Areas of practice

Admiralty & Maritime Law

Personal Injury -- Plaintiff

Litigation & Appeals

Year Joined Firm: 1986

Of Counsel

100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

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About Me

Stevan C. Dittman, born Hampshire, Illinois, December 7, 1949; admitted to bar, 1985, Louisiana; also admitted to practice before U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; U.S. District Court, Eastern, Western and Middle Districts of Louisiana. Preparatory education, University of Wisconsin (B.A., 1971); University of Michigan (M.A., 1973; Ph.D. Candidate 1976); legal education, Tulane University of Louisiana (J.D., 1985). Honor Societies: Phi Kappa Phi; Order of the Coif. Editorial Board, Tulane Law Review, 1983-85; Senior Articles Editor, 1984-85.

Teaching Fellow, Legal Research and Writing, Tulane University School of Law, 1984-85. Law Clerk to Hon. Peter Hill Beer, U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana, 1985-86. Instructor, University of New Orleans Paralegal Institute, 1987-90. Adjunct Faculty: Loyola University School of Law, 1990-95; Tulane University School of Law, 1994-95, 2010-2020.

Member: Louisiana State, American and Federal Bar Associations; Louisiana Association for Justice; The American Association for Justice; Fellow: American Bar Foundation, Federal Bar Foundation; Charter Fellow: Louisiana Bar Foundation.

Bar Admissions

  • Louisiana, 1985
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Louisiana, 1986
  • U.S. District Court Middle District of Louisiana, 1986
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Louisiana, 1994
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1986
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1989

Education

  • Tulane Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana
    • J.D. – 1985
    • Honors: magna cum laude
    • Honors: Order of the Coif
    • Honors: Winner, Senior Appellate Competition 1984-1985
    • Honors: Who’s Who Among American Law Students, 1984 – 1985
  • University of Michigan,, Ann Arbor, Michigan
    • M.A. – 1973; Ph. D. Candidate, 1976
    • Honors: Rackham Predoctoral Fellow
    • Honors: Ford Foundation Fellow
    • Honors: Editor-in Chief, Rackham Literary Studies, 1975-1976
    • Honors: Who’s Who Among American Law Students, 1984 – 1985
    • Honors: Rackham Predoctoral Fellow
  • University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
    • B.A. – 1971 with Honors
    • Honors: Phi Kappa Phi
    • Honors: Vilas Fellowship
    • Honors: Knapp Fellowship

Published Works

  • Admiralty: Personal Injury and Death Casebook, (Tulane Law 2019)
  • Note, “Constitutional Law-Supreme Court Restricts First Amendment Rights of Public Employees-Connick v. Myers,” 58 Tulane Law Review 829 (1984)
  • Comment, “Admiralty-Conflict of Law on the High Seas: The States and DOHSA,” 59 Tulane Law Review 1487 (1985)
  • Article, “Removal in Civil Rights Cases Under 28 U.S.C. Section 1443(2),” 31 Loyola Law Review 855 (1986)
  • ”Pleadings,” Louisiana Civil Litigation Practice Guide, (West 1998)
  • “Cruise Ship & Maritime Litigation,” ATLA’S Litigating Tort Cases, (West 2003)
  • Article, “The Uniqueness of Maritime Personal Injury and Death Law,” 79 Tulane Law Review 1163 (2005)
  • Article, “Amiable or Merry? An Update on Maritime Punitive Damages,” 89 Tulane Law Review 1059 (2015)

Classes/Seminars

  • Teaching Fellow, Legal Research and Writing, Tulane University School of Law, 1984 to 1985
  • Instructor, University of New Orleans Paralegal Institute, 1987 to 1990
  • Adjunct Faculty, Loyola University School of Law, 1990 to 1996
  • Adjunct Faculty, Tulane University School of Law, 1994 – 1996, 2010 – Present
  • Has Spoken at Numerous Seminars
  • Numerous Professional Papers

Honors and Awards

  • Best Lawyers in America®, 2012-2020
  • Louisiana Super Lawyers®, 2007-2020
  • AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • The Top 50 New Orleans Super Lawyers®, 2016

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Louisiana State Bar, Member
  • American Bar Association, Member
  • Louisiana Association of Justice, Member
  • Louisiana Association of Justice, (Committee on Amicus Curiae, 1994 – present; Chair, 1998 – 2007)
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Member, Maritime Law Advisory Committee, 1989 to 1990
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Secretary, Admiralty Section, 1996 to 1997
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Second Vice Chair, Admiralty Section, 1997 to 1998
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1998 – 1999, 2001 – 2002 (First Vice Chair, Admiralty Section)
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Chair, Admiralty Section, 1999 to 2000
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Past Chair, 2000 to 2001
  • Maritime Law Association, Proctor
  • Tulane Law School American Inn of Court (Master); Treasurer 2010 – 2012, President-Elect 2012 – 2014, President 2014 – 2016; Past President 2016-2018
  • Federal Bar Association, Member
  • American Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Federal Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Louisiana Bar Foundation, Charter Fellow
  • Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter, Board of Directors, 2000 to 2011
  • Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter, Membership Chair, 2005 to 2006
  • Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter, Recording Secretary, 2006 to 2007
  • Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter, Treasurer, 2007 to 2008
  • Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter, President-Elect, 2008 to 2009
  • Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter, President, 2009 to 2010
  • Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter, Immediate Past President, 2010 to 2011
  • Federal Bar Association, National Council Representative, 2009 to 2011

Past Employment Positions

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, Hon. Peter Hill Beer, U.S. District Judge, Law Clerk, 1985 to 1986
  • University of New Orleans, Department of English, Faculty, 1977 to 1982
  • University of Michigan, Department of English Language and Literature, Teaching Fellow, 1973 – 1976

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