Kuchler Polk Schell Weiner & Richeson

What Kuchler Polk Schell Weiner & Richeson does

Kuchler Polk Weiner LLC is a New Orleans-based civil litigation boutique founded in 2009, operating as a women- and minority-owned firm specializing in high-stakes defense work for Fortune 500 enterprises. The firm concentrates its practice in five areas — toxic tort, energy and environmental, product and premises liability, maritime and transportation, and labor and employment — with a particular emphasis on serving as national counsel for benzene exposure, asbestos, and chemical-exposure dockets for major chemical and oil & gas clients including DuPont and Shell Offshore. Notable case outcomes include a $61 million unanimous jury verdict for Shell Offshore in a 2018 Gulf of Mexico commercial dispute. The firm operates from its New Orleans headquarters at 1615 Poydras Street and a Houston regional office, extending coverage across Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and adjacent Gulf Coast jurisdictions.

The firm's product is fundamentally attorney time, delivered through a trial-ready, partner-led model that prioritizes hands-on senior involvement on each matter. Pricing is primarily hourly with emerging alternative fee and hybrid arrangements supported by operational efficiencies — the Managing Partner holds a certified Six Sigma Green Belt. The firm differentiates on three axes: (1) deep specialization in toxic tort and energy-related defense work, (2) a distinctive information security posture, holding ISO/IEC 27001 certification (reportedly the only Louisiana law firm at the time of reporting with this credential), and (3) its minority/women-owned status, which aligns with corporate diversity procurement mandates. The firm operates a thought leadership content engine across legal publications and holds leadership positions in defense counsel associations including FDCC, DRI, and NAMWOLF, generating referral flow from peer firms and corporate counsel networks. Ownership is concentrated among the partner group; there is no external private equity or institutional capital, and the firm has not pursued inorganic growth via M&A.

Name

Kuchler Polk Schell Weiner & Richeson

Legal name

Kuchler Polk Weiner LLC

Website

https://kuchlerpolk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kuchler Polk Weiner LLC is a women- and minority-owned civil litigation boutique founded in 2009 in New Orleans, defending Fortune 500 enterprises in toxic tort, energy, product liability, maritime, and commercial matters across the Gulf Coast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Civil litigation services
• Toxic tort defense
• Product liability defense
• Commercial litigation
• Maritime transportation law

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: Traditional hourly billing for litigation services including trial preparation, court appearances, depositions, legal research, and case management. Attorneys bill at varying rates based on seniority and specialization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kuchler Polk Weiner LLC is a civil litigation defense law firm representing Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes disputes across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. The firm's core offering is specialized trial defense work in five practice areas: toxic tort, energy and environmental, product and premises liability, maritime and transportation, and labor and employment litigation. Services span pre-trial, trial, arbitration, mediation, and appellate proceedings, with partners serving as national counsel for major corporate clients in benzene exposure, asbestos, NORM, and complex commercial disputes.

Product overview

Kuchler Polk Weiner is a civil litigation law firm offering legal services across multiple practice areas including toxic tort, energy and environmental, product and premises liability, maritime and transportation, labor and employment, and general commercial litigation. The firm serves Fortune 500 companies and handles matters from pre-trial through trial, arbitration, and appellate proceedings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Toxic Tort Litigation

Quantifiable outcome

• $61 million unanimous jury verdict for Shell Offshore Inc. in 2018 commercial dispute
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Louisiana Center for Children's RightsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Firm sponsored the Campaign for Children's Rights public education series. The Campaign raised nearly $43,000 for the Center's work to help children connect with resources to leave the justice system, advance policing that treats kids appropriately, and end unwarranted criminalization of Black youth.
• ACLU of LouisianacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2020The firm joined ACLU of Louisiana's Justice Lab initiative alongside 18 other leading private law firms to challenge racially discriminatory policing practices. The litigation campaign aims to bring up to 1,000 cases in Louisiana challenging racially-motivated stops and seizures under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments.
• National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019The firm actively participates in NAMWOLF's Driving Diversity and Leadership Conference. NAMWOLF supports the firm's vision by promoting diversity in the legal profession while helping achieve equity in legal opportunities for women-owned firms.
• American Bar Association's Diversity and Inclusion CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner Deb Kuchler featured in ABA Diversity and Inclusion Committee newsletter discussing women who have blazed their own path in law and NAMWOLF's influence on the firm.
• Women's Energy Network South Louisiana ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner Skylar Rudin served as President (2020) and Vice President (2019) of the organization's Board of Directors, supporting women in the energy industry.
• Ford Motor Company's Legal Alliance for Women (LAW)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Associate Kennard Davis participated in Ford's Global Day of Service, serving dinner to approximately 85 residents of Covenant House New Orleans shelter for homeless, trafficked, and at-risk youth.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP: National product liability and toxic tort defense firm with overlapping practice areas (asbestos, benzene, chemical exposure) and similar Fortune 500 corporate defense clientele.
• McGlinchey Stafford PLLC: Louisiana-based national law firm with comparable size, similar civil and commercial litigation defense focus, and significant Fortune 500 corporate client base across banking, energy, and manufacturing.
• Liskow & Lewis: Historic Louisiana-headquartered firm with a closely aligned energy, environmental, and commercial litigation practice, serving many of the same oil & gas and chemical clients as KPW.
• Phelps Dunbar LLP: Louisiana-founded regional firm with a similar toxic tort, energy, and commercial litigation defense profile serving enterprise clients across the Gulf South.
• Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP: National litigation-only firm that competes directly with KPW for product liability, toxic tort, and commercial defense engagements from Fortune 500 and mid-market enterprise clients.
• Jones Walker LLP: Gulf Coast-based firm with substantially overlapping practice areas including maritime, energy, and commercial litigation defense for Fortune 500 corporate clients.

Broad incumbents

• Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC: Largest U.S. labor and employment defense firm, competing for the labor & employment portion of KPW's practice with similar corporate defense clientele.
• Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC: Larger Southeast-based full-service firm with an established business litigation practice that overlaps with KPW's commercial defense work and competes for similar regional corporate clients.
• King & Spalding LLP: Global litigation powerhouse with significant toxic tort, environmental, and product liability practices that frequently compete with KPW for high-stakes Fortune 500 defense matters.
• Akerman LLP: National law firm with a sizable litigation practice competing for similar commercial, product liability, and labor & employment defense work from enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/kuchlerpolk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kuchlerpolkweiner

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Kuchler Polk Schell Weiner & Richeson