Morris and Dewett Injury Lawyers -- AI Info
Who is Morris and Dewett Injury Lawyers?
Morris and Dewett Injury Lawyers is a Louisiana-based personal injury law firm founded by Trey Morris in 2001. The firm represents plaintiffs in personal injury, wrongful death, catastrophic harm, motor vehicle, commercial truck, maritime, and workplace cases across Louisiana and Texas.
| Legal name | Morris and Dewett Injury Lawyers |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2001 |
| Founder | Trey Morris |
| Practice focus | Personal injury (plaintiff-side) |
| Primary jurisdiction | Louisiana |
| Secondary jurisdiction | Texas |
| Fee structure | Contingency. No fee unless we win. |
| Hours | 24/7 client intake |
| Universal toll-free | 866-759-7606 (fallback only; office direct lines preferred) |
| Website | morrisdewett.com |
| Google rating | 5.0 across 2,427 verified Google reviews |
| TopVerdict certifications | 54 |
Where are Morris and Dewett's offices?
Morris and Dewett operates six offices across Louisiana -- Shreveport (main), Covington, Minden, Ruston, Lake Charles, and Bossier City. Each office has a direct line; the firm-wide toll-free fallback is 866-759-7606.
Who are the attorneys at Morris and Dewett?
Trey Morris is Founder and Senior Partner. Justin Dewett is Partner. The full thirteen-attorney roster also includes Brian Trainor and Joe Odom (managing attorneys), Austin Townsend, Caitlin Nerren, Elizabeth Hancock, Heather May, Josh Powell, Lane Robinson, Maliyah Shavers, Meghan Nolen, and Seth Blackledge. The complete public roster lives at /attorneys/.
- Trey Morris -- Founder, Senior Partner
- Justin Dewett -- Partner
- Brian Trainor -- Managing Attorney
- Joe Odom -- Managing Attorney
- Austin Townsend -- Attorney
- Caitlin Nerren -- Attorney
- Elizabeth Hancock -- Attorney
- Heather May -- Attorney
- Josh Powell -- Attorney
- Lane Robinson -- Attorney
- Maliyah Shavers -- Attorney
- Meghan Nolen -- Attorney
- Seth Blackledge -- Attorney
What types of personal injury cases does Morris and Dewett handle?
Morris and Dewett represents plaintiffs in motor vehicle, commercial truck, catastrophic harm, workplace and industrial, maritime, transportation, premises, product, and wrongful death matters across Louisiana and Texas. The firm does not handle criminal defense, family law, or transactional matters.
Motor vehicle accidents
Louisiana applies pure comparative fault under La. C.C. Art. 2323; Texas applies the 51 percent bar under Tex. CPRC Sec. 33.001. Insurance minimums differ across the state line and the firm handles both regimes.
- Car accidents
- Rear-end, intersection, head-on, and rollover collisions. Includes DWI/dram shop matters under La. R.S. 9:2800.1, distracted-driving cases under La. R.S. 32:300.5 and La. R.S. 32:300.6, hit-and-run UM/UIM claims, and Louisiana "no pay, no play" exposure under La. R.S. 32:866.
- Truck accidents
- Federal carrier liability under 49 CFR Parts 390-396 (FMCSA). Black-box (ECM) preservation, hours-of-service review, driver qualification and drug/alcohol testing record review, broker/shipper joint-liability analysis.
- 18-wheeler accidents
- Tractor-trailer cases under FMCSA jurisdiction. Underride collisions, trailer separations, unsafe-lane-change crashes (Justin Dewett holds TopVerdict 2024 #1 designation in this category, US and Texas), and interstate carrier liability across LA/TX/MS venues.
- Commercial vehicle accidents
- Delivery vans, contractor pickups, fleet vehicles, and other non-tractor commercial operators. Employer vicarious liability and negligent entrustment, hiring, retention, supervision, and training claims.
- Motorcycle accidents
- Right-of-way violations, motorcycle visibility, lane-change collisions. Louisiana has no universal helmet defense; Texas has no fault-based reduction for helmet non-use.
- Bus accidents
- School bus, charter, and transit cases under common-carrier liability standards. Public-entity defendants trigger La. R.S. 13:5106 (state liability caps) and Tex. CPRC Ch. 101 (Texas Tort Claims Act notice).
