David is the only attorney in Louisiana who is both Board Certified as a Family Law Specialist and has a Masters in Admiralty Law. These qualifications combined with his experience allow him to provide the finest representation for families, offshore workers and injured persons.
He worked for families and injured offshore workers for years at large and mid-sized law firms. His experience allows him to provide quality representation careful attention to detail with customer attention. He has handled hundreds of offshore accidents (Admiralty Law) including Jones Act, Unseaworthiness, Death on High Seas Act and Maintenance and Cure claims. He has helped clients recover millions of dollars in claims for admiralty, injuries and contractual disputes. He is known as a tough litigator who also looks for cost effective ways to resolve cases through dispute resolution. He has taught other attorneys at continuing legal education seminars on the topics of the Jones Act and Admiralty Law. Martindale-Hubbell recognized David Hesser with a "BV" Peer Review Rating, an indication of an exemplary reputation and well-established practice. . . high professional standing." He is a member of the Southeast Admiralty Law Institute and has been listed in Best's Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys.
David has the financial designation of Certified Divorce Financial Analyst by the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts. He received his law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where he was honored with the American Jurisprudence Award & Top Paper Award. He is a litigator who has represented hundreds of families going through divorces, custody and child support disputes. He has handled multi-million dollar community property partitions. While he is known as a litigator, he has also resolved many cases through mediation and collaborative divorce. He has taught other attorneys, mental health professionals and financial professionals at continuing education seminars for family law and dispute resolution at LSU Law Center, LSU-S, ULM and Southern University. Co-author: "Forensic Accounting in Matrimonial Divorce"R.T. Edwards Publishing, 2005, Chapter 2, "Ethical Limitations on Future Services for Neutral Financial Professionals Following a Collaborative Divorce." Author: Team Mediation: An Interdisciplinary Model Balancing Mediation in the "Matrix," 7:1 Pepp. Disp. Resol. L.J. 113 (2007). Speaker, "Team Mediation," International Academy of Collaborative Professionals Forum, 2005. Filed Louisiana's first successful Collaborative Divorce. Co-Chairman of the Permanent Review Board, which reviews sexual abuse allegations for the Catholic Diocese of Alexandria. David is a member of the Downtown Rotary Club in Alexandria. David practiced at Gold, Weems, Bruser, Sues & Rundell, PLC, Breaud & Lemoine, PLC and Randy J. Ungar & Associates before forming his own firm. David completed high school at Caddo Magnet Parish High School in Shreveport, Louisiana and lived in Bossier City Louisiana during college before settling down in Alexandria-Pineville, Louisiana following Law school.
Practice Areas: Family Law; Child Custody; Child Support, Spousal Support, Community Property Law; Maritime Injuries; Admiralty and Maritime Law; Mediation; Collaborative Family Law; Collaborative Law; Jet ski accidents, Cruise Ship Accidents, Divorce; Wrongful death, Domestic Relations; Personal Injury; and Automobile Accidents.
Admitted: Louisiana, Supreme Court of Louisiana; U.S. District Court, Middle, Eastern and Western Districts of Louisiana and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit and Texas Courts.
Law School: University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, J.D., 1994; Tulane University Law School, LL.M., Admiralty, 1998.
College: Centenary College, B.A., in Economics, 1991.
Member: Alexandria, Louisiana State and Federal Bar Associations; Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute; Crossroads-American Inn of Court of Alexandria-Pineville; Shreveport Bar Association; Collaborative Professional Group of Louisiana; International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.
Reported Cases: Lea v. Sanders, 890 So.2d 764, 2004-762 (La. App. 3 Cir. 12/22/04), setting the standard in Louisiana for Shared Custody; Walk Haydel and Assoc., Inc., v. Coastal Power Prod. Co., 934 F. Supp. 209 (E.D. La. 1996); Pulver v. 1st Lake Properties, Inc., 96-248 (La. App. 5th Cir. 9/18/96), 681 So. 2d 965; Arnette v. NPC Services, Inc., (La. App. 1st Cir. 9/28/01) 809 So. 2d 384; Latin Am. Energy Dev. Inc., v.Vague, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8120 (E.D. La. 1996); Walk Haydel and Assoc., Inc. v. Coastal Power Production Co., 98-CA-0193 (La. App. 4th Cir. 9/30/98) 720 So. 2d 372; Argument at Trial Court Level Set Louisiana's Standard for Enforcement of Mediation Agreements; and Bush v. Diamond Offshore Co., 1999 WL 33236363 (E.D. La. 1999).
Email: david@hesserlaw.com
