Seale & Ross PLC

Our Attorneys

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  T. Jay Seale, III

  Managing Partner

  T. JAY SEALE, III was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1947, and has made his life in Hammond for most of his adult years. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law School in 1973 and began his practice in Hammond in October of that year. Seale practiced as a solo practitioner for two years before beginning to build the present firm, now with 17 lawyers and offices in Hammond, Baton Rouge, and Madisonville. Seale's law practice career includes both litigation and business law experience. As a litigator, Seale has represented casualty insurers like Travelers, State Farm, CNA, Insured Lloyds through Merinco, Tycor, Phoenix Aviation Underwriters, and has served as lead or local associate counsel in medical, dental, accountant, and architectural E&O litigation. He has represented many public entities in litigation, including state agencies, university clients, and parish and municipal government clients. As a business lawyer, Seale has served as legal counsel or executive counsel for banks and commercial entities, developers, contractors, medical practices, and political subdivisions. For larger clients, this work has included managing legal matters, including litigation in other jurisdictions and coordinating claims handling procedures with the client’s insurance carriers. Seale is a Member of state and local Bar Associations and is a Past President of the Florida Parishes Inns of Court (an organization dedicated to civility, professionalism and ethics in the legal profession). He also serves as a Member of the Bank Counsel Section of the Louisiana Banker's Association. Seale has also served as Chairman of the Louisiana State Mineral Board where he supervised the Board's major litigation against Fortune 500 defendants, involving hundreds of millions of dollars in dispute. He has served as legal counsel to the Tangipahoa Parish Council, Consolidated Gravity Drainage District No. 1, Water Works District No. 1, and has represented public bodies including the Cities of Hammond, Amite, and Covington, Southeastern Louisiana University, the State's Division of Administration and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Seale currently serves as general counsel and Management Committee Member for Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards. Economic Development has been and remains an interest of Seale. He is past Chair of the Northshore Business Council, which is an invitation-only organization of Presidents and CEOs of Northshore businesses that actively pursues business interests in coordination with regional business councils and Chambers of Commerce. Seale is also a Director of GNO, Inc., a regional economic development alliance covering a 10-parish region of the state. He currently serves as legal counsel to the Hammond Area Economic and Industrial Development District (“HAEIDD”), which has economic development responsibilities in Hammond. In that role, Seale has worked in the area of public finance law to facilitate recruitment of businesses to the area. Seale has long held an interest in banking, serving as a Director of Parish National Bank and its holding company for a dozen years, until its merger with Whitney National Bank in 2008. While a Director of the bank, he served as Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee and a member of the Credit Committee and Trust Committee. Seale is a Member of First Presbyterian Church in Hammond and participates in theological study groups within the local church and beyond. He also serves as an advisor to the President of Southeastern Louisiana University. He is married to Judy Milburn Seale. The couple has a son, daughter-in-law and two grandsons who reside in Austin. Seale's recreational activities include flying and photography. As a pilot, Seale has accumulated almost 4,000 hours and holds multi-engine, instrument and seaplane ratings. As a photographer, Seale maintains his own digital darkroom and his works have been displayed in gallery showings in Maine and Louisiana. A collection hangs in the Hammond office of the firm and may be viewed on the Galleries page of this website.

  Education:

  Link: T. Jay Seale, III

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  Kenneth Ross

  Business Managing Partner

  KENNETH L. ROSS was born in Orange, Texas in 1944 and has been a resident of Hammond for more than 60 years. He is married to the former Linda Cooper and they have four children. Ross graduated from LSU Law School in 1971 and in that year was admitted to the Bar. The primary thrust of his law practice is civil litigation including casualty; employment law; business formation and corporate issues; estate planning and successions; and insurance issues. In addition to his civil practice, Ross is a principal in and Chairman of the Board of Ross and Wallace Paper Products, Inc., a manufacturing company in the city of Hammond; Managing Partner of Ross Property Management, L.L.C., a real estate holding company and is the Business Managing partner of SEALE & ROSS. In addition, he serves on numerous corporate boards and advisory committees of organizations and companies at the local, state, and national levels. His civic affiliations include the National Guard Association of the United States where he currently serves as National Treasurer overseeing the organizations’ over 100 million dollars in assets; the American Legion where he has served as past Post Commander; the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry where he serves as a Board member and a member of the Executive Committee; the 21st Judicial District Bar Association, a Past President; and Louisiana State Bar Association. He is a Retired Brigadier General in the United States Air Force and the Louisiana Air National Guard where he served as the Commander of the Louisiana Air National Guard. He is a former Fighter Pilot flying the F-100, F-4 and F-15 Eagle aircraft (click here for his military biography). Ross is a member of the First Baptist Church in Hammond. In addition, he has held numerous other civic and professional offices at the national, state, and local level including: President of the National Guard Association of Louisiana, President of the Tangipahoa Parish Manufacturers Association, Alumnus of the Year for Southeastern Louisiana University, Chairman of Leadership Tangipahoa, President of Tangipahoa Parish Chamber of Commerce, and Member of the North Shore Regional Airport Board. An avid traveler, he has visited over one hundred countries, states, and providences, on all seven continents, and is well on the way to completing his bucket list without the usual rush at the end. He has had a life-long love of flying, and in addition to his military aircraft, has owned and flown dozens of civilian airplanes including his most recent airplane, a Piper JetProp single engine turbo prop. He has instilled his love of travel, financial planning discipline, and hopefully his conservative views to his children (still working on that last one); and is now hoping to do the same for his grandchildren.

