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OUR TEAM
GERALD J. NIELSEN
WILLIAM T. TREAS
Jerry Nielsen is a founding member and partner of the Nielsen & Treas, LLC law firm in New Orleans, Louisiana. Mr. Nielsen has represented a majority of the Write-Your-Own Program carriers since the mid-1980's. His efforts on behalf of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and his clients include:
- Successfully tried the first WYO carrier case to go to trial, Godchaux v. Aetna in 1987.
- Lead counsel for the WYO carrier in the seminal NFIP appellate decision of Gowland v. Aetna Cas. & Surety Co., 143 F.3d 951 (5th Cir. 1998), which has since been cited in over 1,000 NFIP decisions.
- Principle negotiating counsel for most WYO's during FEMA's 2002 Arrangement Re-Write Project.
- Testified before Congress in 2003 in support of needed revisions to NFIP statutes.
- Successfully managed the majority of the WYO litigation arising from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
- Lead counsel for most of the WYO carriers in the Moffett v. CSC mass joinder case and member of the team that successfully defended the Branch Consultants False Claims Act case.
- Has first chaired or directed the defense of WYO litigation in 45 of our 50 states.
- Has been representing law enforcement as the former general counsel to the Louisiana Police Chief's Association since the 1980's.
JOSEPH AGUDA
KEITH DETWEILER
ZAREEN ZAIDI
DEANI BEARD MILANO
William "Bill" Treas is a partner with the firm and is a founding member of Nielsen & Treas, LLC. Mr. Treas is the managing partner and head of the litigation department. He has extensive litigation experience in insurance defense, catastrophe litigation, commercial property and insurance coverage. In addition, Mr. Treas has been involved in mass joinder cases, False Claims Act suits, and Section 1983 claims. He has represented numerous insurance companies participating in the National Flood Insurance Program across the country for over 20 years. In addition, Mr. Treas has represented insurance companies in catastrophe claims dating back to Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 to present claims resulting from Hurricanes Ida and Ian.
Mr. Treas is active in his community and donates his time and efforts to local organizations including Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts of America, the Knights of Columbus, and coaching youth basketball. He is also a classic car enthusiast and enjoys hiking, camping, backpacking, and tailgating at LSU football games.
Mr. Treas is admitted to practice in several courts including: the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the Fourth Circuit, the Fifth Circuit, the Sixth Circuit, the Eighth Circuit, the Ninth Circuit, the Eleventh Circuit, U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas, the District of Colorado, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the Louisiana State Courts. Mr. Treas has served on the Board of Directors for the National Flood Association since 2019 and is currently the immediate past-President.
Mr. Treas has been selected by his peers to be included in Louisiana SuperLawyers for 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
