Ronald Sholes

Providing general and regulatory advice to individuals, groups, and government agencies, civil litigator Ronald Sholes handles class actions, mass torts, environmental disputes, and business litigation. He counsels clients in the health care, medical, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing industries, as well as in arbitration and product and professional liability, among other issues.

Sholes contributes to his clients an insider’s knowledge of the judiciary, based on his public service as a district judge in the Civil District Court, Parish of Orleans, and a judge of the Traffic Court for the City of New Orleans. Sholes' training extends to the medical world as well. He earned a master’s degree in public health from Tulane University School of Public Health before he started law school. Naturally, he draws on that formal training when advising his health care-related clients, as it allows him to better understand the often complex issues they encounter.

In his educational capacity, Sholes has taught classes at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and instructed students in trial advocacy at Emory University, Loyola University, and Louisiana State University. He also frequently teaches continuing legal education courses.

Holding leadership roles in the state’s legal world, Sholes served as president of the Louisiana District Judges Association and the Louisiana Fourth and Fifth Circuit Judges Associations. He’s also been president of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel and the St. Thomas More Inn of Court. He sits on the Loyola College of Law Board of Visitors and several Supreme Court and bar association committees.

In the cultural realm, Sholes was president of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Foundation and served on the board of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and Dryades YMCA.