Charles McCowan is a founding partner of Kean Miller.  He practices in the litigation, toxic tort and environmental groups.  Charles has more than 40 years of experience and represents local, regional, national and international petrochemical, industrial, healthcare, and corporate clients in a wide variety of disputes.  His experience includes class action litigation, toxic tort defense, construction litigation, environmental litigation, and commercial disputes. 

Charles is an AV-rated lawyer and has been selected by his peers for membership as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and the International Society of Barristers. He has also been listed in The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White, Inc.) for more than 10 years.  Charles is listed among the top litigation lawyers in the State of Louisiana by Chambers USA.

He serves as counsel to the Louisiana Chemical Association (LCA) and the Louisiana Municipal Association (LMA).  The LCA represents the Louisiana chemical industry at the Capitol and in connection with the activities of regulatory agencies and local government.  The LMA is composed of all Louisiana municipalities and advocates municipal issues at the Louisiana legislature and in amicus curiae before trial and appellate courts. 

Representative Experience

• Lead counsel or liaison counsel in numerous toxic tort and commercial class action cases involving thousands of class members and multiple Fortune 100 defendants.
• Frequent lecturer on class action and complex litigation at the Louisiana Supreme Court's Judicial College and the Louisiana State Bar Association sponsored continuing legal education courses.
• Participated as Counsel or Amicus in over 80 reported decisions.
  
• Awarded two Army Commendation Medals and Judge Advocate General's Certificate of Achievement for serving as counsel or military judge in over 1000 criminal trials.

Education

Charles earned his J.D. from the LSU Law Center in 1967 where he was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Delta Phi, and the Order of the Coif. He served as a Staff Writer for the Louisiana Law Review from 1965 to 1967.  Charles was inducted into the LSU Law School Hall of Fame in 1987. He earned his B.S. from Louisiana State University in 1964.  

Admissions

• Admitted, Louisiana, 1967
• Admitted, U.S. District Court for the Middle, Western and Eastern Districts of Louisiana
• Admitted, United States Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
  
• Admitted, U.S. Court of Military Appeals
• Admitted, U.S. Supreme Court
  

Memberships

• Defense Research Institute
• Louisiana Law Institute (Committee for the Revision of Environmental Law Procedure (1991-1992)
• American College of Trial Lawyers
• American Board of Trial Advocates
• Dean Henry George McMahon American Inn of Court
• Judicial Liaison Committee
• Louisiana Bar Foundation
• Fellow, International Society of Barristers
  

Articles, Publications and Presentations

Rules of The Road In Air Emission Cases
The Louisiana Class Action
The Environmental Justice Movement
A Practical Digest of Louisiana Class Action Decisions - 2007
Louisiana Supreme Court Adopts Important Rule Regarding Participation By Out-of-State Lawyers in Louisiana Litigation

Community Service

• Board of Directors - Capital Area United Way, Istrouma Area Council and District Eagle Scout Review Committee, Boy Scouts of America, Association for Retarded Citizens, Baton Rouge, Inc., Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Louisiana State University Museum of Art
• Member, Rotary Club of Baton Rouge

Lecturer

• 1998-2007 Review of the Louisiana Class Action, Louisiana Judicial College, and Annual Summer Schools for Lawyers, Louisiana State Bar Association and Annual Class Action Mass Tort Symposiums.
• Recent Developments in Tort Law, LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, 1998.
• Recent Legislation Regarding Class Actions, Louisiana State Bar Association, Cancun, Mexico, 1998.
• Louisiana Class Actions, Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association Seminars, Jackson, Wyoming, 1997 and New Orleans, Louisiana, 1997.

Authorships

• Louisiana Complex Litigation, McCowan and Fayard, 80 Tulane Law Review 1905 (June 2006)
• Complex Louisiana Litigation, co-author for 2005 Louisiana Judical College
  
• The Discoverability of the Accident Investigating Committee's Report, ACMIE Mid-Year Meeting, 1995 and 31 Gonzaga Law Review 115 (1996)
• The 'Environmental Justice' Movement, 40th Annual International Educational Seminar, International Right-of-Way Association, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1994 and New York City Chapter, American Corporate Counsel Association, 1994
• Environmental/Tort Liability Issues, Environmental Concerns Seminar, The American Society of Environmental Sciences, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1993
• Mechanics of Environmental/Toxic Tort Litigation, Louisiana State Bar Association Seminar, 1992
• Contesting and Appealing State Environmental Actions in the 1990's, Environmental Law Litigation Seminar, LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, 1990
• Defending Against State Regulatory and Enforcement Actions by Commercial Interests, LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center Environmental Law Symposium, 1987
• Pollution-Generated Torts, Southern University Law Center Symposium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1987
• Environmental Considerations in Permitting, Drilling, and Operating Wells, Louisiana Mineral Law Institute, 1985
• Civil Procedure—The Louisiana Class Action, 58 Louisiana Law Review 953 (1998)
• Joint Defense Counsel: Retention and Responsibility, The Defense Research Institute, 36 For the Defense 20 (1994)
• The Evolution of Environmental Law in Louisiana, 52 Louisiana Law Review 907
• A Standard for Expert Testimony in Louisiana, 37 Louisiana Bar Journal 76
• Defending State Environmental Enforcement Actions, 36 Louisiana Bar Journal 20
• Update on Louisiana Environmental Law and Regulations, 31 Louisiana Bar Journal 168
• Louisiana Environmental Law and Regulations, 29 Louisiana Bar Journal 171
• Environmental Considerations in Louisiana Oil and Gas Drilling, Louisiana Mineral Law Institute Proceedings, 1985
• Coauthor: Environmental Racism, 4 Corporate Legal Times 26

