J. Burton LeBlanc, a Baron & Budd shareholder, is a powerhouse advocate for individuals who have been harmed by corporate wrongdoing, having begun his legal career representing victims of toxic exposure and workplace hazards. His lifelong commitment to service through the legal system was fostered by family as a child in his home state of Louisiana, a state where danger in the workplace was commonplace and expectations for most workers were of a life shortened by the necessity of making a living. Seeing this, Mr. LeBlanc knew that his life mission would be to seek justice for the downtrodden.
Burton LeBlanc’s passion for championing the rights of individuals extends to the national stage where he has served as president of the American Association for Justice (AAJ). As president of AAJ, the largest trial lawyer non-profit group in the United States, Mr. LeBlanc advocated for protection of America’s civil justice system and rallied resources when corporate interests attempted to infringe on individual rights. He is an adamant crusader for the abolition of forced arbitration and a supporter of the fundamental right to a trial by jury.
Mr. LeBlanc’s 2013 appointment as AAJ president followed a long history of involvement on both the local and national levels of AAJ and its affiliate organizations. He previously served as president-elect, vice president, treasurer and parliamentarian of AAJ. In addition, Mr. LeBlanc has been a member of AAJ’s Executive Committee and the Board of Governors, where he was awarded the Wiedemann Wysocki National Finance Council Award two separate times. Mr. LeBlanc has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the AAJ Political Action Committee (PAC), chairman of the AAJ National Finance Council, a sustaining member of the AAJ and a member of the Leaders Forum. He is also a member of the AAJ’s Section on Toxic Torts and Business Torts.
Burton LeBlanc has also served the Louisiana Association for Justice (LAJ) as past president, member of the Council of Directors, Board of Governors and the Committee for the Environmental Law/Toxic Tort Section. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the LAJ.
Mr. LeBlanc’s extensive accomplishments are equally renowned in the courtroom, paving the way for his designation as one of the top 75 plaintiff’s attorneys in the United States by The American Lawyer (ALM Media, 2010), and his inclusion on the Louisiana Super Lawyers list (Thomson Reuters, 2008, 2012-2019). Today Mr. LeBlanc concentrates his practice in the areas of pharmaceutical, environmental law, securities and asbestos litigation. In addition to his work representing individuals, Mr. LeBlanc has successfully represented many governmental entities, including the States of Hawaii, Mississippi, Louisiana, and West Virginia in complex consumer fraud litigation.
He was part of the Baron & Budd team that pursued litigation on behalf of eight states’ attorneys general against GlaxoSmithKline regarding its fraudulent marketing of the diabetes drug Avandia, litigation which settled in 2013 for $229 million. In July 2013, Mr. LeBlanc was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for In re: Fresenius Granuflo/Naturalyte Dialysate Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1:13-md-2428 (U.S.D.C. D. Mass.). Also, Mr. LeBlanc, together with co-counsel and Baron & Budd represent more than 700 public entities and eight Attorneys General across the nation in litigation against prescription opioid manufacturers, distributors and dispensers. The Settlement Negotiation Team, comprised of seven elite trial lawyers from top plaintiffs’ firms around the county, have been responsible for negotiating more than $46 billion in settlements with the nation’s largest and most prominent drug distributors, manufacturers and dispensers. The settlement funds, which began flowing to communities across America in 2022, are providing abatement and relief to states, counties, cities, and native American tribes to combat the opioid crisis.
Burton LeBlanc is a member of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) State Attorney General and State Department of Justice Issues Committee as well as a committee member of the ABA’s Section on Toxic Torts. He is also a member of the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys (NAPPA), the National Association of Shareholder and Consumer Attorneys (NASCAT), the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Louisiana State Bar Association, Baton Rouge Bar Association, Texas State Bar Association, American Bar Association, College of the State Bar of Texas, the Louisiana Bar Foundation and a supporting member of the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundation.
