Sonny Shields has over 30 years of experience in construction industry contracts and litigation; constitutional law; surety law (construction contract bonds); insurance defense (including architects' and engineers' errors and omissions coverage); products liability; zoning and planning law and practice, including administrative hearings; real estate title research; patent, trademark and copyright prosecution and litigation; and general litigation, including appeals.

Sonny has served on the national board of directors of the American Arbitration Association, as the head of its Louisiana construction industry panel and as a member of its panel of arbitrators (including its limited list of arbitrators for its Large, Complex Case Program), and panel of mediators. He was a member of the Louisiana Supreme Court committee to establish the Civil District Court pilot mediation program. For many years he has been an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School on the subject of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure and at Tulane Law School on the subject of Historic Preservation Law.

Sonny is active in the New Orleans community in the areas of historic preservation, having served as president of the Preservation Resource Center and as chairman of the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission and has delivered more than 150 papers on subjects ranging from negotiation and mediation skills and practices, to numerous aspects of Louisiana construction and surety law.

BAR ADMISSIONS

Louisiana:All state and federal courts

Numerous federal district courts

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Federal Circuits

United States Court of Federal Claims

United States Patent and Trademark Office

United States Supreme Court

EDUCATION

Tulane University School of Law

Tulane University School of Architecture

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

Louisiana State Bar Association

American Bar Association (Construction Industry Forum and Fidelity & Surety Committee of TIPS)

Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel

Defense Research Institute

PRACTICE AREAS

Construction Industry

Surety Claims

Insurance Defense

Products Liability

Litigation and Appellate Practice

Labor and Employment Law

Zoning and Land Use Planning

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Intellectual Property

Financial Workouts

Bankruptcy

Eminent Domain.