Richard J. Hymel

Richard Hymel has over 25 years of legal experience. He is a seasoned, mature litigator having tried a range of cases, including those in the areas of admiralty and maritime, well blowouts, trucking accidents, commercial disputes, premises liability, and workers’ compensation.

Richard represented Transocean in the investigation and litigation arising out of the BP Macondo well blowout. Richard  led the initial investigation for Transocean then served as trial counsel for Transocean in the seven week Coast Guard/MMS hearings and eight week Multi-District Litigation trial. Richard’s peers selected him to hold an AV Preeminent Peer Review rating on Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible rating for legal ability and ethical standards. Richard was named "Louisiana Super Lawyer" by Thomson Reuters and “Top Lawyer” by Acadiana Profile Magazine.

In addition to Richard’s impressive experience as a litigator, he is also a member of the Texas State Bar Association and passed the Certified Public Accountant exam. Richard attended mediation training offered by Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law, then ranked as the #1 dispute resolution program in the country by U.S. News & World Report. In connection with his representation of Transocean in the BP Macondo well blowout, Richard attended IADC WellCap Supervisor Well Control School. Richard’s broad legal and professional experience give him the ability to mediate a wide variety of cases and he has successfully mediated cases in the areas of admiralty and maritime, trucking and automobile accidents, premises liability, environmental contamination, insurance coverage, contractual indemnity, construction disputes, employment discrimination, sales tax, and workers’ compensation. He has been a member of the Perry Dampf mediation panel since 2004.