Kevin Welsh Certified as Appellate Practice Specialist by LBLS

BATON ROUGE, La. – March 5, 2026 – Baton Rouge counsel Kevin Welsh earned the distinction of Appellate Practice Specialist, Certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. Kevin is one of only three lawyers in Baton Rouge and 21 in the state to achieve this certification.

With a wide-ranging practice spanning insurance, professional liability and commercial litigation, Kevin knows appeals start before trial begins. He routinely appears before the Louisiana Supreme Court and the state’s five intermediate courts of appeal. He’s often called on to embed with trial teams as appellate counsel to preserve issues for appeal and pursue emergency writ applications seeking immediate reversal of adverse rulings.

Kevin has secured victories from both the Louisiana Supreme Court and courts of appeal across Louisiana, including an order from the Louisiana Supreme Court transferring a data breach class action to the client’s home parish and the reversal of several injunctions rendered against a major natural gas pipeline. He also obtained a mid‑trial writ grant from a court of appeal reversing a district court’s order preventing a commercial insurance agent from introducing evidence of comparative fault for jury consideration.

Kevin has also achieved significant results for insurers. In high‑stakes coverage disputes, he has obtained an appellate dismissal of a statutory bad faith action asserted by the owner of a commercial high-rise building and enforced summary judgment in an eight‑figure claim against London Market insurers. He also secured several rulings disposing of first-party insurance coverage suits arising from the COVID-19 pandemic from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

“I’m thankful for Phelps’ support as I pursued this certification,” Kevin said. “Our appellate team plays an important role in the firm’s full-service approach to client representation, and I’m excited to see what our team accomplishes next.”