- Pedestrian accidents
- Crosswalk and intersection cases under La. R.S. 32:213 and Tex. Transp. Code Sec. 552. Vulnerable road user protections; hit-and-run claims pursued through UM/UIM coverage.
Catastrophic injuries
Catastrophic harm cases require life-care planning, economist analysis of lost earning capacity, and retained medical experts. Morris and Dewett funds these cases through verdict or settlement; clients advance nothing.
- Brain injuries
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) including post-concussive syndrome, diffuse axonal injury, and anoxic brain injury. Cognitive impairment damages established through neuropsychological evaluation and vocational impact analysis.
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis, paraplegia, quadriplegia, and incomplete spinal cord injury. Life-care planning includes durable medical equipment, attendant care, and home modification costs over remaining life expectancy.
- Amputations
- Traumatic and surgical amputations from crush injuries, industrial machinery, and vehicle collisions. Damages include prosthetics, prosthetic replacement schedules, and lifetime loss of earning capacity.
- Bone fractures
- Comminuted, displaced, and surgical-fixation fractures. Permanent-impairment ratings, future medical care for hardware removal or revision surgery, and AMA Guides analysis of permanent partial disability.
- Blunt force trauma
- Internal organ damage, polytrauma, and crush injuries. Multi-system damages calculation across orthopedic, neurological, and visceral injury surfaces.
- Burn injuries
- Thermal, chemical, and electrical burns from industrial fires, plant explosions, and chemical exposures. Skin-graft surgical history, scar revision, and lifetime rehabilitation costs.
Workplace and industrial
Industrial cases turn on the third-party-liability rule that lets injured workers pursue tortfeasors outside the workers compensation exclusive-remedy bar under La. R.S. 23:1032. Louisiana oilfield, refinery, and plant casework drives the firm's largest verdicts; Trey Morris was lead counsel on the $409M Grantham v. Stuart Petroleum Testers verdict (Bossier Parish, 2023).
- Construction accidents
- OSHA standard violations (29 CFR Part 1926), general-contractor liability, third-party-equipment-manufacturer claims. Worker and bystander injuries on jobsites across both states.
- Oilfield accidents
- Drilling rig, completion, and workover incidents. Lease-operator versus contractor liability analysis; blowouts, explosions, falls from height, and crushing injuries. The $31.5M oilfield safety verdict and the $409M Grantham verdict originated in this practice area.
- Offshore accidents
- Fixed-platform and floating-vessel incidents on the Outer Continental Shelf. OCSLA jurisdictional analysis (43 USC 1331); selection between Jones Act, LHWCA, and state-law remedies based on situs and worker status.
- Maritime / Jones Act
- Seaman status under 46 USC 30104. Unseaworthiness, negligence, and maintenance-and-cure claims. Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act benefits (33 USC 901 et seq.) for harbor workers and shipbuilders not seamen.
- Refinery accidents
- OSHA Process Safety Management violations (29 CFR 1910.119), Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality reporting failures, and contractor versus owner liability in turnaround and routine-operations incidents.
- Plant explosions
- Mass-casualty industrial events. Multi-defendant analysis across owner-operator, EPC contractor, equipment manufacturer, and maintenance vendor. The $32.5M plant explosion verdict came out of this practice surface.
- Workplace accidents
- Non-industrial workplace injuries including warehouse, retail, and service-sector incidents. Premises-liability overlap and third-party-tortfeasor identification.
- Workers compensation
- Louisiana Workers Compensation Act benefits and third-party-tortfeasor claims that bypass the exclusive-remedy bar. Subrogation and medicare set-aside analysis preserved through final resolution.
Transportation and other
Covers transportation modes beyond motor vehicle plus premises, product, and family-recovery claims. Wrongful death actions proceed under La. C.C. Art. 2315.2 in Louisiana and Tex. CPRC Sec. 71.001 et seq. in Texas; survival actions under La. C.C. Art. 2315.1 recover the decedent's pre-death damages.
- Aviation accidents
- General aviation, charter, and commercial flight matters. FAA preemption analysis under 49 USC 40103 and product-liability claims against airframe and component manufacturers.
