Lori D. Barker

Lori Barker is the managing partner of WSHB’s New Orleans office and a partner in the firm's Texas locations. Lori has extensive experience representing insurers in Louisiana and Texas in a variety of first- and third-party disputes. She regularly evaluates coverage and advises carriers facing first-party and bad faith claims. Lori often works side by side with her clients to develop early catastrophe responses. She worked with an international insurer to coordinate its evaluation of claims made following the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Leaning into her knowledge as a New Orleans native, Lori helps her clients navigate the intertwining statutes, directives and emergency orders entered on a state, parish, and city level in the aftermath of storms.

Following the historically active 2020 and 2021 hurricane seasons, Lori advised international and domestic insurers. She was able to deploy creative solutions to resolve disputes fairly and promptly prior to litigation. Lori and her team defended carriers in hundreds of suits pending in state courts, federal courts and in arbitration proceedings following those storms, including successful defense to decision in an arbitration where the Insured sought over twenty million dollars in damages.  Lori is actively involved in appellate proceedings regarding the enforceability of arbitration clauses in insurance policies under the Federal Arbitration Act and the New York Convention. WSHB has been at the tip of the spear in arguing that surplus lines carriers may enforce arbitration provisions in their policies and remains knowledgeable about the current law in this quickly evolving area.

Lori has filed amicus curiae briefs in the Louisiana Supreme Court, United States 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and United States 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of various insurance trade organizations, providing those courts important insight into the impact of cases on the insurance industry. Lori is an adjunct professor at the Tulane School of Professional Advancement, served on the board of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel (LADC) and served and the founding chair of the LADC Insurance Practice Group.

Lori’s third-party practice experience includes construction, premises liability, transportation, and products liability. Lori’s family owned and operated residential apartments for three generations. As a result, Lori has a first-hand understanding the concerns of Insureds involved in litigation. This allows her to quickly develop relationships and gain trust. Lori has handled complex cases involving multiple parties and catastrophic injuries. She also has multidistrict litigation experience gained while representing trailer manufacturers in the In Re: FEMA Trailer Formaldehyde Products Liability Litigation.

• 3131 Veterans Blvd LLC, and Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London v. Mpire Properties LLC: Filed an amicus brief on behalf of insurance industry trade association urging the U.S. 2nd circuit to reverse their 1995 decision, Stephens v. American International Insurance Co. and find that the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards is self-executing and is not reverse preempted by the McCarran Ferguson Act. On May 8, 2025, the court abrogated Stephens and ruled consistent with the approach supported in our amicus brief.
• Police Jury of Calcasieu Parish v. Indian Harbor Insurance Co., et al.: Filed an amicus brief on behalf of insurance trade associations urging the Louisiana Supreme Court to answer three questions certified by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana in favor of arbitration in insurance policies in certain situations.
• Troung v. Sanders- Filed an amicus brief on behalf of an insurance trade association urging the Louisiana Supreme Court to reverse a case decided by the Louisiana 2nd Circuit which expands the liability of insurers to third-party claimants.
• Advocated for insurer clients in an arbitration trial involving 1st party claims made by an insured in the aftermath of hurricane Ida. The arbitration ruling resulted in an award of less than 5% of the total damages sought by the insured.
• Jaxson Group NOLA, LLC DBA The Jaxson v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London: Successfully argued a Motion for Summary Judgment gaining dismissal of insured’s claim for property damages related to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• Cosey v. Flight Academy of New Orleans, LLC et al.: Prevailed on a Motion for Summary Judgment obtaining dismissal of an aviation client from a lawsuit arising from a plane crash where damages were sought for the wrongful death of one passenger and severe mental and physical injuries of another.
• Ian McPhail v. SDT Waste and Debris Services, LLC- Obtained 40% reduction of damages awarded by the jury to the claimant for comparative fault of unnamed parties.
• Ariel Jones v. Professional Transportation, Inc. et al.- Tried a jury case to verdict in Orleans parish and successfully advocated for reduction of damages for the Plaintiff’s failure to mitigate. As a result, the jury awarded about 2% of the damages sought. Plaintiff's Motion for Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict was denied and, ultimately, the case was not appealed.

Education

• University of Georgia School of Law (J.D., 2008)
• Loyola University New Orleans (B.A., 2005, cum laude)

Licensed to Practice in

• Louisiana
• Texas
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Louisiana
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana

News

Publications

• Co-Author, "Defining the Limits: State Supreme Court Affirms No Duty of Architect to Subtractor's Employee," Construction Claims Magazine, Winter 2024

Community Activities

• We the People State Competition Judge
• Tulane School of Professional Advancement Adjunct Professor, 2018- present

Memberships

• Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel
  • Board of Directors
  • Chair of the Insurance Practice Group
• Law Institute
  • Summary Judgment Subcommittee

• Louisiana Bar Association