  Education:

  Link: Kenneth Ross

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  Glen Galbraith

  Attorney

  GLEN R. GALBRAITH was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1965, but has lived in south Louisiana for most of his life. He was graduated from Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. Glen worked in industry for several years as a manager, computer programmer/analyst and engineer before attending law school. He was graduated from LSU's law school and was admitted to the bar in 1994. His areas of concentration in the practice of law are commercial litigation, employment discrimination, intellectual property, governmental liability, commercial transactions, succession litigation, and appellate advocacy. For more than 10 years, he taught part-time at Southeastern Louisiana University in the Department of Management, and occasionally works as a political consultant. Glen is a licensed private pilot. He is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Louisiana, as well as the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. - See more at: http://www.sealeross.com/glen-galbraith#sthash.SgmQ0yqF.dpuf

  Education:

  Link: Glen Galbraith

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  Steven L. McKneely

  Partner

  STEVE McKNEELY joined Seale & Ross in 2000 and became a partner in 2005. His practice is focused on assisting individual and family clients with successions, estate and gift tax (planning, including drafting wills, trusts, and advance directives; implementation of plans; trust operation and maintenance; representation before the IRS), federal income tax, and planning for disabled family members, including special needs trusts to preserve eligibility for governmental benefits. Drawing on his business experience, Steve enjoys serving the needs of small and mid-sized businesses and their owners, particularly with entity incorporation/organization (corporations, non-profits, LLCs, partnerships); drafting and enforcement of non-competition, non-disclosure, and employment agreements; agreements among owners (buy/sell, shareholder, and operating agreements); generational transfer, estate planning, and related matters; taxation; and compliance with corporate legal formalities. A native of Shreveport, Steve attended Louisiana Tech University where he studied business administration and graduated with honors. Steve worked as comptroller and software developer for closely-held businesses in the Lafayette area, serving on their Boards of Directors, before attending LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Following graduation with a law degree from LSU, Steve attended Southern Methodist University, where he graduated with a Law Latin Masters (LL.M.) degree in Taxation. Steve is a Board Certified Estate Planning and Administration Specialist (by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization), and is past president of the Northshore Estate Planning Council, an association organized to promote the education of its member professionals engaged in estate and trust planning in the parishes of Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, and Washington. Steve enjoys shooting sports and is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment and other individual rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Contact him if you have questions about whether a gun trust could be useful for firearms ownership or as an element of your estate plan.

  Education:

  Certifications:

