The 2023 CityBusiness "Leadership in Law" publication recognized Jeffrey A. Clayman and Katie S. Roth, both Of Counsel at PMB.
Jeff Clayman advises clients and litigates cases in a wide range of matters focusing on first- and third-party insurance disputes and commercial litigation. Katie Roth is a commercial litigator with extensive appellate experience in state and federal courts.
The 19th edition of “Leadership in Law” identifies local professionals who have distinguished themselves within the legal industry as well as the community. Each honoree was asked to make a statement on their most challenging, memorable and rewarding cases as well as how and why they entered the legal profession.
Click here to read the article on CityBusiness’ website.
From CityBusiness Leadership in Law 2023:
Jeffrey A. Clayman came to the law by way of the kitchen.
Joining Pipes Miles Beckman in the fall of 2022, Clayman already had more than 15 years under his belt as an attorney.
But his professional career, after graduating with a degree in history from Bowdoin College in 1999, began when he entered culinary school, eventually working at such prestigious restaurants as K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen and Victor’s at the Ritz Carlton.
“I particularly enjoyed working at the Ritz Carlton,” said Clayman, “but you have to move around every couple of years, which is true of any hotel company. And I didn’t want to move around--I had just been married.”
“So,” continued Clayman, “I decided to find another calling.” Deciding on the law, Clayman graduated from Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 2006, before going to work as a law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
In the years to follow, Clayman worked at several firms, including Scarborough, Hull & Miller, as well as Phelps Dunbar, specializing in commercial, construction, and insurance litigation.
“I like the problem-solving part,” said Clayman of his practice. “A client comes to you with a problem, and you try to gure out how to get to a solution.”
Equally enjoyable: “When my clients are happy. I like it when they get the relief they believe they are entitled to.”
In his free time, Clayman has served on the board of the New Orleans Charter Sciences and Mathematics High School.
From CityBusiness Leadership in Law 2023:
It’s important to speak of Katie S. Roth’s fabulous legal prowess — but it is “ultra” fun to talk about her running athleticism. Roth, an appellate law and commercial litigation attorney with Pipes Miles Beckman, sees a connective thread between her love of law and her passion for ultra running, a foot race often spanning 100 miles or more.
“In my personal life I’m an ultra runner. I like them because there’s always a possibility of failure,” said Roth. “I just like staying on my toes and being challenged, and even when it’s completely absurd and I’m wondering why I’m doing it, I still prefer that over just being comfortable. I think that’s exactly what I like about being a lawyer: I just enjoy the intellectual challenge…and all of that uncertainty makes winning even sweeter than it would have been if the whole thing were easy and painless.”
Roth originally thought she would be a federal prosecutor, but her career path went differently. The ability to “dig in, work, and persevere” through an arduous task is one of her most pleasing accomplishments in law. For example, in a case involving intellectual property, an area she was not familiar with, Roth recalls writing a quality, summary judgment motion.
“I dug in and took the time to get up to speed and tried to work on that motion as if this is something I have been doing… That was rewarding and the lesson — don’t let a substantive area of the law scare you away. You’re smart, capable; you can figure it out. That was sort of an enduring lesson.”
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