About Us

My Life is Defined By Disaster

It’s 2005, I’m 21, and Hurricane Katrina has just devastated New Orleans. I’m living in Boston, unsure about what I really want to do with my life, so I decide to take a few months off and volunteer in Nola.

It’s a weird, dangerous place to be in the months after the storm. But I’m helping to gut houses and hand out supplies. I see firsthand the physical devastation of a hurricane – destroyed neighborhoods, long gas lines, and displaced people with nowhere to go.

Many insurance companies refuse to pay, and even more people aren’t insured. I feel the community’s shock and anger, and I feel like I need to do something.


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I helped start the Student Hurricane Network, and suddenly I’m bonding with lawyers and law students and getting involved in the legal process so people can rebuild their homes and reclaim their lives.

It’s wild, it’s scary, but I love it. I came to New Orleans as a music student, but I realize that law is what I love most, so I enroll in Tulane Law School.

After graduating, my grades earned me offers at my pick of law firms. I chose a great firm in New York based on the people who I thought were amazing.

And then, my first assignment is helping a huge insurance company figure out how to save millions by NOT paying a claim – the exact opposite of who I thought I’d be.

Next, the economy tanked— spring of 2009.

The firm paid me to defer for a year. The only catch was I needed to do volunteer work. I loved it.

Returning to New Orleans, I surrounded myself again with lawyers and mentors I admired and respected. They passed on amazing skills of being an excellent lawyer and taking a case to trial. They also taught me how to negotiate in a way where the client always comes first.

Over the next year, I try domestic violence cases, go to court, and advocate for victims – experiences I wouldn’t have gotten for at least another decade in NYC – IF I even made it to partner.

Getting thrown all in was a great baptism by fire, and I didn’t want to leave. As the economy recovered, I quit the NYC firm.

Needing to make a living, I joined a local boutique defense firm.

And what do they assign me to do? Help a company figure out how to NOT pay for fire damage! I hated the work, but I did learn how insurance companies think.

One day, I’m with a discrimination case client. He starts weeping in the middle of our meeting, and he can’t focus - his house had just burned down.

So I work with another attorney and a public adjuster to rehouse him - I was in love!

This was when I discovered what I really wanted to do with my life.

So I learned a new area of law which I eventually mastered, property casualty.

On August 1, 2020, with little fanfare, I launch my firm, dedicated to helping victims of disaster.

Insurance Claim HQ was off and running.

Then Hurricane Laura hits Louisiana.

I feel the same magnetic force as Katrina.

I throw my stuff in an RV, and my fiance doesn’t see me for months. The firm I’ve just started has to figure out how to run without me.

I immediately start helping people with their insurance inspections and I barbeque for hundreds of people every night. It inadvertently results in a lot of new clients.

I add rocket fuel to this growth by hiring some of America’s best property casualty lawyers.

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Although my path was different, it feels good helping people through disasters.

I don’t wake up in the morning and care about what’s in my bank account. I only go to sleep thinking about who we helped today and what we can do tomorrow.

We fight like hell; it’s in our marrow. Our clients return home fast, and we’ve won millions in insurance claims from Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Ida.

And as I write this, six families have been rehoused in the last 30 minutes. No matter how big we get, it’s the one statistic I require to be reported to me daily.

I’m so lucky and can’t imagine doing anything else.

Awards

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A Multi-Talented Team With a Singular Focus

We have decades of experience fighting for the rights of policy holders like you. Meet some of the attorneys dedicated to helping hold your insurance provider accountable.
We’re On Your Side

Galen M. Hair

Managing Partner
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Alexander Shunnarah

Managing Partner
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Lori A. Waters

Managing Attorney
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Lauren E. Checki

Attorney
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David C. Spinner

Attorney
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Trent J. Moss

Attorney
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Madison C. Pitre

Attorney
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J. Ross Massey

Of Counsel
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Kyle C. Usner

Attorney
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Larry Nussbaum

Of Counsel
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Mary K. Taliancich

Attorney
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John S.H. Miner

Of Counsel
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Lindsey Topp

Attorney
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W. Parker Logan

Attorney
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Shay Fabacher Jaumé

Attorney
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Ashley Schmidt

Attorney
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Gretchen L. Liljeberg

Attorney
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Jared M. Shearman

Attorney
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Rene Gautreaux

Attorney
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Thomas Myers

Attorney
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Jason Manten

Attorney
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Christopher G. Otten

Attorney
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Ankur Shah

Attorney
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M Ross Huffstutler

Attorney
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Alex S. Dunn Jr.

Attorney
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Hon. Hans J. Liljeberg (ret.)

Attorney
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Calsie M. Boyd

Attorney
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George Jackson

Attorney
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Carrie Gaines

Attorney
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Greta Lloyd

Attorney
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Janae Torrence

Attorney
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Picking Up The Pieces

Pick up the book by Galen Hair to help you navigate life after disaster strikes. Picking Up The Pieces helps you understand:

Why you need to file a property claim

Who adjusters are and how they really work

How to avoid being taken advantage of

How to get temporary accommodations

And more

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PODCAST

In the Level Up Claims Podcast, host Galen Hair talks to property casualty industry experts, business leaders, and thought leaders to help our audience grow their business and personal lives.
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