10 Best Distracted Driving Accident Lawyers in Lafayette, LA (2026)

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best distracted driving accident lawyers in lafayette

This guide compares 10 law firms that handle distracted driving injury claims in Lafayette, Louisiana, and the surrounding Lafayette Parish communities. Each firm was evaluated on the trial and courtroom background of its attorneys, how directly it addresses crashes caused by phone use and other distractions (for example through a dedicated page on the subject), the location of its nearest office, its size, and the case results it has published itself.

Distracted driving cases turn on proof. The injured person has to show what the other driver was doing in the moments before the crash, which can mean phone records, vehicle data, camera footage and witness statements that are easy to lose if no one asks for them early. Louisiana’s hands-free law, which took effect August 1, 2025 and carried fines starting January 1, 2026, has also changed what counts as a violation. The firms below are presented in the order shown and the order is not a ranking. Details come from each firm’s own website, Google Business Profiles and attorney directories, and a specific rating or dollar figure is cited only where the firm itself reports it.

1. Law Offices of Richard R. Kennedy

Richard R. Kennedy founded the firm in Lafayette and has practiced since 1965. His record includes a federal judicial clerkship, a fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers (the firm notes that only six Lafayette Parish lawyers hold it), and induction into the Lafayette Parish Bar Association Hall of Fame in 2016. Richard R. Kennedy III joined in 2000 after clerking for Judge Gerard Wattigny of the 16th Judicial District, is listed in Louisiana Super Lawyers, and belongs to the Academy of Trucking Accident Attorneys.

The firm runs dedicated Lafayette pages for distracted driving and for texting while driving. The distracted driving page walks through what counts as a distraction and how liability is proven, and the texting page lists evidence such as accident reconstruction reports from expert witnesses. Richard R. Kennedy III, a graduate of Loyola Law School, has handled distracted driving and texting collisions in both state and federal court. The firm reports a $1.7 million jury verdict in a collision between two 18-wheelers and offers a free initial consultation on a contingency basis.

2. Chris Villemarette, Trial Lawyer

  • Attorney/Key Figure: Chris Villemarette (Founder and Trial Lawyer)
  • Headquarters: 3404 Moss St, Lafayette, LA 70507
  • Phone: (337) 232-3100
  • Website: chrisvlaw.com
  • Practice Areas: Car accidents (including drunk driving, rideshare, truck and uninsured/underinsured motorist crashes), boat accidents, brain and spinal cord injuries, wrongful death, family law, criminal defense
  • Firm Size: Boutique trial practice led by one founding attorney with nearly three decades of experience
  • Practice Area Page: chrisvlaw.com/lafayette-car-accident-lawyer
  • Social Profiles: Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube

Chris Villemarette founded the firm and has nearly three decades of trial experience in Louisiana, handling personal injury alongside criminal defense and family law. The firm states that he does not handle cases in bulk and that he personally visits accident scenes to examine evidence instead of relying only on outside investigators.

Its Lafayette car accident page lists distracted driving as a crash type and notes that reading or typing texts and scrolling social media while driving is illegal in Louisiana. The firm also handles I-10 and I-49 crashes and uninsured or underinsured motorist claims, and it says it looks for insurance coverage when a carrier claims none applies. It reports securing more than $60 million for clients over its years of practice.

3. Sanchez Burke, L.L.C.

  • Attorney/Key Figure: Walt Sanchez, Joseph M. W. Burke, Clare Sanchez Burke, Jennifer E. Jones and Madeline Kraus (Attorneys)
  • Headquarters: 1200 Ryan St, Lake Charles, LA 70601 (additional office at 223 East Main St, New Iberia, LA 70563)
  • Phone: (337) 433-4405
  • Website: sanchezburke.com
  • Practice Areas: Car accidents, truck and commercial vehicle accidents, motorcycle accidents, maritime and offshore injuries, plant accidents, premises liability, wrongful death and survival actions, defective roadway claims, criminal defense, family law
  • Firm Size: Boutique firm with five attorneys and offices in Lake Charles and New Iberia; the firm cites over 60 years of combined experience
  • Practice Area Page: sanchezburke.com/lake-charles-car-accident-lawyer
  • Social Profiles: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram

Sanchez Burke is led by Walt Sanchez, who has been licensed in Louisiana for more than 40 years, alongside Joseph M. W. Burke, Clare Sanchez Burke, Jennifer E. Jones and Madeline Kraus. Best Lawyers lists the firm with one Best Lawyers in America award and three Ones to Watch awards.