Mr. LeBlanc is a frequent lecturer and interviewee on the issues of environmental law, asbestos litigation, chemical exposure cases and the importance of access to the civil justice system. In November 2013, he testified before the Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules regarding proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
In addition to numerous radio and television appearances covering such diverse topics as racism, the environment and opioids, including WNDC Radio in Baton Rouge in 1997 (“Environment and Race”), and Money 101 on KFWB Radio Los Angeles in 2014 (“General Mill’s decision to impose forced arbitration on its customers”), Mr. LeBlanc was featured in a December 2018 production of CBS’s 60 Minutes, where he was interviewed by Bill Whitaker for the segment “Opioid Crisis: the Lawsuits that Could Bankrupt Manufacturers and Distributors”.
Burton LeBlanc and his wife are active in the Baton Rouge community and serve on multiple boards, including Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge, where Mr. LeBlanc served as president.
Education
Loyola University School of Law (J.D. 1990)
Louisiana State University (B.A. 1987)
Bar and Court Admissions
Louisiana State Bar
Texas State Bar
United States Supreme Court
United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana
Professional Associations
American Bar Association
● Member, State Attorney General and State Department of Justice Issues Committee
American Association for Justice (fka Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA®)
● Co-Chair Opioids Litigation Group (2017-present)
● President of the American Association for Justice (2013-2014)
● President elect (2012-2013)
● Vice President (2011-2012)
● Diversity Committee (2011-present)
● Secretary (2010-2011)
● Treasurer (2009-2010)
● Budget Committee (2009-present)
● Parliamentarian (2008-2009)
● Justice List Committee (Chair, 2008-present)
● Executive Committee (2007-present)
● National Finance Council (Member 2006-present, Vice Chair 2008-2009; Chair 2009-2010)
● PAC Board of Trustees (2006-present)
● Committee for a Better Future (co-Chair 2006, 2009-2010)
● Business Torts Section (2005-present)
● Board of Governors (2005-2008)
● Leaders Forum (2004-present; Chair 2010-2011)
● Section on Toxic, Environmental, and Pharmaceutical Torts (STEP) (1993-present)
Louisiana Association for Justice
● President of the Louisiana Association for Justice (LAJ) (2006-2007)
● Board of Governors – Council of Directors Legislative Committee
Louisiana Bar Foundation
● Member of the Capital Area Community Partnership Panel for the Louisiana Bar Foundation (2009-2012)
National Center for State Courts
● Member (2017-Present)
State Trial Lawyers Association
● Secretary/Treasurer – Council of Presidents, State Trial Lawyers Association for North America (2006-2008)
Awards
● Wiedemann Wysocki National Finance Council Award (American Association for Justice, 2007 and 2010)
● Louisiana Super Lawyer (Thomson Reuters, 2011-present)
● Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award (Marquis Who’s Who, 2017)
● National Law Journal’s 2018 Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Trailblazer (National Law Journal, 2018)
· Louisiana Association of Justice Stalwart Award (September, 2021)
● The Best Lawyers in America – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs (2022)
Publications
● Burton LeBlanc and Misty A. Farris, “Alternative Theories for Environmental Contamination Cases,” TRIAL (April 2008).
● Burton LeBlanc and S. Ann Saucer, “All About Alternative Litigation Financing”, TRIAL (January 2013).