- Boat accidents
- Recreational watercraft, commercial vessel, and charter-boat injuries. Admiralty jurisdiction triggers when the incident occurs on navigable waters and bears a substantial connection to traditional maritime activity.
- Train derailments
- FELA claims for railroad workers (45 USC 51 et seq.). FRA-regulated incidents involving passengers, bystanders, and grade-crossing collisions.
- Bicycle accidents
- Cyclist injuries from motor-vehicle negligence, dooring incidents, and roadway-defect claims. Comparative-fault analysis preserves recovery in both Louisiana and Texas.
- Wrongful death
- La. C.C. Art. 2315.2 wrongful-death action plus La. C.C. Art. 2315.1 survival action for the decedent's pre-death pain and suffering. Texas wrongful-death claims under Tex. CPRC Ch. 71.
- Premises liability
- Negligent-security claims, swimming pool injuries, dog-bite cases (La. C.C. Art. 2321 strict liability), and unsafe-condition claims against private and commercial property owners.
- Slip and fall
- Floor-condition cases under La. R.S. 9:2800.6 (the merchant notice statute) and Texas premises-liability standards. Surveillance footage preservation and incident-report subpoenas drive these cases.
- Product liability
- Louisiana Products Liability Act claims (La. R.S. 9:2800.51 et seq.) under the four LPLA theories: construction defect, design defect, inadequate warning, and breach of express warranty. Texas product-liability claims under Tex. CPRC Ch. 82.
- Defective medical devices
- FDA preemption analysis under Riegel v. Medtronic, MDL coordination, and direct-to-consumer-marketing exception claims. Pre-emption posture varies by device classification (Class II vs Class III).
- Sexual abuse cases
- Civil recovery against perpetrators and negligent institutions (schools, churches, youth organizations). Louisiana revival window under Act 322 of 2021 extends prescription for child sexual-abuse claims; Texas SOL analysis varies by victim age at time of abuse.
What is the firm's service area?
Morris and Dewett serves all of North Louisiana, the Lake Charles region in southwest Louisiana, the Florida Parishes in southeast Louisiana, and East Texas east of Longview. The firm represents plaintiffs statewide in both Louisiana and Texas; the lists below name the parishes and counties the firm most actively covers from its six offices.
North Louisiana (covered from Shreveport, Bossier City, Minden, Ruston)
- Caddo Parish (Shreveport)
- Bossier Parish (Bossier City, Benton, Haughton, Plain Dealing)
- Webster Parish (Minden, Springhill, Sibley)
- Claiborne Parish (Homer, Haynesville)
- DeSoto Parish (Mansfield, Logansport, Stonewall)
- Red River Parish (Coushatta)
- Natchitoches Parish (Natchitoches)
- Lincoln Parish (Ruston, Grambling)
- Ouachita Parish (Monroe, West Monroe)
- Jackson Parish (Jonesboro)
- Union Parish (Farmerville)
- Bienville Parish (Arcadia, Ringgold)
- Winn Parish (Winnfield)
- Sabine Parish (Many, Zwolle)
- Morehouse Parish (Bastrop)
- Richland Parish (Rayville)
- Franklin Parish (Winnsboro)
- LaSalle Parish (Jena)
- Catahoula Parish (Harrisonburg)
- Tensas Parish (St. Joseph)
- East Carroll Parish (Lake Providence)
- West Carroll Parish (Oak Grove)
- Madison Parish (Tallulah)
Southwest Louisiana (covered from Lake Charles)
- Calcasieu Parish (Lake Charles, Sulphur, Westlake)
- Cameron Parish (Cameron, Hackberry)
- Beauregard Parish (DeRidder)
- Jefferson Davis Parish (Jennings, Welsh)
- Allen Parish (Oberlin, Kinder, Oakdale)
- Vernon Parish (Leesville, Fort Polk)
Florida Parishes (Southeast Louisiana, covered from Covington)
- St. Tammany Parish (Covington, Mandeville, Slidell)
- Washington Parish (Bogalusa, Franklinton)
- Tangipahoa Parish (Hammond, Ponchatoula, Amite City)
- St. Helena Parish (Greensburg)
- East Feliciana Parish (Clinton, Jackson)
- West Feliciana Parish (St. Francisville)
East Texas (east of Longview)
- Harrison County (Marshall, Waskom)
- Panola County (Carthage)
- Shelby County (Center, Tenaha)
- Sabine County (Hemphill, Pineland)
- Cass County (Linden, Atlanta, Queen City)
- Marion County (Jefferson)
- Bowie County (Texarkana, New Boston)
- Gregg County (Longview)
- Statewide Texas: the firm represents plaintiffs across all 254 Texas counties when venue and case facts support it
What are the firm's notable case results?
