Chehardy Sherman Williams

What Chehardy Sherman Williams does

Chehardy Sherman Williams is a full-service law firm headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana, founded in 1989 and operating as a Louisiana limited liability partnership. The firm serves corporations, small businesses, families, and individuals across Southeastern Louisiana from three physical offices (Metairie headquarters, New Orleans, and Hammond), with cases also handled in parish, state, and federal courts throughout Louisiana and the country. It offers legal services across more than ten practice areas including a specialized high-stakes trial litigation sub-brand called The Trial Team, as well as business and corporate law, taxation, estate planning and successions, healthcare law, personal injury, premises liability, labor and employment, criminal defense, family law, and real estate.

The firm's differentiated product is The Trial Team, led by Co-Managing Partner and Head of Litigation James M. Williams, which functions as a "rescue counsel" unit embedded into complex, high-stakes cases led by in-house counsel or other firms. Recent marquee case outcomes include a $421 million fraud verdict against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana (favoring St. Charles Surgical Hospital and the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery), a $125 million breach of contract verdict for Huntsman Corporation against Praxair/Linde, and aggregate recoveries exceeding $75 million and $68 million respectively for Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy insurance victims. The firm also publishes the Health Law Talk podcast as a healthcare-law thought-leadership channel.

Revenue is generated on a professional-services model through case-by-case legal fees and contingency arrangements, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The firm is independently owned by its founding and senior partners (Lawrence E. Chehardy, David R. Sherman, and James M. Williams as Co-Managing Partners), has expanded via merger with the Conroy Law Firm (2022), and has reinforced public-policy capacity by adding former White House Senior Advisor Cedric Richmond as a named partner. It is described as a 50-member firm in one source against a 101–250 employee firmographic band, with 22+ attorneys recognized in Best Lawyers in America and inclusion on the U.S. News Best Law Firms list across 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Name

Chehardy Sherman Williams

Legal name

Chehardy Sherman Williams

Website

https://chehardy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Chehardy Sherman Williams is a Metairie, Louisiana-based full-service law firm founded in 1989, serving corporations, small businesses, families, and individuals across Southeastern Louisiana from offices in Metairie, New Orleans, and Hammond via 10+ practice areas including a specialty high-stakes Trial Team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG), Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD), Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK), Criminal Defense (BPAHAAAN)

Keywords

• Legal services
• Business litigation
• Personal injury law
• Healthcare law
• Estate planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Metairie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: Chehardy Sherman Williams generates revenue through legal professional services including litigation, corporate law, taxation, estate planning, healthcare law, personal injury, premises liability, labor and employment, criminal defense, family law, and real estate legal matters. The firm serves businesses and individuals across more than ten practice areas.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Chehardy Sherman Williams is a full-service Louisiana law firm providing legal counsel across more than ten practice areas including high-stakes trial litigation (The Trial Team), business and corporate law, taxation, estate planning and successions, healthcare law, personal injury, premises liability, labor and employment, criminal defense, family law, and real estate. The firm delivers courtroom representation, transactional counsel, regulatory compliance, and strategic advisory services to corporations, small businesses, and individuals in parish, state, and federal courts.

Product overview

Chehardy Sherman Williams is a full-service Louisiana law firm founded in 1989, providing legal services through multiple practice areas including The Trial Team (high-stakes litigation), Business and Corporate Law, Taxation, Estate Planning and Successions, Healthcare Law, Personal Injury, Premises Liability, Labor and Employment, Criminal Defense, Family Law, and Real Estate. The firm operates from offices in Metairie (main office), New Orleans, and Hammond, Louisiana, serving clients across Southeastern Louisiana and representing cases in state and federal courts throughout Louisiana and the country. The firm also produces the Health Law Talk podcast as an educational resource for healthcare law topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Trial Team: Special litigation section led by James M. Williams with a record of success in jury trials, handling high-stakes cases including insurance litigation and commercial disputes
• Health Law Talk Podcast

