HSTA

Rene Gautreaux spent the first 22 years of his legal career in private practice, representing clients in domestic, business, probate, and personal injury matters. For 16 of those years he also served as an Assistant District Attorney in Lafourche Parish, prosecuting felonies under two administrations. In the 2 years prior to joining the team at Hair Shunnarah, he worked for a large law firm handling personal injury cases exclusively.

In his private practice and as a felony prosecutor, Rene gained considerable courtroom experience trying domestic cases and criminal motions before the bench. Further, he successfully tried as first chair dozens of criminal jury trials, securing convictions for serious felonies including aggravated rape, armed robbery, and vehicular homicide. He brings a wealth of trial experience to the team at Hair Shunnarah.

Rene earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Louisiana State University in 1988. He taught high school English and psychology and worked as an operator at a chemical plant along the Mississippi River before attending law school at Louisiana State University Law Center. He graduated from LSU Law in 1997 and opened a solo practice that year.

Rene served in the Louisiana State Bar Association House of Delegates in 2002-04; as president of the Lafourche Parish Bar Association in 2005; and as an adjunct professor at Nicholls State University in 2018-19. In his spare time, Rene enjoys kayaking, cycling, distance running, and playing guitar, and he was awarded a black belt in Shotokan karate in 2015. He and his wife Debbie love spending quality time with their three young adult children.

Before attending law school, Ashley worked for eight years as a paralegal in a large downtown New Orleans firm where she learned the importance of the procedural side of the law. Today she brings that understanding to her practice as an attorney.

Prior to joining Hair Shunnarah Trial Attorneys, Ashley represented clients in both state and appellate court. She was previously employed as In-House Counsel for a Florida holdings company advising them non-compete agreements and various labor and employment issues as well as reviewing master service agreements. She then worked in the Jefferson Parish Attorney Office as an Associate Attorney where she reviewed agreements to ensure compliance with ordinances, advised various departments on parish polices and reviewed resolutions and agreements for placement on the Council agenda.

Jared Shearman is an experienced insurance litigation attorney who has dedicated his career to representing clients in state and federal courts throughout Louisiana.

Prior to joining the firm, Jared served as an Assistant District Attorney in Orleans Parish and had gained significant experience in representing clients in personal injury litigation. Jared has now focused his career on helping homeowners and business owners across the state of Louisiana fight their insurance companies – who are consistently delaying, denying, and underpaying their insureds – to recover the money they need to rebuild in the aftermath of the most recent hurricanes that have devastated the state.

Attorney Ashley Schmidt is focused on helping clients navigate the often-complex area of property casualty law. Having experienced the devastation of Hurricane Katrina firsthand, Ashley understands the struggle homeowners face after a storm and takes the time with each client to walk them step-by-step through the process by analyzing the issues and providing an in-depth, methodical approach that provides clients with peace of mind that they are receiving the help they need.

Before attending law school, Ashley worked for eight years as a paralegal in a large downtown New Orleans firm where she learned the importance of the procedural side of the law. Today she brings that understanding to her practice as an attorney.

Prior to joining Hair Shunnarah Trial Attorneys, Ashley represented clients in both state and appellate court. She was previously employed as In-House Counsel for a Florida holdings company advising them non-compete agreements and various labor and employment issues as well as reviewing master service agreements. She then worked in the Jefferson Parish Attorney Office as an Associate Attorney where she reviewed agreements to ensure compliance with ordinances, advised various departments on parish polices and reviewed resolutions and agreements for placement on the Council agenda.

Jared Shearman is an experienced insurance litigation attorney who has dedicated his career to representing clients in state and federal courts throughout Louisiana.

Prior to joining the firm, Jared served as an Assistant District Attorney in Orleans Parish and had gained significant experience in representing clients in personal injury litigation. Jared has now focused his career on helping homeowners and business owners across the state of Louisiana fight their insurance companies – who are consistently delaying, denying, and underpaying their insureds – to recover the money they need to rebuild in the aftermath of the most recent hurricanes that have devastated the state.

Trent J. Moss is an avid litigator who has been fighting for the rights of property owners throughout his career, taking the fight to insurance companies, banks, contractors, and anyone else who infringes on the rights of his clients. Mr. Moss has secured victories for his clients throughout Louisiana and is well known as an aggressive advocate who pushes cases forward and gets the job done.

Mr. Moss has worked tirelessly over the years to defend the rights of Louisiana residents and businesses damaged by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Isaac, and countless other storms, floods, fires, and myriad other losses. He has even taken on building product manufacturers, mortgage companies, big banks, and other companies that are “too big to fail.”

Firm founder, Galen Hair, is known for saying “you can have two types of lawyers on your case – Trent Moss or someone else.” Trent not only works tirelessly for his clients, but also continuously works with all the attorneys at Insurance Claim HQ to deliver the best possibly result for every single client.

Mr. Moss is a proud Louisiana native who graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Tulane Law School. Keeping true to his roots, Mr. Moss considers himself both a family man and a sportsman. He is also an active member of the New Orleans running communities, and he enjoys running marathons across the country on his time off.

Sophia J. Johnson is an experienced litigator who has devoted her career to advocating for victims across Louisiana and Texas.  She began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Orleans Parish where she prosecuted violent crimes and other felonies. Since 2013, Sophia has exclusively represented plaintiffs in suits for serious bodily injuries, economic loss, and first party property casualty claims.  In her decade-plus practicing law, she has tried over 35 jury trials and over 50 bench trials.  

Sophia is a Chicago native who came to New Orleans to attend Tulane Law School where she was Senior Associate Editor of the Tulane Law Review.  Prior to law school, she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Ukraine and obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Russian at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She is fluent in Russian and Ukrainian, and proficient in French.

Sophia is licensed to practice law in Louisiana, Illinois, and Texas.  She is also a proud member of the American Association for Justice, Louisiana Association for Justice, and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.

Attorney Shay Jaume loves nothing more than defending the rights of policyholders against insurance companies.  She joined Hair Shunnarah Trial Attorneys as a law clerk in 2020 before becoming a full-time attorney with the firm in 2021.

Shay started her professional life as an accountant in Shreveport with a degree from Louisiana State University before shifting her focus to law.  She graduated Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in May 2021 and was a member of Phi Delta Phi, the oldest legal fraternity in continued existence in the United States.

A New Orleans native, Shay enjoys all things local and loves spending time with her family.