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Ian L. Atkinson

Partner

Partner

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Practice Focus

Litigation Practice Appellate Group Tax

About

Ian Atkinson is a seasoned trial and appellate lawyer whose practice spans complex commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense, and tax litigation. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes disputes in state and federal courts and has substantial experience handling matters through every stage of litigation, from pre-suit investigations and dispositive motion practice to trial and appeal.

Ian has served as lead counsel in bench and jury trials and is regularly entrusted with bet-the-company disputes, sensitive investigations, and matters carrying significant financial and reputational exposure. His courtroom experience includes commercial business disputes, fiduciary-duty and financial-misconduct claims, professional disciplinary proceedings, and criminal defense matters involving allegations of health care fraud, tax violations, money laundering, and wire and mail fraud.

A significant part of Ian’s practice is devoted to appellate advocacy. He has successfully litigated appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Louisiana Supreme Court, and Louisiana appellate courts, and has experience in matters involving the United States Supreme Court. Drawing on his background as both a federal trial-court and appellate-court law clerk, Ian brings a strategic, trial-focused perspective to appellate litigation and critical motion practice.

Experience

  • Represents the City of Shreveport in an action seeking more than $300 million in damages from the engineering firm that designed and oversaw the failed construction of improvements to the City’s sewerage system pursuant to a Consent Decree between the City and the Department of Justice.
  • Represents the cities of Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans, and Shreveport, as well as the St. George Fire District, against manufacturers over an alleged scheme to artificially inflate the price of fire trucks in violation of Louisiana law.
  • Represents seven investors in the Pacific Coast Oil Trust, alleging that Bank of New York Mellon Trust Co. NA, the trust’s paid trustee, failed to protect beneficiaries from years of improper accounting that wiped out tens of millions of dollars in distributions.
  • Recently represented or currently represents the State of Louisiana Department of Revenue in several transfer pricing cases against various corporate taxpayers. In these cases, the Department seeks to enforce its right to adjust taxable income between two or more related parties to more accurately reflect the income earned by each party in the State of Louisiana.

Professional Activities & Community Involvement

  • Federal Bar Association – New Orleans Chapter: Member, Board of Directors (2026-2027); Former Chair, Criminal Division
  • New Orleans Bar Association, Member

Recognitions

Media

  • Moderator, “A Peek Behind the Curtain at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals: The Clerk and Circuit Judges Explain the Court’s Procedures and Preferences,” New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit CLE, Aug. 4, 2026.

Credentials

  • L.L.M. Taxation from New York University School of Law, 2024
  • J.D. from University of Virginia School of Law, 2008
    • Member of the Virginia Law Review
    • Order of the Coif
  • B.A. from Tulane University, 2005
  • The Honorable Edith Brown Clement of the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2009-2010
  • The Honorable Sarah Vance of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, 2008-2009
  • Louisiana
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Notable Rankings

2027 Best Lawyers Badge for Ian Atkinson2026 Benchmark Litigation Future Star seal