The car accident practice sits within a broader injury practice that includes truck, commercial vehicle and motorcycle crashes and defective roadway claims. This is the only firm on the list headquartered outside Lafayette: its main office is in Lake Charles, and a second office in New Iberia, in neighboring Iberia Parish, puts it closer to Acadiana clients. Criminal defense and family law sit alongside the injury work, and the firm offers a free consultation.

4. Gaar Law Firm

  • Attorney/Key Figure: Joseph F. Gaar Jr. (Founding Attorney)
  • Headquarters: 900 S College Rd, Suite 205, Lafayette, LA 70503
  • Phone: (337) 233-3185
  • Website: gaarlaw.com
  • Practice Areas: Car, truck and motorcycle accidents, maritime and Jones Act injuries, offshore accidents, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, premises liability, product liability
  • Firm Size: Boutique plaintiff firm with two attorneys, Joseph F. Gaar Jr. and Douglas A. Lee II
  • Practice Area Page: gaarlaw.com/lafayette-car-accident-lawyer
  • Social Profiles: Facebook, Instagram, Super Lawyers

Joseph F. Gaar Jr. has tried injury cases in Louisiana since 1985. He began his career at a New Orleans insurance defense firm before moving to the plaintiff side, which the firm says gives it direct insight into how carriers value and defend crash claims. He holds Martindale-Hubbell’s AV rating and was named to Louisiana Super Lawyers from 2009 through 2019.

The firm’s injury practice covers car, truck and motorcycle crashes, including collisions with commercial drivers on Interstate 10. It reports a $4.3 million federal jury verdict for a client rear-ended by an 18-wheeler on I-10 and a $3.25 million settlement for a driver who lost the use of an arm, along with more than $40 million recovered overall. Offshore and Jones Act claims sit alongside the crash work, so the attorneys regularly try cases in both state and federal court.

5. Gauthier & Granger Attorneys at Law

  • Attorney/Key Figure: Daniel J. Gauthier and Christopher D. Granger (Founding Partners); William P. Morrow (Attorney, auto and trucking accidents)
  • Headquarters: 1118 Jefferson St, Lafayette, LA 70501
  • Phone: (337) 534-8026
  • Website: gauthiergranger.com
  • Practice Areas: Car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, uninsured motorist claims, slip and fall, wrongful death, real estate, business law, municipal law, estate planning
  • Firm Size: Boutique firm with four attorneys (two founding partners, one attorney and one of counsel)
  • Practice Area Page: gauthiergranger.com/lafayette-car-accident-lawyer
  • Social Profiles: Avvo (Christopher D. Granger)

William P. Morrow leads the firm’s car and trucking work. He earned his law degree from Southern University Law Center in 2013, clerked for Judge Donald Hebert of the 27th Judicial District Court, was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 2015, and has been named to Acadiana Profile’s 2024 Top Lawyers and the Louisiana State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Top 40.

Its Lafayette car accident page lists distracted driving, especially texting and other cell phone use, among the leading causes of crashes. The firm describes proving it with the other driver’s cell phone records, vehicle computer data, traffic camera footage and witness statements. Offices in Lafayette and Grand Coteau serve Lafayette Parish and St. Landry Parish, and Christopher D. Granger serves as town attorney for Grand Coteau, Sunset, Cankton and Washington. Injury cases are taken on contingency.

6. Marcelle Robertson Mestayer LLC

  • Attorney/Key Figure: Brian Marcelle, Alex Robertson and Jacques Mestayer (Founding Partners)
  • Headquarters: 227 La Rue France, Lafayette, LA 70508 (Lafayette office; the firm is headquartered at 650 Poydras St, Suite 2720, New Orleans, LA 70130)
  • Phone: (337) 761-1080
  • Website: mrmlaw.com
  • Practice Areas: Catastrophic car accidents, commercial trucking accidents, bad faith insurance claims, wrongful death, hurricane and property damage, asbestos exposure, railroad worker injuries
  • Firm Size: Boutique litigation firm with three founding partners and offices in New Orleans and Lafayette
  • Practice Area Page: mrmlaw.com/new-orleans-car-accident-lawyer
  • Social Profiles: Facebook

The firm was founded by Brian Marcelle, Alex Robertson and Jacques Mestayer, and it describes its litigators as led by a former federal prosecutor. Alex Robertson practiced on the defense side of high-stakes litigation for corporate clients and insurers before co-founding the firm, with a practice that includes trucking and automobile accidents and bad faith insurance disputes.