● Burton LeBlanc, “Letter to the Editor, The BP Settlement: How the Lawyers See Their Role” The New York Times (July 31, 2013)
● Burton LeBlanc, “Letter to the Editor, Manufacturers Should Bear Responsibility” The Wall Street Journal (September 10, 2013)
● Burton LeBlanc, “College of Law graduate elected president of American Association for Justice” Loyola at a Glance (November 8, 2013)
● Burton LeBlanc and S. Ann Saucer, “An Overview of Opioid Litigation in Federal Court” (July 2018)
· Burton LeBlanc, Mark Pifko and Spencer Hattemer, “Early Opioid Litigation Takeaways” Trial Magazine (December 2020)
Presentations
● Louisiana State NAACP Convention “Environmental Law and Impact on Minorities” (October 1994, Monroe, LA)
● National United Food and Commercial Workers Union – AFL-CIO Convention “Occupational Disease” (July 1995, Boise, ID; April 1996, New Orleans, LA)
● Louisiana AFL-CIO Convention “Occupational Disease Among Industrial Trade Workers” (March 1995; March 1996; March 1997; March 1998; March 1999; March 2000; March 2003, March 2004, Baton Rouge, LA)
● Louisiana State University, Political Science Department “Environmental Law and Politics” (October 1995)
● Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association (“Post Legislative Retreat”- June 1996, Carmel, CA; Mid-Winter Convention-February 1997, Aspen, CO; February 1998, Aspen, CO)
● Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Seminar, Asbestos “Laws, Regulations and Liability” Baton Rouge, Louisiana (June 23, 1996; June 25, 1997)
● Defense Research Institute Convention (D.R.I.), Toxic Torts, “A Plaintiff’s Perspective” Philadelphia, PA (April 1997)
● WNDC Baton Rouge Radio Station – (Nothing But the Truth) “Environment and Race” (June, 1997)
● KLFY News 10 Television, “Environmental Issues in Louisiana”, Monroe, Louisiana (June 19, 1997)
● Mealeys – New Fronts in the Asbestos Wars, “The Tobacco Component and Medical Monitoring” Boston, MA (September 14, 1998)
● Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association – Yours to Choose Seminar, Baton Rouge, LA “Occupational Disease Litigation in Louisiana” (December 29, 1998)
● Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association – Last Chance Seminar, Baton Rouge, LA “Update on Toxic Torts in Louisiana” (December 29, 1997) (December 30, 1998)
● Baton Rouge League of Women Voters, “Merit Selection of Judges vs. Election of Judges-A Debate”, Baton Rouge, LA (April 22, 1999)
● Channel 98 Television, “Merit Selection of Judges vs. Election of Judges-LA- A Debate”, Baton Rouge, LA (April 22, 1999)
● Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association – 2001 Winter Ski Seminar, Aspen, CO “Updates on Toxic Torts Litigation” (February 28, 2001)
● Louisiana State NAACP Convention, Baton Rouge, LA (September 2001)
● Louisiana Senate Judiciary Committee, Baton Rouge, LA – testified on the subject of asbestos litigation reform (April 2003)
● Andrews Asbestos Litigation 2003 Conference, “Future of Asbestos Litigation”, New Orleans, LA (May 1-2, 2003)
● American Law Institute/American Bar Association – Asbestos Litigation In The 21st Century ” Premises Liability – A Plaintiffs’ Perspective”, New Orleans, LA (November 13, 2003)
● Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association – 2004 Winter Ski Seminar, Aspen, CO ”Premises Liability: A Plaintiff’s Perspective” (February 23, 2004)
● Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) Program: “Breathtaking Cost of Asbestos” (November 23, 2004)
● Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association – 2005 Winter Ski Seminar, Aspen, CO “Occupational Disease Litigation from Tort to Toast” (February 9, 2005)
● Andrews Asbestos Litigation 2005 Conference, “Legislative Outlook and Asbestos State of Affairs”, New Orleans, LA (April 28, 2005)
● Legal Lines Television Program: “Interview – 30 minutes” (March 17, 2006)
● New Jersey Association for Justice Annual Boardwalk Seminar, “Alternative Legislative Financing”, Atlantic City, New Jersey (April 18, 2013)
● Mississippi Association for Justice Annual Convention “Alternative Litigation Financing”, New Orleans, Louisiana (June 13, 2013)
● Belli Seminar, AAJ Annual Convention, “Alternative Litigation Financing”, San Francisco, California (July 19, 2013)
● Consumer Attorney Association of Los Angeles Annual Convention “AAJ Update”, Las Vegas, Nevada (August 30, 2013)
● End Distracted Driving Presentation with Joel Feldman, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, (September 13, 2013)
