Lou Bonnaffons is a native New Orleanian who received his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Louisiana State University in 1988 and graduated from Loyola University School of Law in 1992.  For the first four years of his legal career, Lou worked for a small New Orleans law firm defending bus and streetcar claims for the Regional Transit Authority.  Lou also spent time working as a prosecutor for the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office.  Lou joined Leake and Andersson in 1996 focusing on transportation, insurance defense and general litigation.  He was made a Principal Partner of Leake and Andersson in January 2000.

Lou serves as Louisiana’s catastrophic loss and emergency response counsel for several transportation companies and insurers.  He is licensed to practice in all Louisiana State and Federal Courts regularly representing clients throughout the entire state.  Lou has participated in hundreds of mediations and averages serving as lead counsel in 10 – 15 mediations every year.  Lou received Martindale’s highest AV rating for Legal Ability and Ethical Standards dating back to 2005.  Lou has been annually recognized as one of the Top Lawyers in New Orleans since 2009 and was selected as one of the Top Lawyers in Louisiana every year since 2017. Most recently, he was recognized by New Orleans Magazine as one of the “2023 Top Lawyers” practicing Transportation Law in the New Orleans area.

Lou is the former Chairman of ALFA International’s Transportation Practice Group. Lou was elected by his peers to serve on the Board of Directors for the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel and is also a member of The Transportation Lawyers Association, Louisiana Motor Transport Association, New Orleans Association of Defense Counsel, New Orleans Bar Association, New Orleans Pro Bono Project and Louis Martinet Legal Society.

Recent Presentations:

“How to Take Control, Keep Control and Not Lose Control of Your Big Case” on September 20, 2018 at the Arkansas Trucking Conference.

“Third Party Litigation Funding” on November 6, 2019 at the UPS Leadership Conference.

“Louisiana Tort Reform Proposals” on December 19, 2019 to the Louisiana Property and Casualty Insurance Commission.

“Third Party Litigation Funding: Overview & Implications” on May 12, 2021 to US Xpress and Swift/Knight.

“Third Party Litigation Funding” on May 20, 2021 for ALFA International The Global Legal Network.

“Exposing Fraudulent Claims Asserted Against the Transportation Industry” on October 14, 2021 at the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) Annual Seminar.

“Mediation Ethics” for the Crimson and Gold Business Network on April 20, 2022. The event was hosted by the Honorable Kurt D. Engelhardt, Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.

“Exposing Fraudulent Claims Asserted Against the Transportation Industry, Part 2: An Update From Louisiana” on October 13, 2022 at the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) Annual Seminar.