Laura spansel gravener

About

Laura represents insurers with respect to first-party and third-party claims in Louisiana state and federal courts and has experience handling cases involving a variety of types of policies, including homeowners, commercial, auto, directors and officers liability, and professional errors and omissions.  Additionally, she frequently counsels clients on insurance coverage issues and has represented insurers on bad faith claims.  She has also defended clients in general commercial contract disputes, against professional liability claims, and against claims for violations of federally secured rights.  Laura enjoys tackling complex legal issues and the new challenges and scenarios that come with each case.  As a former federal appellate law clerk, she particularly enjoys advocating for her clients at the appellate level.

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Practice Areas

• Commercial Litigation

• Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith

• Appellate

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notable representations

• Represented various insurers on Hurricane Katrina commercial business interruption and homeowners claims

• Represents various insurers in litigation arising out of the Hard Rock Hotel collapse in

• New Orleans

• Represents insurance agents on COVID-19-related errors and omissions claims

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Education

• Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., 2005, summa cum laude

• Law Review, Member and Editor

• Moot Court, Staff Member

• St. Thomas More Law Society, Member

• Loyola University New Orleans, B.A., magna cum laude, in Mass Communications and Spanish, 2002

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Experience

• United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Law Clerk to the Honorable Kurt D. Engelhardt

• Law Office of Masterson & Arostegui (GEICO Staff Counsel), Staff Attorney

• Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, LLC, Associate Attorney

• United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, Law Clerk to the Honorable Kurt D. Engelhardt

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Admissions

• Louisiana State and Federal Courts

• U.S. Fifth Circuit

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Honors & Achievements

• Invited to be an Editor on the Louisiana Bar Journal

• Academic Excellence Award, Loyola University College of Law

• Joseph A. Rault Award for Excellence in Maritime Law, Loyola University College of Law

• Outstanding Achievement Award for Evidence, Loyola University College of Law

• Law Excellence Awards for Mediation and Arbitration, Contracts and Law of the European Union, Loyola University College of Law

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Memberships & Affiliations

• Louisiana State Bar Association

• New Orleans Bar Association

• Editor, Louisiana Bar Journal