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Katie D. Bell
PartnerKatie Bell is a partner in the Baton Rouge and Houston offices of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in 2005 and practices in the litigation group. Katie represents clients in toxic tort and mass tort actions, emergency and incident response matters, wetlands loss, business and commercial litigation, civil rights and municipal law. She has defended corporate clients in mass tort litigation and trials, including both state and federal multi-district litigation. She has handled every level of trial advocacy, including opening and closing statements, cross examination of witnesses, as well as handling summary judgment and evidentiary hearings, both pre-trial and during trial. She also has prepared pre-trial mock jury presentations and represented some of the Firm’s largest clients in high-stakes mediations.
She has particular expertise in class action litigation involving chemical exposures and catastrophic accidents. She represents companies and individuals in all areas of business disputes and contract litigation. Katie also advises clients on electronic discovery, e-discovery compliance, electronically stored information (ESI), electronic information management, and retention and destruction policies and procedures.
- Served as Trial Attorney/Counsel in defending high-profile, multiple-plaintiff lawsuits arising out of an explosion and fire at a major Louisiana chemical manufacturing facility. The Kean Miller emergency response and trial teams assisted our client in official notifications, evidence preservation, incident investigation, interaction with state and federal regulatory authorities, litigation management, and complex mass joinder and personal injury trial defense in multiple venues, including taking several cases to verdict.
- Representation of chemical manufacturing facility in business litigation involving breach of contract and indemnity claim for lost business value and business interruption
- Representation of service provider in business litigation involving alleged breach of contract and other obligations
- Representation of supplier as Louisiana counsel in connection with civil antitrust action
- Served as trial counsel for municipality in high speed police pursuit and wrongful death action
- Representation of international road safety technology company in litigation involving photo-enforcement technology and programs
- Representation of paint manufacturer in a construction dispute involving new manufacturing facility
- Representation of the manufacturer of large earth moving machines in defense of claims of defective design and misrepresentation
- Representation of casino in personal injury suit alleging liability for third party criminal conduct
- Representation of a municipal planning commission in a multi-million dollar land-use dispute with a real-estate developer
- Representation of a former mayor in a suit alleging violations of the 13th Amendment and the Fair Labor Standards Act in the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- Representation of a landowner in a pipeline servitude dispute
Katie earned her B.A. in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Louisiana State University in 2002. She earned her J.D./ B.C.L. in 2005 from the LSU Law Center where she was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Vice President of Phi Alpha Delta.
- Admitted, Louisiana, 2005; Texas, 2018; United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana; United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana State, Federal and American Bar Associations; Propane Gas Defense Association
- Emergency Response: Protocol, Processes, Pitfalls, and Pointers, Association of Corporate Counsel Energy Network Legal Update, April 19, 2023
- Lean in or step back: How to choose what works for you, Baton Rouge Business Report, January 3, 2020
- Understanding the Risks and Benefits of Social Media, Association of Corporate Counsel, LA Chapter CLE, August 2013
- E-what? Understanding the Basics of E-Discovery, LSU Law Center, January 2013
- Professionalism and Social Media, Louisiana City Attorneys Association, 2012 Fall Conference
- Ethics and the Attorney-Client Privilege for City Attorneys, Louisiana City Attorneys Association, 2012 Spring Conference
- Hollywood Squares Ethics, Louisiana City Attorneys Association, 2011 Fall Conference
- Don't be in Jeopardy - Know Your Ethics Rules, Louisiana City Attorneys Association, 2010 Fall Conference
- Recent Developments in E-Discovery in Louisiana, Louisiana Law Blog, October 2010
- The Limits on E-Discovery, Around the Bar, Baton Rouge Bar Association, October 2009
- Don't be in Jeopardy - Know Your Civil Procedure Rules, Louisiana City Attorneys Association, 2009 Fall Conference
- Evidence Tips for Public Interest Lawyers Focusing on Electronically Stored Information Discovery and Admissibility, 2009 CLE Presentation
- E-discovery, Louisiana City Attorneys Association, 2008 Fall Conference
- Electronic Claims Discovery, Louisiana Claims Association, 2008 Educational Convention & Expo
- Recent Developments in Louisiana Tort Law, Louisiana City Attorneys Association, 2007 Fall Conference
- Advisory Board, Brave Heart-Children in Need
- Past Teacher, Junior Achievement Teaching Program, Glen Oaks Middle School
- Volunteer Committee, Baton Rouge Bar Association, 2005-2009; Holiday Star, 2005-present; Young Lawyers Section, 2005-present; Belly Up with the Bar Cooking Competition, 2005-present
- Past Kean Miller Captain, Alzheimer's Walk
- Kappa Delta Alumnae, LSU Chapter
- Frazier v. Pioneer Americas, LLC, 455 F.3d 542 (5th Cir. 2006)
- Williams v. Henegan, 595 F.3d 610 (5th Cir. 2010)