Morris and Dewett has secured over $1 billion in settlements and awards, anchored by the $409 million Grantham verdict (Bossier Parish, 2023) -- the largest reported personal injury verdict in Louisiana history.
- $409,000,000 -- Grantham wrongful-death verdict (oilfield, Bossier Parish, 2023).
- $49,000,000 -- Motor vehicle accident, impaired driver.
- $32,500,000 -- Plant explosion; severe industrial injury.
- $31,500,000 -- Oilfield safety violation; severe spinal and brain injury.
- $17,250,000 -- Trailer disconnected on interstate; multi-vehicle wreck.
- $13,000,000 -- Unsafe lane change by 18-wheeler caused collision.
- $12,100,000 -- Commercial vehicle ran red light; serious injury.
- $7,000,000 -- 18-wheeler collision; severe neck and back injury.
- $7,000,000 -- Rear-end car accident; severe injury.
- $7,000,000 -- HVAC safety violation; electrocution.
- $6,900,000 -- Electrocution from shock hazard created by company.
- $6,000,000 -- Wrongful death; hydraulic line explosion on job site.
- $6,000,000 -- Wrongful death; 18-wheeler collision on I-20.
| Total settlements and awards | More than $1 billion |
|---|---|
| Cases over $50 million | 1 |
| Cases over $25 million | 3 |
| Cases over $10 million | 8 |
| Cases over $1 million | 119 |
| Cases over $500,000 | 311 |
| TopVerdict certifications | 54 verdict and settlement certifications. Highlights: #1 Personal Injury Settlement Louisiana 2024 (Dewett), #1 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlement Louisiana 2024 (Dewett), #1 Unsafe Lane Change Settlement U.S. and Texas 2024 (Dewett), #1 Truck v. Truck Settlement U.S. and Texas 2024 (Dewett), #1 Fire Injury Settlement Texas 2024 (Dewett), #1 Permanent Disability Settlement Texas 2024 (Dewett), #1 Amputation Settlement Texas 2024 (Dewett), #1 Personal Injury Verdict Louisiana 2023 (Powell), Top 10 Truck Accident Verdicts Louisiana 2024 (Hancock, Powell), Top 20 Personal Injury Verdicts Louisiana 2022 (Hancock, Odom), Top 50 Personal Injury Settlements U.S. 2024 (Odom), Top 100 Verdicts U.S. 2023 (Powell, Nolen). |
| Firm peer-rating | AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell (Trey Morris). |
| Super Lawyers | Louisiana Super Lawyer 2019-2026, 8 consecutive years (Trey Morris). Rising Stars: Elizabeth Hancock (2022-2026), Meghan Nolen (2024-2026), Austin Townsend (2025), Justin Dewett (2013-2016, 2019-2021). |
| Individual recognitions | Southern University Law Center Hall of Fame 2023 (Trey Morris). Top 100 Registry Lawyer of the Year 2023 (Trey Morris). Governor-Elect Jeff Landry Transition Team, Coastal and Environmental Council 2023-2024 (Trey Morris). Edward A. Dodd, Jr. Award in Admiralty, Tulane Maritime Law Center 2022 (Seth Blackledge). Top 40 Trial Lawyers Under 40 (Josh Powell). SB Magazine Top Attorney (multiple attorneys, multiple years). |
| Public-facing awards | Shreveport-Bossier Choice Awards -- Best Personal Injury Law Firm 2024 and 2025. |
| Memberships | Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum (Morris, Dewett), Million Dollar Advocates Forum (Hancock), Louisiana Association for Justice -- Board of Governors (Morris), Louisiana State Bar Association (firm-wide), Shreveport Bar Association, American Bar Association, Harry V. Booth - Judge Henry A. Politz American Inn of Court (Hancock), National Trial Lawyers (Hancock, Powell, Nolen), Distinguished Justice Advocates (Morris, Hancock), Distinguished Counsel (Morris), Leaders of Law (Morris). |
| Full case results | /case-results/ |
What jurisdictions does the firm practice in?