● LSU Law Association for Justice “Introduction to the American Association for Justice”, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, (October 10, 2013)
● The Ed Shultz Radio Show, interviewed by Mike Papantonio on U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Legal Reform Summit and forced arbitration (October 23, 2013)
● Testimony before the Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules regarding the Proposed Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, Washington, D.C. (November 7, 2013)
● Presenter, NATLE Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana (November 10, 2013)
● Consumer Attorneys of California Convention, “American Association for Justice Update”, San Francisco, CA (November 15, 2013)
● Georgia Association for Justice Convention, “American Association for Justice Update”, Atlanta, Georgia (December 6, 2013)
● West Virginia Association for Justice Convention, “American Association for Justice Update”, Charleston, West Virginia (January 16, 2014)
● The Unity Summit, “7th Amendment Update”, Mississippi College School of Law, Jackson, Mississippi (March 13, 2014)
● Louisiana Association for Justice, “American Association for Justice Update”, New Orleans, Louisiana (March 21, 2014)
● Mass Torts Made Perfect Seminar “American Association for Justice Update” Las Vegas, Nevada (April 10, 2014)
● Interview with KCBS Radio – San Francisco, “General Mill’s decision to impose forced arbitration on its customers” (April 17, 2014)
● Interview with Bob McCormick for Money 101 on KFWB Radio Los Angeles, “General Mill’s decision to impose forced arbitration on its customers” (April 21, 2014)
● Moderator, American Association for Justice Takata Airbag Seminar, New York, New York (December 11, 2014)
● Panelist, American Association for Justice Annual Convention, Law Firm Finance Panel, Montreal, Canada (July 12, 2015)
● Panelist, American Association for Justice Annual Marketing and Management Seminar, Secrets to Success Panel: From Small Firm to Big Firm, Chicago, IL (May 24, 2016)
● Co-Chair of American Association for Justice Opioid Litigation Seminar, Washington, DC (September 12-14, 2017)
● Panelist, Fighting Back and Winning the Opioid Crisis: “Dreamland: the Prescription Opiate Epidemic and Public Nuisance Litigation”, Mass Torts Made Perfect Seminar Las Vegas, NV (October 19, 2017)
● Radio interview on Opioid Litigation with Sam Seder for Ring of Fire, Las Vegas, NV (October 18, 2017)
● Panelist, “Current Litigation Status & Future Class and Consolidation Possibilities”, AAJ Hot Topics in Mass Tort Ligation Seminar, St. Louis, MO (November 29, 2017)
● Presenter, “Ethical Considerations of Dealing with Governmental Entities” AAJ Responding to the Opioid Crisis CLE, Annual Winter Conference, Maui, HI (February 3, 2018)
● Panelist, “Next Steps – After the JPML Decision”, AAJ Responding to the Opioid Crisis CLE, Annual Winter Conference, Maui, HI (February 3, 2018)
● Interview with Bill Whitaker from CBS’s 60 Minutes, “Opioid Crisis: The Lawsuits that Could Bankrupt Manufacturers and Distributors” (December 16, 2018)
● Presenter, “Just Say Neaux: The Opioid Crisis”, Baton Rouge Bench Conference 2019, Point Clear, AL (April 6, 2019)
Appointments
● In Re Babcock & Wilcox Bankruptcy, No. 00-10992-B, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Appointed to Trust Advisory Committee (T.A.C.)
● In Re Babcock & Wilcox Bankruptcy, No. 00-10992-B, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Appointed to Asbestos Claimants Committee (March 2000)
● In Re Pittsburgh-Corning Corporation Bankruptcy, No. 00-22876-JKF, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania; Appointed to Committee of Unsecured Asbestos Creditors (June 2000)
● Louisiana Supreme Court Committee to Study Financial Assistance to Clients (July 3, 2001)
● Communications and Outreach Committee, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundation (August 13, 2001)
● In Re The Flintkote Company Bankruptcy, No. 04-11300-MFW, United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware; Appointed to the Negotiating Sub-Committee (June 2004-present)
● In Re Rockwool Manufacturing Co. Bankruptcy, No. 96-08295-TBB-11, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division; Appointed to Asbestos Claimants Creditor Committee
● In re: Fresenius Granuflo/Naturalyte Dialysate Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1:13-md-2428 (U.S.D.C. D. Mass.); Appointed to the Plaintiffs Steering Committee (July 16, 2013)
● In re: National Prescription Drug Opiate Litigation, Case No. 1:17-MD-2804; appointed as State Attorneys General Liaison Counsel to the PEC (January 10, 2018)