  Link: Steven L. McKneely

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  Lesli S. Bolner

  Attorney

  LESLI BOLNER enters her second decade of practice having counseled her clients’ real estate concerns during the ever evolving financial cycle – from the prosperous times of land development, financing expansion and construction boom, through economic malaise, then trailing through contractions replete with loan workouts and bankruptcy challenges. Bolner’s work in the law of real estate transactions and litigation touches on many aspects of her clients’ business and personal lives, ranging from sales and leases, to title curative work, to subdivision development and zoning, to resolution of boundary disputes, as well as condominium formation and conversion. This work often requires the formation of business entities such as corporations and limited liability companies appropriate to real estate entities. Not infrequently such real estate matters overlap other areas of the law such as successions and donations. Bolner’s pragmatic approach to identifying and resolving real estate-related problems has also led to her retention by banks and other creditors seeking to resolve potential problems, whether related to title issues or to traditional debtor defaults, such as bankruptcy. Where litigation is required to enforce creditor rights, her experience in representing such clients in trial and appellate courts and U. S. Bankruptcy Courts permits her to use such tools when necessary. When Bolner finds questionable title issues in title examinations or lender loan collateral reviews which require curative work, she draws upon the support of two the nation’s most secure title insurance companies—First American Title Insurance Company and Fidelity National Title Insurance Company--to underwrite problematic titles, thus enabling transactions to close quickly and often without protracted curative work or title litigation. Baton Rouge was Bolner’s childhood home, and after graduating from Louisiana State University, she attended Loyola Law School in New Orleans and earned her Juris Doctor 1992. Roughly the first half of her career was spent practicing in the New Orleans metropolitan area, serving lenders, professionals, and small business owners. Since joining SEALE & ROSS in 2003, she has brought her pragmatic approach to transactional matters to the firm’s North Shore clients. For several years she has served on the Tangipahoa Land Use Planning Committee, responsible for critiquing the development of a land use code for currently unregulated areas of Tangipahoa Parish and redevelopment of subdivision regulations. This work has placed her at the fulcrum of the discussion between proponents of planning for smart growth and advocates of less regulated land use and development policies. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisiana Land Title Association and is Co-Chair of the Legislative Committee, and as such, has drafted, proposed, and lobbied proposed bills before the Louisiana Legislature and Congress. Bolner lives in Hammond with her husband and two children. She is active as a mother of a teenager and pre-teen. She currently serves as Chair of the Finance Council of Holy Ghost Catholic Church and School. She prefers to spend her spare time gardening, identifying and planting trees, and boating.

  Education:

  Certifications:

  Link: Lesli S. Bolner

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  Nicole Roberts Dillon

  Attorney

  NICOLE ROBERTS DILLON was born in Ponchatoula, Louisiana and currently resides in Hammond, Louisiana. She has one son, Collin. Ms. Dillon received her B.S. Degree in Accounting from Louisiana State University in December 2000, graduating Magna Cum Laude in her class. While attending Louisiana State University, Mrs. Dillon was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. After graduation, Ms. Dillon worked at Durnin & James, CPA's as a staff accountant, performing governmental audits, preparing individual and corporate tax returns and dealing with simple and intermediate tax issues. Ms. Dillon chose to pursue her legal education and received her Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University Law School in New Orleans in May 2004. She then joined Seale & Ross. Ms. Dillon has chosen to concentrate her legal practice in the area of domestic litigation and settlement and premarital planning. Ms. Dillon is one of two Board Certified Family Law Specialists in Hammond, a designation awarded by the Louisiana Bar Association after passing written testing and meeting other selective criteria. She was named 2012 Rising Star by Louisiana Super Lawyers. Ms. Dillon has successfully handled child custody/visitation matters, child support, spousal support, civil restraining orders, paternity, protective orders, complex community property settlements, as well as premarital planning and and prenuptial agreements. Ms. Dillon additionally practices in the areas of wills, successions, estate planning, commercial transactions and real estate transactions and is licensed to write title insurance policies in the State of Louisiana. Ms. Dillon is a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church parish. Her son attends St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School. She is currently the Secretary of the Hammond Rotary Club, the attorney for the Louisiana Children’s Discovery Museum on a pro bono basis, secretary for the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School Home and School Association, an elected member of the Krewe of Omega Board (the Hammond Mardi Gras Krewe), a member of LITT (a local service organization of young professionals) and a member of the St. Thomas Aquinas Mom’s Football Club.

  Education:

  Link: Nicole Roberts Dillon

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  Amy Lawler Gonzales

  Attorney

  AMY LAWLER GONZALES was born and raised on the Mexican border in South Texas. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies in 1996 from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. While at Southwestern, she was a member of Phi Alpha Theta and Kappa Delta Pi, honor fraternities. She was also an officer of Alpha Xi Delta sorority. She was selected to study abroad in London. Gonzales worked as a legislative intern under state representative Dianne White Delisi (R-Temple, TX). Gonzales received her Juris Doctor in 2000 from Loyola University-New Orleans School of Law, where she was active with the Women’s Law Student Association and Delta Theta Pi. Gonzales is admitted to practice in state courts in Texas and Louisiana, and in the following federal courts: Middle and Eastern Districts of Louisiana, Bankruptcy- Eastern District of Louisiana, Southern and Northern Districts of Texas and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. While practicing in Texas, she was an officer with the Cameron County Young Lawyer’s Association. She is an active member of the 21st Judicial District Parish Bar Association. She is married, with two young children. Gonzales’ area of practice focuses on litigation on behalf of area-based businesses, as well as representation of various local governmental entities.

