Davis, Saunders & Miller, PLC

03/31/2026

On March 26, 2026, DSM Trial Attorney, Joseph Miller, participated in the Federal Bar Association’s [“FBA”] Capitol Hill Day in Washington, D.C. Joe serves on the Board of Directors of the New Orleans FBA and the national FBA Government Relations Committee.

Along with FBA Fifth Circuit Vice Presidents Mark Barbre and Kathryn Knight, New Orleans FBA Executive Director, Debbie Skrmetta, and Jennifer Baker from the Baton Rouge FBA, the group of 5 met with Louisiana’s Senate Delegation and Louisiana U.S. House Representatives’ staff.

FBA’s non-partisan goals centered on full funding of the federal judiciary branch in 2027, enhancements to judicial security under that Daniel Anderl Act, and support of the Judges Act. Our Louisiana group was well-received and we appreciated the support of FBA from our Louisiana Senators and Representatives.

10/27/2025

Davis, Saunders & Miller is proud to announce that our trial attorney, Joseph Miller, has been named one of New Orleans Magazine's 2025 Top Lawyers. The annual list is compiled through an online peer-review survey distributed to attorneys across the New Orleans area. The Top Lawyers feature appears in the November 2025 issue of New Orleans Magazine.

08/11/2025

On August 7, 2025, our Trial Attorney, Joseph Miller, was sworn in to the Board of Directors of the Federal Bar Association ["FBA"] New Orleans Chapter.

Joe looks forward to serving on the Board of Directors of one of the nation's leading FBA Chapters. www.nofba.org

Congratulations, Joe!

04/24/2025

-- A 1946 switch crew at Southern Pacific's East Yard in San Antonio, Texas. Standing from left to right, Fireman Stoffer, Switchman Jim Faircloud, Airman Butch Johnson, Switchman McFarland, and Switchman Ray Patton, age 27. Sitting, Kenneth Lambert, age 28. Not in picture, locomotive engineer Carl Walker. Picture by Studer Studio, San Antonio. From the collection of Johnny Opiela courtesy of John Stein.

04/24/2025

03/07/2025

Davis, Saunders & Miller, PLC reports on our Trial Attorney Joseph Miller’s recent visit to Washington, D.C. as President of the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys [“ARLA”].

ARLA’s Legislative Team issued the following report on March 6, 2025:

ARLA’s recent participation as a Founding Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates [“ABOTA”] Civil Law Roundtable has provided additional networking opportunities and political outreach for ARLA. At the Roundtable on March 1, 2025 in Washington, D.C., ARLA President Joe Miller and Executive Director, James Stem, met with a number of leaders across the legal community including the Presidents of the American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, American Association for Justice, and Defense Research Institute. The stated goal of the Roundtable is to protect the right to jury trial in the civil justice system. The Roundtable focused on preservation of the Rule of Law, respect for the court system, and provided a unique opportunity for ARLA to promote its core goals of protecting rail safety and furthering the rights of railroad workers nationwide.

Also, while in the Capital last week, Joe Miller and James Stem met with the legislative staffs of Louisiana Senators John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy as well as the staff of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. ARLA was warmly received at each of these meetings, which focused on the newly introduced Rail Safety Bill in the House (formerly the 2023 Vance-Brown Senate Bill) as well as the effect of the new administration’s DOGE initiatives.

ARLA pressed strongly that further significant cuts to the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board staffing would debilitate the agency. Currently the agency services a $28 billion pension fund for 700,000 active workers and beneficiaries with a staff of only 713. Senator Cassidy’s staff as Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, were particularly interested in RRB’s distinction as one of the only self-funded agencies requiring very little funding from the American Tax Payer.

These recent meetings show how ARLA’s members can effectively reach across the aisle to promote bi-partisan goals of rail safety, public safety, and the outstanding work of the RRB on behalf of all railroad workers.

02/26/2025

Preserving All Evidence When You Are Injured:
1. Courts are now requiring that when a worker is injured, the worker must make an effort to preserve evidence that may be relevant to the injury or used in Court.
2. When a lawsuit is filed, defendants in litigation and the worker may request electronically stored information ["ESI"] held by either side under the rules of court procedure.
3. While this allows the worker to obtain sensitive and critical ESI from defendants during litigation, the opposite is also true.
4. Defendants in litigation are also allowed to request your cell phone data, text messages, photos, application activity, and any other data stored on your phone that may be relevant to the case.
5. Courts now strongly enforce BOTH the defendant's duty to preserve information about your case AND YOUR DUTY TO PRESERVE electronically stored information ["ESI"].
6. If a Judge finds that you have carelessly or deliberately deleted ESI relevant to the case, the ultimate sanction is full dismissal of your legal case.
7. What do you do? If you have any ESI data on your cell phone or social media that in any way relates to the facts of your injury, DO NOT DELETE IT.
8. Call our attorneys at Davis, Saunders & Miller, PLC and we will counsel you o the best means to preserve ESI data that is likely critical to your case.

800.321.7815 or [email protected]

To reach our investigator, please contact Corey Roberts at 769.204.1672.

01/29/2025

Injured rail workers may need legal assistance to help them navigate the complex legal system and obtain the compensation they deserve. ARLA member attorneys can provide this assistance. We are here for you. Learn more at arladepot.org

01/20/2025

01/14/2025

01/12/2025

ARLA is a professional association of attorneys whose practice includes the representation of injured railroad workers and their families under the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA) and the Federal Rail Safety Act (FRSA), also referred to as the Railroad Whistleblower Law. ARLA was formed more...