Law Firm Overview

Attorney Dawn Morris has years of practice experience in areas including general casualty and insurance defense. She has represented the Lafayette Parish School Board in numerous litigation matters including personal injury claims, workers' compensation and employment issues (civil rights complaints, contracts and termination issues). She also has represented the School Board at Board meetings regarding disciplinary matters related to both tenured and non-tenured employees as well as student disciplinary matters. In addition to defense of the School Board, Ms. Morris has defended legal malpractice claims, construction claims, personal injury/motor vehicle claims and other general liability matters.

Attorney Morris also has extensive experience in Louisiana appellate practice. She has prepared appellate briefs in more than forty (40) matters and has argued at the First Circuit and Third Circuit Courts of Appeals on approximately thirty (30) occasions. In addition, she has prepared approximately twenty (20) writ applications to the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Attorney Morris was licensed as a Registered Nurse in 1988 and still maintains an active license. She worked actively as a Registered Nurse for ten (10) years. Her nursing experience was primarily in pediatric intensive care, neonatal intensive care, pediatrics, and pediatric transport. However, she also has approximately two (2) years experience in home health nursing of both adult and pediatric patients. During Ms. Morris' nursing career, her responsibilities included supervising, training, and educating nursing and ancillary staff, coordinating health care services, crisis management, time management, prioritization of client care, and provision of intensive and skilled nursing care.

Employers during her course of active employment as a Registered Nurse have included Women's Hospital and Earl K. Long Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Children's Hospital and Tulane University Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana; and Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Areas of Practice

• Civil Rights
• Constitutional Law
• Education Law
• Employment Law -- Employer
• Family Law
• Insurance Law
• Litigation & Appeals
• Personal Injury -- Defense
• Professional Malpractice Law
• Legal Malpractice
• State, Local & Municipal Law
• Workers' Compensation Law

Honors and Awards

• Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society

Published Works

• ERISA Preemption, HMO's, and Denial of Benefit Claims, 59 Louisiana Law Review 961, 1999

Classes and Seminars

• "Today's Headlines: Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care", of Lafayette, Louisiana Continuing Education, November 18, 2005
• "Medical Records Management for Louisiana Paralegals", Institute of Paralegal Education, August 3, 2004
• ERISA, COBRA and HIPAA: An Overview of the Statutory and Regulatory Framework in Louisiana, Lorman Education Services, February 17, 2004
• Essentials for Safeguarding Personal Health Information Using the HIPAA Security Standards, National Business Institute, December 9, 2003
• Louisiana Nursing Law Update, National Business Institute, September 18, 2003
• Analyzing Medical Records for the Louisiana Paralegal, Institute of Paralegal Education, July 11, 2002

West Practice Categories

Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Education Law, Employment Law -- Employer, Family Law, Insurance Law, Litigation & Appeals, Personal Injury -- Defense, Professional Malpractice Law, Legal Malpractice, State, Local & Municipal Law, Workers' Compensation Law