Title: Chief Of Staff
Company: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Thomas Louis Colletta, Jr., chief of staff for the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Lawyers for dedication, achievements, and leadership in civil law.
Mr. Colletta earned a Bachelor of Arts in pre-law from McNeese University in 1994 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence in civil law from Tulane University in 2000. He began his career as a law clerk for the chief judge of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeals and worked as an assistant for United States Congressman Jimmy Hayes of Louisiana’s Seventh Congressional District before becoming a partner of the firm Lemle & Kelleher. He remained in private practice for the next decade with Beirne, Maynard & Parsons, which acquired Lemle & Kelleher in 2012 and subsequently Akerman, which acquired Beirne, Maynard & Parsons in 2016. In addition to his work in private practice, Mr. Colletta served as executive counsel for the Port of New Orleans & New Orleans Public Belt Railroad from 2018 to 2019 and as chief counsel for Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans until 2020.
Mr. Colletta supervised all litigation and contracts as well as any work-related injuries that occurred on port-owned properties as well as negotiating commercial leases and providing counsel on policy and political issues related to the maritime industry for the Board of Commissioners and to the chief executive officer. In his current role as the chief of staff, he oversees all matters on behalf of the Chancellor and all necessary parties. Mr. Colletta considers his work as chief defense counsel in the Alexander v. Norfolk Southern case, involving an ethyl acrylic leak that occurred on September 18, 2001 in the eastern part of New Orleans, to be among the highlights of his career.
Mr. Colletta is active in the hearing committee of the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, the New Orleans and the Louisiana State Bar Associations, the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, the New Orleans Association of Defense Counsel, the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel. Dedicated to his community, he has provided pro bono representation through the Homeless Experience Legal Protection project for nearly 15 years. In recognition of his professional excellence, Mr. Colletta is AV-Rated Attorney through Martindale-Hubbell, a Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers, and was the recipient of a 2013 Best Lawyers in America Award. For his recent accomplishments, he was named a Louisiana Super Lawyer in 2016 and a Top Lawyer each year from 2013 until 2017.
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