Family Law

• Child Abuse
  Our Military Justice lawyers concentrate on the dynamic, aggressive representation and defense of active duty military service members who are under investigation, pending court-martial, or appealing a conviction to the United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals or the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Greg Upton, a former officer in the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, leads the military justice team. As a Judge Advocate at Fort Polk, Mr. Upton prosecuted military crimes ranging from drug abuse to child abuse. He also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting civilians who committed crimes on the Fort Polk military reservation. Prior to prosecuting at Fort Polk, Mr. Upton represented soldiers before the military appellate courts.

Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  At Gold Weems, we believe that all persons are entitled to equal protection under the law. Our practice includes general criminal defense, including charges involving narcotics and violent crimes, as well as white collar defense. We are dedicated to the vigorous, aggressive representation of our clients in these crucial matters.

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Business Disputes
  Member, Sections on: Bankruptcy Law, Civil Law & Litigation, Consumer Protection Law, Corporation and Business Law, Trusts, Estate, Probate and Immovable Property Law
• Business Transactions
• Limited Liability Companies
  Our corporate attorneys advise individuals and business entities, including partnerships, limited liability companies, corporations, and publicly traded companies on all legal aspects of their existence, from formation, to operation, to dissolution. We handle a multitude of corporate issues, including contracts and negotiations, entity organization and dissolution, financing and secured transactions, joint venture agreements, reorganization, state securities and blue sky laws (limited), and legal and business considerations regarding social media.
• Trade Secrets
• Intellectual Property
  Our experience includes such diverse commercial matters as antitrust, bankruptcy, commercial and construction contract disputes, corporate take-over and shareholder rights, dealership and franchise disputes, director and officer liability, environmental law, ERISA issues, foreclosure and creditor rights, health care facility matters, intellectual property disputes, lender liability, real estate disputes, regulatory and governmental disputes, RICO issues, shareholder derivative actions, and unfair trade practices.
• Unfair Competition
  Gold Weems advises clients on the protection of proprietary assets and represents clients in infringement ligitation or other disputes involving intellectual property. We prepare non-disclosure and non-compete agreements involving proprietary assets, and represent clients in infringement disputes and business litigation involving intellectual property valuations and claims of unfair competition and trade secrets.
• Antitrust

Employment Law

• Workers Compensation
• Wrongful Termination
  Representative employment law matters handled by Gold Weems litigators include civil rights claims (section 1983); discrimination claims (age/sex/race/disability) under Title VII, Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and parallel state law; Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) matters; wage and hour issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Equal Pay Act (EPA), and parallel state law; wrongful discharge claims; claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA); and plant closing issues under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act). Gold Weems also handles general Employment and Labor law issues.
• Employment Discrimination
• Employment Contract
  We are equipped to defend single plaintiff employment cases as well as complex class/collective actions. We litigate a broad range of employee and discrimination claims, whistleblower protection matters, breach of employment contract, restrictive covenants, and state tort law claims. Our attorneys also handle employment benefit claims falling under ERISA, including denial of benefit claims and breaches of fiduciary duty.
• Employment Litigation
• Non-compete Agreement
  Our experienced employment and labor attorneys can help employers maintain a productive working atmosphere while minimizing litigation risk. We advise clients on recruiting, interviewing and hiring practices; drafting effective personnel policy manuals, personnel leave policies, and wage and hour policies, including overtime pay and employee classification; protecting the employment-at-will relationship; negotiating collective bargaining agreements; and negotiating and drafting confidentiality agreements, non-compete agreements, management agreements, executive compensation packages, and severance packages.
• Severance Agreement

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Primarily practices in the area of commercial transactions and litigation, bankruptcy and creditor's rights, and real estate law (commerical and residential).
• Premises Liability
  For decades, our attorneys have been recognized for their success in the defense of general liability and casualty claims. These actions include automotive and commercial trucking accidents, and claims of negligent service or repairs, premises liability, food safety, and general negligence. With our many years of experience, we are prepared to handle the most routine to the most complicated of general liability and casualty claims, all in a cost-effective manner.
• Construction Litigation
  Jonathon M. Branton focuses his practice on employment law and litigation, municipal law and civil rights defense, insurance coverage and defense, and general business and commercial litigation. Jonathon also has experience in surety law and construction litigation.
• Real Estate Transactions

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  Gold Weems offers a concentrated team of attorneys who intensively practice municipal and civil service law, representing cities in claims before their respective Fire and Police Civil Service Boards. We defend cities and political subdivisions against a wide variety of claims, such as personal injury, wage, employment, class actions, and civil rights, including claims of excessive force and false arrest. Our highly experienced legal professionals also defend claims involving the First and Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States and Louisiana.
• Medical Malpractice
  After raising his family in South Louisiana, Dan returned home to Rapides Parish where he joined Gold, Weems, Bruser, Sues & Rundell, concentrating primarily on the defense of medical malpractice cases and healthcare law.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  At Gold Weems, he draws on his years of experience as a practitioner and Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel in the areas of wills and successions and as a former member of the federal judiciary in the field of mediation and arbitration (FINRA qualified) and consultant on commercial matters and federal litigation.
• Wills
  Gold Weems attorneys represent financial institutions, executors, trustees, beneficiaries, partners, and others in matters involving fiduciary duties and obligations. We handle litigation involving alleged breach of duty by corporate fiduciaries and individual fiduciaries, such as trustees, executors, and administrators. With our experience in matters such as will and estate disputes, employee benefit trust disputes, and more general claims of breach of fiduciary duty, we are well-equipped to advance and defend virtually any claim of fiduciary liability.
• Power of Attorney
  Our practice includes the administration of estates, ancillary probate for out-of-state decedents, business succession, charitable giving, contested probate matters, estate and gift tax planning, estate and gift tax litigation, lifetime and testamentary estate planning, powers of attorney, representation in tax audits and administrative estate and gift proceedings, trusts, wealth preservation and transfer, and wills.
• Probate

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
  Our team includes attorneys with extensive experience handling bankruptcy and business reorganization, including a specialist in business bankruptcy, as certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. We have successfully reorganized or liquidated numerous businesses in the health care, construction, real estate, agricultural, marine, manufacturing and retail industries.
• Foreclosure
  Gold Weems serves as general and local counsel for several banks and other financial institutions. As such, the firm deals in all facets of law for financial institutions, including corporate financing, lender liability, collections and foreclosures, lending and loan closing, and regulations and procedures applicable to banking and finance.
• Tax Law
  Many of our attorneys practicing in the area of taxation have Master's degrees in tax and/or are certified as tax law specialists by the Tax Specialization Board of the Louisiana State Bar Association. Areas in which these tax attorneys work include corporate taxation, executive and employee compensation, employment taxes, ERISA, income taxes, representation in tax audits and administrative proceedings, sales and local taxes, and tax litigation.