Lewis O. Unglesby was born in New Orleans, LA in 1949. He received his B.A. from the University of Mississippi in 1971 and went on to receive his J.D. from Louisiana State University in 1974. He was admitted to the bar of Louisiana, U.S. District Court, Middle, Eastern and Western Districts of Louisiana, and U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit in 1974. He is also admitted pro hac vice in numerous states.

 

Mr. Unglesby has successfully won acquittals in over 50 felony jury trials in state and federal courts. He has achieved over 25 multi-million-dollar jury awards and over 45 jury awards exceeding one million dollars. Mr. Unglesby was the first person in Louisiana to successfully use the Battered Women’s Syndrome in a murder defense case. Impressively, he has won multi-million-dollar verdicts  for exposure to non-fatal toxic chemicals, proven product liability defects in 3-wheelers and 4-wheelers, and achieved jury verdicts that resulted in restraint systems becoming a safety requirement for sit-down and stand-up forklifts. Moreover, Mr. Unglesby has successfully argued before the Louisiana Supreme Court over 20 times.

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Mr. Unglesby is a fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers and is certified as a civil and criminal trial advocacy specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (presently one of only two attorneys in Louisiana). He has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America since 1986 and listed by Martindale-Hubbell in the “Bar Register of Prominent Lawyers” since 1996. Mr. Unglesby is a member of the Baton Rouge Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association.

 

His unique skill set and history of success led to his appointment as Special Counsel for the Louisiana State Senate from 1993-1996 and Special Counsel for Governor Mike Foster (1996-1997). In 2019 Mr. Unglesby received the Chief Justice Pascal F. Calogero, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award from the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys. He has presented numerous times as lecturer for the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, Louisiana Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, and the National Business Institute. Mr. Unglesby’s cases have been featured twice on ABC’s “20/20,” and he has appeared on “Good Morning America” and CNN. 

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His cases have been the subject of books in the United States and Japan. Mr. Unglesby’s diverse legal career and extensive record of successes established him as a prominent figure in the legal field. Known as the “Lawyer’s Lawyer” in Louisiana, Mr. Unglesby receives referrals to co-counsel throughout the state. His contributions to criminal and civil law have been widely recognized and copied.