Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson

What Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson does

Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson, LLP is a Louisiana-based litigation law firm focused on the defense of insurance companies and their insureds, with additional practice areas spanning transportation, maritime, commercial litigation, and estate planning. Founded in 1928 in New Orleans, the firm operates as a limited liability partnership (LLP) with over 50 professional attorneys across six offices statewide — New Orleans (headquarters), Thibodaux, Covington, Baton Rouge, Lafayette (opened November 2023), and Shreveport (opened February 2024). Core practice areas include insurance defense and coverage litigation, premises liability defense, commercial and business litigation (including construction, labor and employment, class action, toxic tort, and healthcare), transportation and trucking, maritime/admiralty law, and estate planning and administration.

The firm generates revenue through traditional legal billing on professional services engagements — hourly rates, fixed fees, and likely contingency arrangements — primarily serving insurance carriers and their insureds as panel counsel, with secondary client bases in transportation carriers, maritime clients, and business entities. Distribution is direct attorney-to-client engagement across all six office locations; the firm relies on professional referrals, peer recognition (Best Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent, Super Lawyers), and leadership in professional associations as its go-to-market motion rather than digital marketing.

From a technology standpoint, the firm operates as a traditional law practice with no disclosed proprietary platforms, no public or partner-facing API, no AI/ML capabilities, and no mobile applications. Its infrastructure relies on standard legal practice management systems and court electronic filing. Strategic emphasis is on Louisiana-specific legal expertise and physical proximity to all major federal and state courts across the six office regions, supported by nearly a century of operating history and established relationships with major Louisiana property insurers.

Name

Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson

Legal name

Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson, LLP

Website

https://phjlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson is a Louisiana-focused insurance defense and civil litigation law firm founded in 1928, with 50+ attorneys across six state offices serving insurance carriers, transportation and maritime clients, business entities, and individuals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Defense Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Management Liability (D&O/EPL/Fiduciary) (FSAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Insurance defense litigation
• Coverage litigation
• Premises liability defense
• Maritime law
• Estate planning

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Insurance Defense: The firm provides legal representation services primarily focused on insurance defense litigation, including first and third party automobile, homeowner, and premises liability lawsuits. Revenue is generated through traditional legal billing including hourly rates, fixed fees, and potentially contingency arrangements for certain matters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson is a Louisiana-based insurance defense and civil litigation law firm founded in 1928. The firm defends insurance companies and their insureds across first and third party automobile, homeowner, premises liability, coverage litigation, bad faith claims, and catastrophe cases, and also serves transportation/maritime clients, business clients, and individuals with estate planning needs through six Louisiana offices.

Product overview

Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson is a Louisiana-based insurance defense and civil litigation law firm organized as a single integrated legal services practice rather than a software platform. The firm offers six core legal service lines: Insurance Defense & Coverage Litigation (encompassing bad faith, SIU/arson, catastrophe/natural disaster, and reinsurance), Premises Liability Defense, Commercial & Business Litigation (including construction, labor/employment, class action, toxic tort, and health care), Transportation & Trucking, Maritime Law (admiralty and offshore matters), and Estate Planning & Administration. These practice areas collectively serve insurance companies, transportation carriers, maritime clients, businesses, and individuals across the firm's six Louisiana office locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Insurance Defense & Coverage Litigation Defense of first and third party automobile, homeowner, and premises liability lawsuits on behalf of insurance companies; bad faith and extra-contractual claims; SIU and arson investigations; excess and surplus lines; catastrophe and natural disaster claims; and reinsurance matters. Targeted at insurance carriers and their insureds.
• Premises Liability Defense Defense of landowners, business operators, landlords, and tenants against slip and fall, negligent security, falling merchandise, ADA compliance, and other premises injury claims in state and federal courts.
• Commercial & Business Litigation Full-service business and corporate legal representation including construction litigation, professional malpractice, products liability, business formation, labor and employment law, workers' compensation, class action defense, civil rights defense, government affairs, toxic tort/mold litigation, and health care law.
• Transportation & Trucking Defense of inter and intrastate carriers, railroads, waste haulers, taxicab, shuttle, bus, rental vehicle, and ambulance operators in personal injury, cargo, environmental, hazardous materials, and insurance coverage matters involving federal and state motor carrier regulations.
• Maritime Law Admiralty and maritime legal services including maritime insurance coverage, personal injury and wrongful death defense for seamen and longshoremen, collision and grounding cases, cargo claims, vessel charter disputes, maritime commercial transactions, limitation of liability, oil spills, and vessel arrest and attachment.
• Estate Planning & Administration Legal services for creation, protection, and disposition of assets during life and after death, including wills, trusts, health care directives, powers of attorney, trust administration, probate, guardianships, and conservatorships.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully litigated over 2,000 hurricane-related cases involving Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike, and Baton Rouge floods
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Phelps Dunbar: Large Louisiana-based full-service law firm with a substantial insurance defense, admiralty, and transportation practice. Operates in the same regional insurance defense market as PHJ and frequently appears on shared carrier panels across Louisiana.
• Jones Walker: Major Gulf Coast-based law firm with deep insurance, maritime, energy, and commercial litigation practices. Directly comparable in serving insurance carriers and transportation/maritime clients across Louisiana.
• Liskow & Lewis: Louisiana-headquartered firm with a strong insurance defense, energy, and commercial litigation practice. A direct competitor for insurance carrier panel work in the same Louisiana market.
• Kean Miller: Large Louisiana-based firm with insurance defense, admiralty, and commercial litigation capabilities. Competes for similar carrier and business clients in the same state-level market.
• McGlinchey Stafford: Louisiana-founded national firm with significant insurance defense, banking, and commercial litigation practices. A direct peer for insurance defense panel work in Louisiana and adjacent states.
• Frilot LLC: New Orleans-based insurance defense firm serving carriers, businesses, and individuals in Louisiana. A directly comparable regional insurance defense peer with similar practice focus.
• Deutsch Kerrigan: New Orleans-headquartered insurance defense and civil litigation firm with practices in casualty, coverage, and bad faith matters. Directly comparable to PHJ in Louisiana insurance defense market.
• Breazeale Sachse: Baton Rouge-based law firm with an insurance defense and commercial litigation practice competing for the same carrier and business clients across Louisiana.
• Sessions Fishman: New Orleans-based insurance defense, insurance coverage, and bad faith litigation firm. A direct peer in the Louisiana insurance defense niche with overlapping carrier clients.

Broad incumbents

• Baker Donelson: Large multi-state firm with substantial Louisiana presence and a national insurance practice. Competes for insurance carrier panel work in Louisiana as part of a broader, geographically diversified platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson