New Iberia, LA

Taylor J. Bassett

Taylor J. Bassett joined Morrow, Morrow, Ryan, Bassett & Haik in August 2011 and became a partner in 2017. He focuses on tort litigation, personal injury, toxic torts, pharmaceutical litigation, and vehicular accidents. He has been selected for inclusion within the Louisiana Rising Stars publication from 2015 to present and Acadiana Profile’s 2016 Top Lawyers for Personal Injury Litigation.

Jeffrey M. Bassett

Jeffrey M. Bassett, Of Counsel to Morrow, Morrow, Ryan, Bassett & Haik, joined the firm over 30 years ago. He previously served as Assistant District Attorney for the City of New Orleans, including Chief of Trials and Chief of Homicide. He has extensive courtroom experience in personal injury cases and was part of a trial team that achieved a $9 billion dollar verdict.

Digger Earles

After graduating law school in 2004, Digger returned home to rural Louisiana and went straight to work, trying his first case the week after being sworn in as a lawyer. Since then, Digger has spent his entire career representing individuals and entities in civil litigation and successfully representing clients in complex personal injury cases. “I always wanted to be in a position to help people, and I love the role being a lawyer allows to me to play,” he says. “I’ve always hated bullies and enjoy helping people combat bullies and large corporations. Digger has represented individuals in all facets of litigation, from filing the initial claim in state and federal courts, through trial, through courts of appeal and through the Louisiana Supreme Court. He has been admitted to practice in Louisiana State District Courts, Louisiana Appellate Courts, the Louisiana Supreme Court and in federal courts, including the Western, Middle and Eastern District of Louisiana, the Southern District of Mississippi, the Southern District of Texas and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. “One of the things I find most satisfying is helping people put the pieces of their lives back together after a serious accident or life-changing event,” says Digger. “These are difficult times, and I can help them to take a step back and relax, knowing we are here to take care of everything.” Digger has an unmatched work ethic and upholds the highest ethical standards. He is a member of the American Association of Justice, the Louisiana Association for Justice, the Louisiana Bar Association, the Avoyelles Parish Bar Association and various local, civic and religious organizations. “When I’m not practicing law, you can find me with my wife and my children, just kicking back and enjoying our great state and our family time,” he says. “I love the outdoors, I love to hunt, I love to fish, and just be outside with my family and friends.”

David Laborde

David has spent his entire career successfully representing injured individuals in complex personal injury cases. “Initially, I thought I wanted to go to school to be a doctor, but soon realized I really wanted to be a lawyer like my father,” David says. “In the legal world, my father, a lawyer and a judge, is my hero.” Upon graduating from LSU in 1988 and Tulane Law School in 1991, David worked for the Honorable Juan Torruella of the United States First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. Upon completing his clerkship, David returned home to Louisiana and entered private practice in Lafayette, founding Laborde Law Firm in 1995. “I’ve lived out of the country and in other parts of the country, and there’s nothing like living in Louisiana, from the people to the culture to the food,” he says. David has served a diverse client base. He’s fluent in Spanish and has represented Native American Indians before various Native American, state and federal tribunals and agencies. “It’s very satisfying to know you that you made a difference in someone’s life and helped them during a time they were really in need,” says David. David is rated as a distinguished personal injury lawyer by his peers and upholds the highest ethical standards. He is recognized as a top trial lawyer and is a life member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. He is a member of the Louisiana Association for Justice, the Louisiana Bar Association, the Lafayette Parish Bar Association and other local and civic organizations. “I’ve represented young people who have suffered some horrific injuries,” he recalls. “One young lady was paralyzed and having spent many hours with her through recovery, though adjusting to a new lifestyle, it made me appreciate how important it is that we can make a person’s life more comfortable in a terrible situation.” David has represented individuals in all facets of litigation, from filing the initial claim in state and federal courts, through trial, through courts of appeal and through the Louisiana Supreme Court. He has been admitted to practice in Louisiana State District Courts, Louisiana Appellate Courts, the Louisiana Supreme Court and in federal courts, including the Western, Middle and Eastern District of Louisiana, the Southern District of Texas and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Joseph M. W. Burke

Joe Burke is a native of New Iberia, Louisiana. His areas of practice include personal injury, criminal law, family law and successions. While his primary office is here in Lake Charles, Joe still maintains an office in New Iberia office to service clients in his hometown. Prior to attending law school, Joe received undergraduate and graduate degrees in geography from LSU and the University of Maryland. He worked with the United States Navy, Department of Commerce, several foreign governments, and in the public sector on numerous hydrographic surveying projects creating modern nautical charts and responding to navigational catastrophes. Joe is proud to have surveyed the least depth on Bligh Reef, the reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, notorious for its role in the Exxon Valdez tragedy. Joe earned his J.D./D.C.L. from Louisiana State University, where he was a member of LSU’s Admiralty Moot Court and Trial Advocacy Teams, served as Vice-President of the Trial Advocacy Board, and won the prestigious Ira S. Flory Trial Competition. He is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, the Louisiana Association for Justice, and the Southwest Louisiana Bar Association.

Daniel Snellings

Dan’s work goal is to utilize his extensive litigation experience as a valued member of the Laborde Earles litigation team to provide injured victims with high-caliber, expeditious, successful legal representation. For over thirty years Dan has stood firm to these goals, handling large-loss complex state and federal court litigation in the following areas: automobile/eighteen-wheeler negligence, class actions, maritime, product liability, sexual abuse, premises liability, toxic torts, and breach of contract. Prior to obtaining his law degree from Tulane Law School, Dan worked consulting minority-owned businesses on behalf of the Small Business Administration while obtaining his M.B.A. from Loyola University. Dan is a Louisiana native and has practiced before forty-four of the state’s sixty-four parishes. Dan is an avid Saints fan and fisherman, having caught 399 different species of fish on hook and line. Dan has been married for thirty-five years, and has four children and two grandchildren.

Richard T. Haik, Jr.

Richard T. Haik, Jr. is a Partner at Morrow, Morrow, Ryan, Bassett & Haik, joining the firm in 2008. He focuses on personal injury, trucking accidents, motor vehicle accidents, maritime and offshore injuries, and class action litigation. He was selected for inclusion within Super Lawyers “Louisiana Rising Stars” from 2014-2019 and Super Lawyers since 2020. He is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.