Biography

A member of the firm Shields Mott, L.L.P., Sonny Shields has over 40 years of experience in construction industry contracts and litigation; constitutional law; surety law (construction contract bonds); insurance defense (including architects' and engineers' errors and omissions coverage); products liability; zoning and planning law and practice, including administrative hearings; real estate title research; patent, trademark and copyright prosecution and litigation; and general litigation, including appeals.

Mr. Shields has served on the national board of directors of the American Arbitration Association, as the head of its Louisiana construction industry panel and as a member of its panel of arbitrators (including its limited list of arbitrators for its Large, Complex Case Program). He was a member of the Louisiana Supreme Court committee to establish the Civil District Court pilot mediation program. For many years he has been an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School on the subject of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure and at Tulane Law School on the subject of Historic Preservation Law.

Mr. Shields is active in the New Orleans community in the area of historic preservation, having served as president of the Preservation Resource Center and as chairman of the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission. He has delivered more than 200 papers on subjects ranging from negotiation and mediation skills and practices, to numerous aspects of construction and surety law, both in Louisiana and elsewhere.