stephen represents the interests of individuals injured or killed on vessels, including tugs/towboats, crew boats, tankers, cargo ships, fishing vessels, diving vessels, cruise ships and recreational boats. He also represents clients seriously injured on offshore production platforms and semi-submersible or jack-up drilling rigs, and vessels servicing oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico. Stephen’s legal training (e.g., Certificate in Maritime Law from Tulane University School of Law) and experience enable him to represent clients in cases involving the Jones Act, Alongshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensations Act (LHWCA), Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA), Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), State Worker’s Compensation Schemes, and the General Maritime Law. For example, Stephen enabled a client whose leg was traumatically amputated during an accident that occurred in a fabrication yard as a result of negligence of a crane operator on a barge to recover in excess of $1,000,000 by means of prosecuting a 905(b) action under the LHWCA.
With respect to motor vehicle liability law, Stephen represents the interests of persons injured or killed in accidents involving motorized vehicles, including (a) automobiles; (b) motorcycles; (c) 18-wheel trucks and other commercial carriers; (d) buses, streetcars and other mass transit vehicles; (d) boats, jet skis, Sea-Duos and other recreational watercraft; and (e) dirt bikes/off-road motorcycles, 3-wheelers, 4-wheelers and other recreation vehicles. For example, Stephen recently enabled a client to recover a sizable sum of money for a traumatic injury to his eye sustained during a car accident.
Stephen also represents the interests of people injured or killed as a result of being assaulted and/or battered by another person in a variety of circumstances. For instance, Stephen previously secured a notable monetary settlement for a client who sustained a serious, permanent brain injury on account of being beaten up by a bouncer employed by a well-known establishment on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, LA. He also recently won a settlement of a civil rights lawsuit under 42 U.S.C § 1984 on behalf of a client who was battered by excessive force applied by sheriff deputies and municipal police officers.
Stephen also represents claimants in “toxic tort” lawsuits for personal injury, medical monitoring and/or property damage arising from exposure to environmental contaminants by means of air, water, soil and/or waste products in workplace or residential settings. A list of example contaminants includes lead paint, toxic mold, chemicals, heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, pesticides, herbicides and industrial solvents. Moreover, these “toxic tort “lawsuits may include a single individual or, alternatively, a group of claimants in a mass tort or class action lawsuit. Likewise, such “toxic tort” lawsuits may concern exposures of varying duration, ranging from single-incident releases such as pipeline accidents, plant or refinery explosions, train derailment or vessel spills to long-term exposures typified by occupational and residential settings.
In addition to his personal injury practice, Stephen also has developed a vibrant business/commercial litigation and corporate law practice. He represents local, out-of-state and international businesses (and/or their principles) of all sizes and complexity with respect to litigation in state courts and federal courts concerning a multitude of commercial matters or employment concerns, including breach of contract claims, breach of fiduciary duty claims, fraud claims, unfair trade practice claims, warranty and redhibition claims, collection claims, claims concerning non-competition agreements, non-solicitation agreements, confidentiality/non-disclosure agreements, disputes between landlords and tenants, and claims under Louisiana’s New Home Warranty Act and other residential or commercial construction disputes. Additionally, Stephen represents clients injured as a result of “employment-related torts” such a defamation/libel/slander, wrongful termination and other employment contract claims, and discrimination.
Regarding Stephen’s corporate law practice, he provides legal counsel and services regarding (a) the “start-up” of corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships and related documentation; (b) creation of operating agreements, shareholders’ agreements, operating agreements, corporate bylaws, partnership agreements, franchise agreement, and buy/sell agreements; (c) crafting employment and consulting agreements; and (d) drafting commercial contracts, including leases, services agreements, partnering agreements, vendor/supplier agreements, and OEM agreements. Stephen provides such corporate services to a variety of local businesses, ranging from national fast-food restaurant franchisees/owners, seafood exchanges, restaurants and bars to residential and commercial real estate developers, prominent businesses within the Information Technology sector, and a manufacturer of high-performance aftermarket components for certain brands of motor vehicles.
Notwithstanding his flourishing legal practice, Stephen remains active in his civic community. He currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Children’s Advocacy Center/Hope House (“Hope House”), which is a non-profit organization that serves as the voice of hope, healing and awareness for the abused children of St. Tammany and Washington Parishes. Stephen is also a graduate of the esteemed Leadership St. Tammany program, which is a community-focused leadership development program sponsored by the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce designed to nurture emerging community leaders and facilitate public involvement. Motivated by his love for trial advocacy, Stephen also coaches local high school students in trial advocacy for the purpose of mock trial competitions, including the annual Louisiana State Bar Association’s Mock Trial Tournament.
Stephen is married to the former Corrine R. Blackman. They have two daughters, Caroline Elise and Claire Delaney, and a son, Stephen Conrad, III. The Aertker family resides in Mandeville, Louisiana.
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Office Locations:
228 St. Charles Avenue, Suite 1310 New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Phone: (504) 704-1414
724 E. Boston Street Covington, Louisiana 70433 Phone: (985) 249-6800
42549 Happywoods Road Hammond, Louisiana 70403 Phone: (985) 365-2513
Copyright © 2012 Lamothe Lea Aertker LLC. All rights reserved.
