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Mr. Cerniglia, was born on July 28, 1950, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Dr. Albert and Elise Cerniglia. He attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana and Louisiana State University in New Orleans before going to Louisiana State University, School of Law. Mr. Cerniglia received his Juris Doctorate in May of 1974, and was admitted to the Louisiana Bar on October 6, 1974. He was admitted to the Texas Bar on June 3, 1994. Mr. Cerniglia is licensed to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana, as well as the United States Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
After graduating from law school, Mr. Cerniglia became an Assistant District Attorney for the Parish of Orleans. During the four years he served as an Assistant District Attorney, he rose from being a Section Attorney to Chief of Trials Division, and the Head of the Career Criminal Bureau, a federally funded program instituted on a national basis. He practiced for six years in the Texaco Legal Department as a Trial Attorney in the Litigation Section. In June of 1984, he joined the firm of Adams & Reese, where he became a partner, staying until June of 1991 when he started his own firm, The Cerniglia Law Firm. On September 1, 1998, he merged with the firms of John M. Sharp, P.L.C., and Shaw, Weaver, Colvin & Henry, to become Sharp, Henry, Cerniglia, Colvin & Weaver, L.L.C.
First and foremost, Mr. Cerniglia is a trial lawyer. Those who know him consider him to be the consummate trial advocate, extremely comfortable before a jury. Having tried over ninety jury trials and dozens of bench trials, he has an excellent understanding of what it takes to persuade the trier of fact on any given point. He has been involved in complex litigation, class actions, as well as cases involving complex technical issues. He has extensive experience with computer animations designed to explain and educate complex matters and issues to juries. He has developed mock jury trials, directed and participated in jury research, as well as telephone surveys of community attitudes toward specific issues in high profile cases.
Mr. Cerniglia has published articles in the Defense Law Journal and the American Journal of Trial Advocacy on the admissibility of computer generated exhibits. He has made presentations involving computer generated animations at seminars put on by the Louisiana Bar Association. Additionally, he has made presentations in Chicago, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and New York City on the use and admissibility of computer generated exhibits, as well as to the Harry Phillips' American Inn of Court for the 20th Judicial District, Nashville, Tennessee. He designed and produced a training seminar for accident investigation and reporting in the offshore drilling industry, and has made several presentations before groups such as the Acadiana Safety Congress.
Mr. Cerniglia is a member of the Maritime Law Association, the Fifth Circuit Bar Association, and the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel. In addition to his vast trial experience, Mr. Cerniglia has briefed and argued cases before the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal, the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal, the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal, the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, and the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal. He has practiced before the Louisiana Department of Conservation and the Louisiana Mineral Board. Some of his clients include Airborne Freight Corporation, Mega Crane International, Inc., Transocean Offshore Inc., Shell Oil Co., Texaco, Inc., and the United Kingdom Mutual Steamship Assurance Association (Bermuda), Ltd.
Mr. Cerniglia resides in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
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