Interview With Frank A. Fertitta: "What I've Learned . . ."

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Publication year: 2022

Interview With Frank A. Fertitta: "What I've Learned . . ."

Vital Statistics

Full Name: Frank A. Fertitta

Age: 69

Position: Partner, Seale, Smith, Zuber & Barnette

Born and raised: in Alexandria, Louisiana

Education: Bolton High School; Louisiana State University; LSU Law School

Married to: Brenda Carlson since 1970; three children; three grandchildren

I grew up in Alexandria and have been a resident of Baton Rouge for most of my life after high school. I graduated from Bolton High School, and I received my B.S. and J.D. from LSU.

When I was a brand new lawyer, I clerked for Horace Lane, a very well-respected attorney in the Baton Rouge area, when I was a junior and senior in law school. After I returned from my tour of duty in the military, I became an associate with the then law offices of Horace Lane. After the death of Mr. Lane, I remained with the firm of Lane, Fertitta, Janney & Thomas until 2003, when I transferred my practice to Seale, Smith, Zuber & Barnette, where I am currently practicing as a partner.

My practice today includes general defense law. I spent my entire career representing various insurance companies, corporations, physicians, and dentists in malpractice claims. I have also served as an adjunct professor at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center for 32 years and as a mediator with MAPS for more than 10 years.

My mentor as an insurance defense lawyer has always been Horace Lane, with whom I practiced for more than 20 years.

As a mediator, I have always admired Vince Fornias and his ability to mediate cases. Vince "recruited" me into the mediation portion of my practice by not only serving as a good role model but also by assisting me in developing my mediation practice when it first began. I currently mediate in the Baton Rouge office of MAPS with Vince and other mediators.

Photography by Pamela Labbe

Growing up I always wanted to be a lawyer or doing something law-related, such as a college professor of a law-related field.

The best advice I ever got was to change my major from petroleum/chemical engineering to industrial management so that I could use that degree and education as a basis to enter LSU Law School and become a lawyer. I received this advice from my roommates, Paul Due and Jerry Dodson, both of whom have been extremely well-respected and successful lawyers in Louisiana.

I was always taught to set my goals as high as you felt were possible in the areas you wanted to achieve and then to work as hard as possible toward those...