Over 100 Decisions As Counsel of Record or Amicus Counsel, Including:

• Broussard Physical Therapy v. Family Dollar Stores, Inc., 5 So. 3d 812, 2008 WL 5146651, 2008-1013 (La. 12/2/08), La., December 02, 2008) No. 2008-CC-1013)
• Gunderson v. F.A. Richard & Associates, Inc., 937 So.2d 927, 2006 WL 2419129, 2005-1129 (La.App. 3 Cir. 8/23/06), La.App. 3 Cir., August 23, 2006 (No. 05-1129)
• Barasich v. Columbia Gulf Transmission Co., 467 F.Supp.2d. 676 (E.D.La. 2006)
• Steering Committee v. Exxon Mobil Corp., 461 F.3d 598 (5th Cir. 2006)
• Johnson v. Orleans Parish School Bd., 929 So.2d 761 (La.App. 4 Cir. 3/22/06)
• Thomas v. Mobil Oil Corp., 901 So.2d 1182 (La.App. 4 Cir. Apr 13, 2005)
• Louisiana Municipal Association v. State, 893 So.2d 809 (La 1/19/05)
• Trigg v. Pennington Oil Co., Inc., 835 So.2d 845 (La.App. 1 Cir. Nov 08, 2002)
• Exxon Corp. v. Foster Wheeler Corp., 805 So.2d 432 (La.App. 1 Cir. 12/28/01)
• In re Exxon Coker Fire, 108 F.Supp.2d 628 (M.D.La. 2000)
• Ford v. Murphy Oil U.S.A., Inc., 703 So.2d 542 (La., Sep 09, 1997)
• Guilbeaux v. Times of Acadiana, Inc., 693 So.2d 1183 (La.App. 3 Cir., Mar 26, 1997)
• Pasqua v. St. Landry Parish Police Jury, 651 So.2d 430 (La.App. 3 Cir., Mar 01, 1995)
• Atkins v. Harcross Chemicals, Inc., 638 So.2d 302 (La.App. 4 Cir., May 17, 1994)
• Atlantic Mut. v. IT Corp., 842 F.Supp. 910 (M.D.La. 1994); Malina v. Gonzales, 1 F.3d 304 (5th Cir.(La.) 1993)
• Louisiana Chemical Ass'n v. Department of Environmental Quality, 577 So.2d 230 (La.App. 1 Cir., Mar 05, 1991)
• Department of Transp. and Development v. Standard Const. Co. of Georgia, 550 So.2d 1327 (La.App.1 Cir., Oct 11, 1989)
• Succession of Launius, 503 So.2d 682 (La.App. 3 Cir., Mar 04, 1987)
• Arnold v. Illinois Cent. Gulf R.R., 501 So.2d 778 (La.App. 1 Cir., Nov 19, 1986)
• In re Beychok, 495 So.2d 1278, 35 Ed. Law Rep. 892 (La., Oct 20, 1986)
• Blackett v. Louisiana Dept. of Environmental Quality, 481 So.2d 1042 (La.App. 1 Cir., Nov 25, 1985)
• Daigle v. Standard Coffee Service Co., a Div. of Win. B. Reily and Co., Inc., 479 So.2d 469 (La.App. 1 Cir., Nov 19, 1985)
• Parkerson v. Swaggart, 478 So.2d 922 (La.App. 1 Cir., Oct 10, 1985)
• Brumfield v. Brumfield, 477 So.2d 1161 (La.App. 1 Cir., Oct 08, 1985)
• IT Corp. v. Commission on Ethics for Public Employees, 464 So.2d 284 (La., Feb 25, 1985)
• Save Ourselves, Inc. v. Louisiana Environmental Control Com'n, 452 So.2d 1152, 20 ERC 2214, 14 Envtl. L. Rep. 20,790 (La., May 14, 1984)
• City of Port Allen, Louisiana v. Louisiana Mun. Risk Management Agency, Inc., 439 So.2d 399 (La., Oct 17, 1983)
• Save Our Selves, Inc. v. Louisiana Environmental Control Com'n, 430 So.2d 1114 (La.App. 1 Cir., Apr 05, 1983)
• Logan v. Hollier, 424 So.2d 1279 (La.App. 3 Cir., Dec 22, 1982)
• Erwin v. Agrico Chemical Co. of Delaware, Inc., 422 So.2d 1385 (La.App. 1 Cir., Nov 16, 1982)
• George v. Town of Lutcher, 422 So.2d 537 (La.App. 5 Cir., Nov 10, 1982) 
• Tirante v. Gulf States Utilities Co., 412 So.2d 128 (La.App. 1 Cir., Mar 02, 1982)
• Louisiana Nat. Leasing Corp. v. ADF Service, Inc., 377 So.2d 92 (La., Nov 12, 1979)
• Georgia Pac. Corp. v. Ardenwood-Melrose, Inc., 348 So.2d 748 (La.App. 1 Cir., Jul 11, 1977)
• Louisiana Nat. Leasing Corp. v. Family Pools, Inc., 345 So.2d 480 (La., Apr 11, 1977)
• Telerent Leasing Corp. v. R and P Motels, Inc., 343 So.2d 267 (La.App. 1 Cir., Feb 14, 1977)
• City of Plaquemine v. Louisiana Public Service Commission, 282 So.2d 440 (La., Aug 20, 1973)
• Betz v. Coteau, 261 So.2d 373 (La.App. 1 Cir., Apr 17, 1972)
• Logan v. Hollier, 711 F.2d 690 (5th Cir.(La.) 1983)