After nearly fifteen years fighting for people whose lives have been turned upside down by injury, illness, and loss, I’ve learned that what wins cases isn’t performance.
It’s trust.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched a jury respond not to the most polished argument in the room, but to the most honest one. That’s the lawyer I’ve worked to become.
Law was always in my family. My father was in law school when he was drafted to serve in Vietnam, and one of his relatives sat on the Louisiana Supreme Court. But for me, it took some time to find my way there.
I came to it the long way around, through some years of figuring out what I didn’t want, working my way through school, and eventually stumbling into a political science class that changed everything.
By the time I got to Loyola Law School, I knew exactly why I was there. I graduated Cum Laude, competed nationally in Moot Court, and clerked for a federal judge in the Western District of Louisiana.
From there, I spent time at a large defense firm. I enjoyed the people I worked with. But I didn’t belong there, and I knew it pretty quickly. I left, found my way to a prominent plaintiff’s firm, and knew immediately I was in the right place.
A few years later, I went out on my own and founded The Voorhies Law Firm here in New Orleans in 2012. What started as me, one associate attorney, and one office manager is now a team of five seasoned attorneys and a large staff that makes it all work.
“Because of The Voorhies Law Firm, I was able to get neck surgery that I needed so badly for my quality of life. I would refer you to anyone who needs help to get their life back after someone else's negligence. Thank you for getting my quality of life back."
Early in my career, I had a chemical exposure case that I will never forget.
My client had been seriously harmed, and we were up against three large firms fighting us at every turn. I was early in my practice, working around the clock, and learning on the fly. Three years later, we prevailed. That case showed me that with the right client and the right facts, I could go up against anyone. It also showed me something about myself: I do not back down.
What keeps me doing this work, beyond the individual cases, is the larger purpose behind it. Plaintiff’s lawyers are the accountability mechanism for corporations that would otherwise face none. Without us, there is no recourse, no prevention, no reason for companies to prioritize safety over profit.
But it’s the individual clients who stay with me. I can name a dozen people whose cases I resolved over the years: whether it be people with devastating injuries and impossible medical bills, or those whose lives and livelihoods were upended by a major storm – all of whose situations are now more stable because of this work. That is what I always come back to.
Outside the office, I am most at home with my family. My wife and I have two wonderful children, and we are fortunate to be surrounded by both sides of our family within just a few miles. It is the kind of close-knit, communal life that shapes how I show up for people both at home and in this work. When I am not with them, I am probably on a golf course, on my bike, or out fishing.
Every person who calls The Voorhies Law Firm is trusting me with something that matters enormously to them. I know what it means to have that kind of trust placed in you. And I have never once taken it for granted.
