Overview
Keith Pyburn is a partner in the firm's New Orleans office. He has represented management in the practice of labor relations and employment law since 1975, after graduating from Tulane University School of Law in 1974 and serving as a Law Clerk to Justice John Dixon of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
He was lead counsel for Avondale Industries, Inc. in connection with responding to a union corporate campaign from 1990-1999 and served as lead counsel to PPG Industries in their successful defense of the use of paper and pencil employment tests. Cormier v. P.P.G. Industries., 702 F.2d 767 (5th Cir. 1982).
A sampling of his publications and lectures include: "Ethical Consideration in Joint Representation of Supervisors and Employers in Sexual Harassment Cases," The Labor Lawyer, Volume 5, Number 1, Winter 1989; The Consequences of "Joint Employment"; The Implications of Sturgis and its Progeny, Southern Methodist University Multi-State Labor and Employment Law Conference, 2002; Legal and Technical Developments in the Use and Challenges to the Use of Testing in Employment, Society of Industrial and Occupational Psychologists, 2001.
Keith has been listed in The International Who’s Who of Management Labour & Employment Lawyers and named one of the City's 50 "Outstanding Lawyers" by New Orleans CityBusiness.
He is "AV" Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized in Louisiana Super Lawyers since 2007.
Keith has also been listed in Chambers USA, America's Leading Business Lawyers since 2002 and in The Best Lawyers in America since 1999.
He was recognized as a Litigation – ERISA Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America for 2014. He was also selected for inclusion in The Legal 500 – Labor Management Relations in 2015.
Experience
Reported Cases
- Degruise v. Sprint Corp., 279 F.3d 333 (5th Cir. 2002)
- Lee v. Delta Air Lines, Inc., 778 So.2d 1169 (La. App. 2001)
- Avondale Industries, Inc. v. NLRB, 180 F.3d 633 (5th Cir. 1999)
- Murray v. Educational Testing Service, 170 F.3d 514 (5th Cir. 1999)
- Tolson v. Avondale Industries, Inc., 141 F.3d 604 (5th Cir. 1998)
- Bache v. American Tel. & Tel., 840 F.2d 283 (5th Cir. 1988)
- Bass v. Retirement Plan of Conoco, Inc., 676 F. Supp. 735 (W.D. La. 1988)
- Cormier v. P.P.G. Industries, 702 F.2d 767 (5th Cir. 1982)
- Louisiana Chemical Association v. Bingham, 550 F. Supp. 1136 (W.D. La. 1982)
Honors & Leadership
Honors & Awards
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (2011 - 2021)
- Named, Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year", Labor Law - Management (2021)
- "AV" Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Recognized in Louisiana Super Lawyers since 2007
- Listed in Chambers USA, America's Leading Business Lawyers since 2002
- Recognized as a Litigation – ERISA Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America (2014)
Professional Activities
Keith is a member of the Louisiana Bar, having previously served as Chairman of the Labor and Employment Law Section. He is also a member of the American Bar Association (ABA), Section of Labor Employment Law Committee and has been elected as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Keith also serves on the Planning Board and Executive Committee for Tulane University's Multi-State Labor and Employment Law Conference.
Community Activities
- Former Chair of the Board of Directors, for St. George's Episcopal School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- He is also a former Chair of the Board of Directors for Youth Alternatives Inc., a shelter for homeless teenagers in New Orleans.
Insights
News
- More Than A Quarter of the Firm’s Attorneys Recognized in 2021 Edition8.20.20
- 5.1.20
- 8.15.19
- Firm Also Ranked Among the Best in the U.S. for Labor & Employment Law4.25.19
- 8.15.18
- Firm Also Ranked Among the Best for Labor & Employment Law5.3.18
- New Orleans Labor and Employment Lawyers Named Among Best in State1.9.18
- 8.15.17
- Firm Also Ranked Among the Best for Labor & Employment Law5.30.17
- 4.25.17
- 8.15.16
- 5.27.16
- New Orleans Labor and Employment Lawyers Named Among Best in State1.4.16
- 8.17.15
- 6.3.15
- 5.19.15
- New Orleans Labor and Employment Lawyers Named Among Best in State12.29.14
- 10.22.14
- 8.18.14
- 1.22.14
- 8.8.13
- 6.12.13
- 10.11.11
Seminars & Speaking Engagements
Articles
Practices
Education
- Tulane Law SchoolJ.D. 1974
Bar Admissions
- Louisiana
Court Admissions
- Louisiana Courts of Appeal
- Louisiana Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
- U.S. Supreme Court