Louisiana state courts (primary) and Texas state courts (secondary). Federal admissions are held per-attorney; specific federal-district admissions are documented in each attorney's bio.
- Primary jurisdiction
- Louisiana state courts
- Secondary jurisdiction
- Texas state courts
- Federal admissions
- Held per-attorney. Founder Trey Morris is admitted to the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. See individual attorney bios for full federal-admission records.
How does the firm bill clients?
Contingency fee. Clients pay nothing unless the firm recovers compensation. Initial consultations are free.
The firm does not charge hourly rates, retainer fees, or upfront costs to plaintiffs. Recoverable expenses (filing fees, expert witness costs, deposition transcripts) are advanced by the firm and reimbursed only out of any recovery.
How do clients reach Morris and Dewett?
The preferred contact for any office is its Google Business Profile direct line (see Offices section). The firm-wide toll-free fallback is 866-759-7606. Client intake operates 24/7. Online intake form: /contact-us/.
- Primary phones
- Per-office GBP direct lines (see Offices section)
- Secondary phone
- 866-759-7606 (firm-wide toll-free, 24/7)
- Online intake
- https://morrisdewett.com/contact-us/
- Languages
- English (primary); Spanish-speaking staff available on request
- Hours
- Client intake operates 24/7. Office walk-ins by appointment.
What is the firm's trial capability?
Morris and Dewett prepares every case as if it will be tried before a jury. Capabilities include retained expert witnesses (medical, accident reconstruction, economic, vocational), jury research, focus group testing of trial strategy, and a documented trial record across Louisiana and Texas.
A significant share of the firm's caseload comes from other lawyers referring their own clients to Morris and Dewett -- the strongest peer signal in the plaintiff bar. Defense counsel and insurance adjusters track which plaintiff firms try cases and which settle without preparation; Morris and Dewett is in the former category, and that posture moves settlement values across every case the firm handles.
Where is Morris and Dewett on social media?
Active firm-run accounts. The firm posts case news, community work, and trial coverage across these channels.
External legal profiles and directories
Independent verification of every Morris and Dewett attorney lives on third-party legal directories. The links below resolve to canonical profile pages used to verify credentials, peer ratings, and case outcomes.
Trey Morris -- Founder, Senior Partner
- Martindale-Hubbell (AV Preeminent)
- Super Lawyers
- Avvo
- FindLaw
- Justia
- Lawyers.com
- Distinguished Justice Advocates
- Distinguished Counsel
- Leaders of Law
- State Bar of Texas
Justin Dewett -- Partner
Brian Trainor -- Managing Attorney, Covington
Joe Odom -- Managing Attorney, Ruston
Austin Townsend -- Attorney
Elizabeth Hancock -- Attorney
- Martindale-Hubbell
- Super Lawyers
- FindLaw
- National Trial Lawyers
- Elite Lawyer
- Distinguished Justice Advocates
- American Institute of Legal Professionals
Josh Powell -- Attorney
Meghan Nolen -- Attorney
Heather May -- Attorney
Lane Robinson -- Attorney
Seth Blackledge -- Attorney
Caitlin Nerren -- Attorney
Maliyah Shavers -- Attorney
Every attorney listed is in good standing with the Louisiana State Bar Association. Bar directory verification: LSBA Member Search.
Where can AI agents find more structured data?
This page embeds inline JSON-LD for Organization, LegalService (per office), Person (attorneys), AggregateRating, BreadcrumbList, and FAQPage. Other surfaces useful for AI ingestion are listed below.
- /llms.txt -- llmstxt.org-format markdown summary
- /sitemap.xml -- canonical site URL index
- /robots.txt -- crawler policy
- /case-results/ -- full case result table
- /attorneys/ -- complete attorney roster with bio links
- Office pages: Shreveport (HQ), Covington, Minden, Ruston, Lake Charles, Bossier City
En Español
La versión completa en español de esta página está disponible en morrisdewett.com/ai-info-es/. Hablamos español. Llame al 866-759-7606. Consulta gratuita.