  Education:

  Link: Amy Lawler Gonzales

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  Celeste H. Shields

  Attorney

  CELESTE HOYT SHIELDS is a lifelong resident of Louisiana who was born and raised in the local community of Albany. Shields graduated from Louisiana College in May 2004 with a B.A. in History and a minor in Biology. While attending Louisiana College, Shields was a member of the women’s basketball team for one season. Upon graduation, Shields worked as a teacher for two years before beginning her legal education, teaching history at Franklinton High School in Franklinton, Louisiana and then physical education at Houston Heights High School in Houston, Texas. Shields received her Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in May 2010 and was admitted to the bar that same year. While at law school, she was a member of Loyola’s Law Review Journal. Celeste is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and the 21st Judicial District Bar Association, Tangipahoa Professional Women’s Organization, and serves on the Loranger Youth Basketball board. Shields' practice is concentrated in the areas of business and commercial law, with an emphasis on transactional work and business advice and planning. Shields is married to Sean A. Shields, Jr., a New Orleans native and they have two young daughters, Madyson and Ava. Celeste is a member of Eagle Heights Church in Hammond. She is an avid sports fan and enjoys reading, spending time with her family and helping coach her daughters’ basketball teams.

  Education:

  Link: Celeste H. Shields

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  Amanda Casey Desselles

  Attorney

  AMANDA CASEY DESSELLES joined the firm as an associate in July 2014. She works primarily in the areas of domestic and commercial litigation. Ms. Desselles earned her law degree in 2013 from Tulane University Law School, which she attended on a Dean’s Scholarship. During law school, Ms. Desselles served as Senior Notes and Comments Editor on the Tulane Environmental Law Journal, externed with Judge Jerry Brown of the bankruptcy court for the United States Eastern District of Louisiana, and participated in Tulane’s civil litigation boot camp. Prior to pursuing her legal education, Ms. Desselles attended the University of Southern Mississippi Honors College on National Merit and Honors College scholarships. While at Southern Miss, she was nominated by her professors to participate in the Rhodes Scholarship interview program and received the Book Award for the top student in her interdisciplinary honors seminar. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in English, with a minor in French from Southern Miss in 2005, graduating summa cum laude. Ms. Desselles then earned a master of arts degree in English from the University of Mississippi in 2008. Originally from Natchez, Mississippi, Ms. Desselles now makes her home in Ponchatoula with her husband.

  Education:

  Link: Amanda Casey Desselles

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  Jesse P. Lagarde

  Attorney

  Jesse P. Lagarde is a native of Amite, Louisiana and graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Catholic High School in Hammond, Louisiana. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University in 2009, where he studied English literature, political science, and philosophy. As an undergraduate, he was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and currently holds a position on the local alumni board of advisors. Lagarde received his Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center in 2015 and was admitted to the bar that same year. In addition to graduating Magna Cum Laude, he was a member of the SULC’s Law Review Journal and Maritime Law Society. During his matriculation, Lagarde worked at both the state appellate court and federal district court as a judicial law clerk. Before joining SEALE & ROSS in 2016, Lagarde worked as a staff attorney for the 21st Judicial District Court, primarily in criminal, civil, and family law divisions. Currently, his practice focuses on domestic litigation, including custody disputes, divorce, and community property settlements. In addition, he also practices in probate and succession proceedings. Lagarde serves as the secretary-treasurer of the 21st Judicial District Bar Association, and is a member of the Florida Parish Inns of Court and the Louisiana Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in all Louisiana state courts.

  Link: Jesse P. Lagarde

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  Jesse P. Lagarde

  Attorney

  JESSE P. LAGARDE is a native of Amite, Louisiana and graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Catholic High School in Hammond, Louisiana. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University in 2009, where he studied English literature, political science, and philosophy. As an undergraduate, he was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and currently holds a position on the local alumni board of advisors. Lagarde received his Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center in 2015 and was admitted to the bar that same year. In addition to graduating Magna Cum Laude, he was a member of the SULC’s Law Review Journal and Maritime Law Society. During his matriculation, Lagarde worked at both the state appellate court and federal district court as a judicial law clerk. Before joining SEALE & ROSS in 2016, Lagarde worked as a staff attorney for the 21st Judicial District Court, primarily in criminal, civil, and family law divisions. Currently, his practice focuses on domestic litigation, including custody disputes, divorce, and community property settlements. In addition, he also practices in probate and succession proceedings. Lagarde serves as the secretary-treasurer of the 21st Judicial District Bar Association, and is a member of the Florida Parish Inns of Court and the Louisiana Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in all Louisiana state courts.

  Education:

  Link: Jesse P. Lagarde