What sets the firm apart on car cases is its insurance-dispute work. It reports a car accident settlement of nearly eight times the policy limit in a bad faith case, a $1.14 million uninsured motorist lawsuit for an 18-wheeler driver after the insurer offered nothing, and a $3.9 million result for a commercial truck crash. The firm limits its caseload on purpose so each client gets dedicated attention, and it works on contingency.

7. Anderson Blanda & Saltzman

  • Attorney/Key Figure: Bennett Boyd Anderson, Jr., Nicholas A. Blanda and Keith P. Saltzman (Attorneys)
  • Headquarters: 1500 Camellia Blvd, Lafayette, LA 70508
  • Phone: (337) 233-3366
  • Website: andersonblanda.com
  • Practice Areas: Car accidents, distracted driver crashes, DUI accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, rideshare accidents, hit and run accidents, bad faith insurance, maritime and aviation accidents, wrongful death
  • Firm Size: Boutique trial firm; the firm cites more than 100 years of combined experience
  • Practice Area Page: andersonblanda.com/distracted-driver-lawyer
  • Social Profiles: Facebook, LinkedIn

Anderson Blanda & Saltzman describes itself as Louisiana trial attorneys with national acclaim. Its named attorneys are Bennett Boyd Anderson, Jr., Nicholas A. Blanda and Keith P. Saltzman, and the firm says its lawyers have more than 100 years of collective experience across more than 10,000 claims.

The firm has a dedicated Lafayette page for distracted driver crashes. It explains that Louisiana’s cell phone laws and the negligence standard in Civil Code article 2316 work together, so a driver’s violation of a safety rule can support a presumption of negligence. The page also covers non-phone distractions such as eating, in-vehicle entertainment systems and tending to children or pets, and the firm takes injury cases with no fee unless it wins.

8. Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers

  • Attorney/Key Figure: David Laborde (Managing Partner and Chief Litigator) and Digger Earles
  • Headquarters: 1901 Kaliste Saloom Rd, Lafayette, LA 70508 (additional offices in Alexandria, Marksville, New Iberia and other Louisiana cities)
  • Phone: (337) 777-7777
  • Website: onmyside.com
  • Practice Areas: Car, truck and motorcycle accidents, pedestrian and bicycle accidents, maritime injuries, dog bites, premises liability, dangerous drugs, mass torts, wrongful death
  • Firm Size: Large regional firm with offices across Louisiana
  • Practice Area Page: onmyside.com/lafayette-la/car-accident-lawyer/distracted-driving

David Laborde is the firm’s managing partner and chief litigator and has practiced law in Louisiana since 1991. He works alongside Digger Earles, and the two are the attorneys the firm names on its website.

The firm has separate Lafayette pages for distracted driving and for texting while driving. The texting page explains that texting while driving is illegal in Louisiana and how comparative negligence rules can affect a damage award, and the firm offers free case evaluations on a no-win, no-fee basis with 24/7 availability. As a multi-office regional firm, Laborde Earles operates at a different scale than the Lafayette boutiques on this list.

9. Domengeaux Wright Roy & Edwards, LLC

  • Attorney/Key Figure: James P. Roy (Senior Partner and Managing Member)
  • Headquarters: 556 Jefferson St, Suite 500, Lafayette, LA 70501
  • Phone: (337) 291-4878
  • Website: wrightroy.com
  • Practice Areas: Car, trucking and motorcycle accidents, catastrophic injuries, maritime and offshore injuries, industrial accidents, medical malpractice, workers’ compensation, wrongful death, family law
  • Firm Size: Mid-size Lafayette firm established in 1957 with multiple attorneys
  • Practice Area Page: wrightroy.com/2019/10/25/distracted-driver-accident-lawyer
  • Social Profiles: YouTube

Domengeaux Wright Roy & Edwards has represented injured clients from Lafayette since 1957. James P. Roy is the managing member, and Best Lawyers lists several of the firm’s attorneys, including James Domengeaux and Roy, in Personal Injury Litigation for plaintiffs. The firm also cites Martindale-Hubbell AV ratings, Super Lawyers selections and membership in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

The firm’s Lafayette distracted driver page says it has helped crash victims in Lafayette, New Iberia, Jennings, Opelousas, Lake Charles, Breaux Bridge and other Louisiana communities for decades. Because it also practices maritime, industrial accident, medical malpractice, workers’ compensation and family law, it offers depth across many fields but a broader focus than a crash-only boutique.

10. Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys

  • Attorney/Key Figure: Gordon McKernan (Founder)
  • Headquarters: 2505 Verot School Rd, Lafayette, LA 70508 (the firm is headquartered in Baton Rouge and has 13 Louisiana offices)
  • Phone: (888) 501-7888
  • Website: getgordon.com
  • Practice Areas: Car accidents, truck accidents, workers’ compensation, wrongful death, offshore accidents, personal injury
  • Firm Size: Large statewide firm with 13 offices across Louisiana
  • Practice Area Page: getgordon.com/louisiana-distracted-driving-car-accident-lawyers/lafayette
  • Social Profiles: Facebook

Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys serves Lafayette from an office on Verot School Road. The firm reports more than $3 billion recovered for accident victims and over 30 years in business, and its “G Guarantee” means no fee unless the case is won.

The firm has a dedicated Lafayette distracted driving page that leads with its no-fee-unless-we-win promise, alongside a broader Lafayette car accident page that names busy local corridors such as Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Johnston Street and Kaliste Saloom Road. At 13 Louisiana locations, the firm works at a statewide scale unlike the Lafayette-based boutiques here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it illegal to use a phone while driving in Louisiana?

Yes. Louisiana’s hands-free law, House Bill 519 of 2025, took effect August 1, 2025 and bars drivers from holding a phone while driving. Warnings were issued through the end of 2025, and fines began on January 1, 2026. A first offense starts at $100, with higher fines in school and construction zones and increased penalties when the phone use contributes to a crash. Hands-free calls, voice commands and dashboard-mounted navigation remain allowed, and texting while driving was already prohibited before the new law.

Does a phone violation prove the other driver was at fault?

Not automatically, but it can carry real weight. Under Civil Code article 2316, a driver is responsible for damage caused by negligence, and Anderson Blanda & Saltzman notes that violating a safety rule such as a cell phone law can support a presumption of negligence. Your own conduct also matters: for crashes on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant found 51% or more at fault recovers nothing under the modified comparative fault rule in Act 15 of 2025, while a claimant at 50% or less has damages reduced by that percentage.

How do lawyers prove a driver was distracted?

The evidence is often digital and perishable. Gauthier & Granger describes gathering the other driver’s cell phone records, vehicle computer data, traffic camera footage and witness statements, and Law Offices of Richard R. Kennedy points to accident reconstruction reports from expert witnesses on its texting page. Because video can be overwritten and records can be hard to obtain later, firms generally want to hear from crash victims quickly, before the other side’s evidence disappears.

What if the distracted driver was working at the time?

Louisiana employers can be responsible for harm their employees cause while performing their job duties (Civil Code article 2320), which can open the door to a larger insurance policy than a personal auto policy. This often comes up with delivery vans, rideshare vehicles and commercial trucks. Law Offices of Richard R. Kennedy reports a $1.7 million jury verdict in a collision between two 18-wheelers, and Gaar Law Firm reports a $4.3 million federal jury verdict for a client rear-ended by an 18-wheeler on Interstate 10.

How long do I have to file a distracted driving lawsuit in Louisiana?

For crashes on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana gives injury victims two years from the day the injury is sustained to file suit under Civil Code article 3493.1. Crashes before that date carry the older one-year deadline. Claims that involve a government body, such as a crash tied to a poorly maintained road, follow special rules and can carry shorter deadlines.

How do fees work, and should I choose a boutique or a large firm?

The firms on this list take injury cases on a contingency basis, which means no attorney fee unless money is recovered, and most offer a free initial consultation. Fee percentages and case costs vary by firm and by case. Boutiques such as Chris Villemarette, Trial Lawyer, which says its founder personally visits accident scenes, tend to offer direct attorney contact, while larger firms such as Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys and Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers have offices across the state and work at higher volume. The right fit often depends on how serious the injuries are and how likely the case is to go to trial.

This article discusses distracted driving accident claims in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, and the hands-free law, filing deadlines and comparative fault rules it summarizes are general overviews, not a complete statement of the law for any one case. Outcomes in a distracted driving claim turn on facts such as what the other driver was doing and whether phone or vehicle data can be obtained, the timing and consistency of medical treatment, the insurance coverage available from every driver and employer involved, and each person’s share of fault. This information is not a substitute for advice from a licensed Louisiana attorney about your own situation.

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