JANIS W. LEMLE

Attorney
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Attorney Janis Lemle is a New Orleans native who brings her experience in education, public service and construction management to her practice of law. Ms. Lemle has served as an instructor and adjunct professor of English Composition, Technical Writing and Methods of Teaching Literature at Loyola University in New Orleans, Southern University in New Orleans, Delgado Community College and the New Orleans Police Academy. While at Southern University, Ms. Lemle provided technical assistance and research to various community groups writing public benefit grants and proposals. After working in construction management researching legal issues and writing opinions relative to construction law and limited partnerships, Ms. Lemle put her skills to work as a volunteer and House Captain for Rebuilding Together, an organization that refurbishes the homes of senior citizens.

Ms. Lemle has been associated with several defense firms as an associate and partner. She has also worked in public law, serving as Chief Deputy Assessor of the Sixth Municipal District of New Orleans, maintaining knowledge of state and municipal requirements for personal and real property tax exemptions and abatements and serving constituents. Her practice includes product liability defense, environmental and toxic tort defense, premises liability defense, transportation law, construction law, insurance defense and real estate tax matters relative to assessment values. She is admitted to the practice of law in Louisiana and is eligible to practice before all state and federal courts in Louisiana.

Representative Matters

Product Liability / Environmental and Toxic Tort Defense

• Represented national and international product manufacturers in asbestos and silicosis claims
• Represented a large public agency in lead paint litigation
• Defended self-insured public agency in class action litigation

Premises Liability

• Represented oil company in radon litigation for personal injury and property damage
• Performed analyses of property devaluation claims based on soil toxicity
• Analyzed claims of economic loss attributed to decreased property values

Transportation

• Represented national commercial carriers in personal injury and property damage claims
• Litigated multi-vehicle accident claims for personal injury and property damage against insurer of common carrier
• Mediated settlement of wrongful death claim against freight carrier

Construction Management / Construction Law

• Researched legal issues and wrote opinions relative to construction law and limited partnerships, project, energy and aviation management for multi-million dollar expansion of New Orleans International Airport
• Wrote proposals and presented proposal concepts for construction and construction management for public projects and private buildings to prospective clients and awarding committees
• Drafted contracts and joint venture partnership agreements for public construction projects
• Participated on legal teams to resolve claims on 12M aviation project

Real Estate/Business/Tax Abatement

• Prepared tax appeals for residential and commercial properties and argued same before the Board of Review and the La. Tax Commission
• Advised owners of residential and commercial properties on Restoration and Industrial Tax Abatement options
• Framed real and personal property municipal tax issues, tax abatement qualification issues and real property municipal assessment tax issues for obtaining opinion from Office of the Louisiana Attorney General
• Prepared tax abatement applications for residential, commercial and industrial properties
• Represented clients before all Louisiana Dept. of Economic Development inquires
• Advise existing, start-up businesses and non-profits of state and city statutory requirements and assisted them with licensure and permit applications and procedures
• Represented for profit businesses and non-profits before all city and state licensing boards

Publications & Presentations

• Speaker/Moderator, 50th Anniversary Seminar of Brown v. Board of Education co-sponsored by the LSBA and the Louis Martinet Society, September, 2004
• Co-Author, Blood Alcohol Measurement and Admissibility, Back Extrapolation and Assessment of Impairment, For The Defense, Defense Research Institute (DRI) Magazine, February, 2005
• Presenter, Marshaling An Effective Defense Through The Use of Demonstrative Evidence, ABA Transportation Megaconference, VII, New Orleans, LA March, 2005
• Presenter, Admissibility Issues of Event Data Recording Technology, Defense Research Institute (DRI) Transportation Law Conference, Chicago, IL March, 2006

Professional Honors & Activities

• Assistant Bar Examiner for the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Exam, 2002 – Present
• Member, Planning Committee Defense Research Institute (DRI) Trucking Law Seminar, 2005
• Co-Chair, Defense Research Institute, Transportation Law Section Diversity Committee, 2006 – 2007
• AV Rating in Martindale-Hubbell
• Certified Louisiana Assessor, 2009 – Present
• Member, International Association of Assessing Officers, 2009 – Present

Community Involvement

• School Friend and Volunteer, New Orleans Public Schools.
• Adopted Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School
• Assisted in raising funds and coordination of the Drew History Club’s annual trip Mobile, AL to visit places associated with the civil rights struggle of the 1950’s and 1960’s. 1998 – 2005
• Volunteer and House Captain, Preservation Resource Center’s Rebuilding Together (f/k/a Christmas In October). 1999 – 2005
• Volunteer and Agency Liaison, LSBA Secret Santa Program, 1999 – 2005
• Volunteer Attorney, New Orleans Pro Bono Project for domestic law, 2000 - 2005
• Legal Advisor to the President’s Committee, Delgado Community College, 1990 – 1995
• Technical Advisor, Southern University in New Orleans for public benefit grants and proposals

Admissions

• Louisiana State Bar Association, 1992 – Present
• Admitted to the United States Court of Appeal of the Fifth Circuit, October, 1997
• Admitted to the United States District Court of the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana, October, 1997

Education

• Loyola University School of Law (New Orleans, LA), J.D., 1990
• First Place Oralist, Intramural Moot Court Competition, Fall, 1987
• Merit Award for Moot Court Appellate Brief (2nd Place) Fall, 1987
• Member, Moot Court Staff, 1987 – 1990
• Student Member, Dean Search Committee, Spring, 1990

• University of New Orleans, Master of Arts in English Literature, 1984
• Passed Departmental Thesis Review with Distinction
• Passed Comprehensive Oral Examination with Distinction
• University of New Orleans, Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, 1979
• Member, Final Grades Committee, College of Liberal Arts, 1977-79
• Assistant Editor of The Jabberwocky, Liberal Arts magazine, 1977-79
• Member, Advisory Committee, Dept. of English, 1977-79