Products and services

• The Trial Team Elite trial litigation team led by James M. Williams, providing high-stakes courtroom representation for complex cases including insurance litigation, personal injury, and commercial disputes. The team also operates as 'rescue counsel' implanted into existing high-stakes and problematic litigation for in-house counsel managing complex cases for global corporations.
• Business and Corporate Law Legal counsel for businesses on transactions, compliance, risk management, contracts, governance, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial matters.
• Taxation Tax planning, IRS audit defense, tax controversy resolution, and tax litigation services for businesses and individuals.
• Estate Planning and Successions Estate planning including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and succession planning for families and business owners.
• Healthcare Law Healthcare law representation including compliance, medical staff issues, malpractice defense, and regulatory matters for providers and facilities. The firm has 4 of only 32 Health Law Specialists certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization.
• Personal Injury Personal injury litigation representing individuals injured by negligence, including automobile accidents and catastrophic injury cases.
• Premises Liability Legal representation for injuries occurring on premises due to unsafe conditions or negligence of property owners.
• Labor and Employment Employment law services including workplace disputes, discrimination claims, employment contracts, and labor relations matters.
• Criminal Defense

Quantifiable outcome

• $421 million verdict against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana for fraud
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Higgins Hotel / National WWII MuseumminorOthers · 12 March 2024David Sherman, Co-Managing Partner, provided experienced insight and innovative ideas to the Higgins Hotel project from conception to completion. The hotel is affiliated with the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
• Vinson & ElkinscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2022Institutional counsel for Huntsman Corporation that worked alongside The Trial Team at Chehardy Sherman Williams on the $125 million breach of contract case against Praxair/Linde. The Trial Team was implanted alongside Vinson & Elkins once it became apparent that a high-stakes jury trial was likely.
• Simon Peragine Smith and RedfarncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2022New Orleans law firm that worked alongside The Trial Team at Chehardy Sherman Williams and Vinson & Elkins on the Huntsman Corporation case, providing legal representation in the breach of contract litigation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Jones Walker: One of the largest Gulf South law firms headquartered in New Orleans with a significantly broader geographic reach. Comparable across business litigation, insurance, and healthcare practices but operates at a meaningfully larger scale.
• Baker Donelson: Large multi-state firm with a strong New Orleans/Baton Rouge presence, particularly in healthcare regulatory and litigation work — overlaps with Chehardy's healthcare bench while operating at a larger scale.
• Butler Snow: Large Southeastern regional firm with Louisiana offices and broad practice coverage including litigation, healthcare, and insurance — competes for similar regional clients but operates at substantially greater scale.

Direct peers

• Phelps Dunbar: Regional law firm with major Louisiana presence and a broadly similar practice mix spanning commercial litigation, insurance, healthcare, energy, and real estate — closely comparable to Chehardy Sherman Williams in scale, geographic footprint, and full-service positioning.
• Kean Miller: Louisiana full-service firm with comparable practice depth in litigation, healthcare, and corporate law across multiple Louisiana offices, with a similar energy and business client base.
• Adams and Reese: A multi-state law firm with deep Louisiana roots, comparable in size (several hundred attorneys) and practice breadth across litigation, healthcare, insurance defense, and corporate work — directly comparable as a full-service Southeast/Gulf South firm with overlapping trial capabilities.
• Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann: New Orleans full-service law firm with overlapping practice areas including business litigation, real estate, tax, and estate planning — comparable in size and regional positioning.
• Liskow & Lewis: Louisiana-headquartered law firm with strong litigation, insurance, and energy practices across Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Highly comparable in size and mix of regional trial work.
• Breazeale Sachse & Wilson: Baton Rouge/New Orleans full-service firm with comparable litigation, business, and healthcare practices — closely comparable in regional scope and mid-size full-service positioning.
• Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfarn: New Orleans litigation firm explicitly referenced as a co-counsel alongside Chehardy Sherman Williams on the $125M Huntsman verdict. Directly comparable in trial/litigation focus and regional footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ChehardyShermanWilliams
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chehardy-sherman-l-l-p-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Chehardy Sherman Williams