Mark F. Lopez

About

Mark F. Lopez is a seasoned trial attorney with extensive courtroom experience. Before joining Pipes Miles Beckman, Mark served for over a decade as a prosecutor, trying hundreds of criminal cases to verdict and earning a reputation as a tenacious and ethical advocate. As an Assistant Attorney General and Assistant District Attorney, Mark prosecuted complex cases involving murder, arson, public corruption, fraud, and violent crimes in jurisdictions throughout the state.

 

During his tenure as an Assistant Attorney General, Mark handled matters across Louisiana, providing counsel to law enforcement agencies and leading investigations into corruption and fraud. In his years as a prosecutor, he secured numerous convictions in high-stakes cases including the conviction of Andrew Mitchell, who orchestrated a large-scale insurance fraud scheme following Hurricane Ida. Mark’s efforts in that case resulted in a 20-year maximum sentence and restitution for victims—a testament to his ability to uncover deception and deliver justice.

 

Drawing on this depth of prosecutorial and investigative experience, Mark now defends insurers against fraudulent and bad faith claims, bringing the same rigor, discernment, and trial readiness that defined his career in public service. His background uniquely qualifies him to identify and dismantle exaggerated or illegitimate claims and to protect his clients against abuse of the judicial system.

 

In addition to his litigation practice, Mark is dedicated to teaching and community engagement. He serves as a faculty instructor at Tulane Law School, where he teaches trial advocacy, preparing law students for the realities of courtroom practice. He is also an instructor for the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, where he trains new police recruits from across the River Parishes in investigative techniques and the fundamentals of criminal law.

 

Whether defending insurers or teaching the next generation of advocates and investigators, Mark approaches every case and classroom with the same principle: no stone left unturned. Clients and colleagues alike can trust that, in his hands, every case is trial-ready and that when the time comes, he can go to court at a moment’s notice and deliver results.

 

Mark is excited to bring his depth of trial experience and zealous advocacy to the firm’s litigation practice.  When he’s not in the courtroom, Mark enjoys camping trips with his wife and their two daughters, cheering on the Saints, and playing softball with old friends.

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Practice Areas

• Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith

• Commercial Litigation​​​​​​

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Notable Representations

• Conviction of Andrew Mitchell for Hurricane Ida Fraud:
  In August 2023, Mark secured the conviction of 44-year-old Andrew Mitchell for orchestrating a scheme in which he posed as a public insurance adjuster after Hurricane Ida, solicited victims of the storm, and then diverted insurance payments instead of turning them over to the homeowners. He stole more than $200,000 from four victims in St. Charles Parish and targeted additional victims in multiple parishes, with total losses approaching $600,000. As a result, he was sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison.

• Conviction of Daniel Salazar
  In May of 2022, in a high-profile prosecution in St. Charles Parish, Mark secured a 44-year sentence against a defendant convicted of dozens of sex-crime offenses including sexual battery and molestation of a juvenile under age 13.

• Conviction of Hunter Johnson
  In March 2021, a highway worker named Brady Ortego was killed when a truck driven by Hunter Johnson entered an active work zone on the Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge (I-310) and struck multiple vehicles, causing Brady to be thrown from the bridge. Mark secured the conviction of Hunter Johnson who was sentenced to 30 years.

• Conviction of Gabriel Hunter
  In 2019, Mark prosecuted a New Orleans case that resulted in a 52-year-old man being sentenced to 50 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of sexually molesting a child under the age of 13, a crime that commenced when the victim was just eight years old.

• Conviction of Johnny Jefferson
  In July of 2019, Mark, along with his colleague Mike Trummel secured a life sentence following a unanimous verdict against Johnny Jefferson for Second Degree Murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Sam Carter.

• Conviction of Tyrone Duckett
  In September of 2018 Mark prosecuted the trial of Tyrone Duckett who murdered a woman following an illegal dice game in New Orleans. After his closing arguments, the jury returned a unanimous verdict convicting Duckett of Second Degree Murder and sentencing him to a mandatory life sentence.

 

Education

• University of Tennessee Winston College of Law, JD, Class of 2014

  • Achieved Specialization in Advocacy Counseling

  • Recipient of the UT Law Scholarship

• University of Tennessee, Master’s of Sports Management, Class of 2011

  • Administrative Graduate Assistant for the University’s Recreation Department

• University of Florida, BS, Microbiology, Class of 2009

  • Recipient of the Florida Merrit Scholarship

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Admissions

• Louisiana

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