Tad Bartlett Named Secretary of LBLS Appellate Practice Advisory Commission

Fishman Haygood Partner Tad Bartlett, head of the firm’s Appellate Group, has been named Secretary of the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization (LBLS) Appellate Practice Advisory Commission, effective July 2026.

This advancement comes just one year after Tad was appointed a member of the Commission in 2025 and only about a year and a half after he earned his LBLS Appellate Practice Specialist certification in February 2025. In his new role as Secretary, Tad will take on additional leadership responsibility within the nine-member Commission, which is made up of board-certified appellate specialists from across Louisiana and works to promote the availability, accessibility, and quality of legal services in the appellate field.

The arc of Tad’s involvement with the LBLS reflects the rapid growth of Fishman Haygood’s Appellate Practice. To earn certification as an Appellate Practice Specialist, attorneys must demonstrate that appellate work makes up at least 25% of their practice over a four-year period, have served as lead counsel in 20 or more appellate matters, and have presented at least five oral arguments before an appellate court.

Tad handles appellate matters in all Louisiana state courts and before the U.S. Second, Fifth, Seventh, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits, including certiorari practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also runs the Take the Fifth blog, which tracks and summarizes all opinions released by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Learn more about Fishman Haygood’s Appellate Practice here.