The Baringer Law Firm, L.L.C.

Where the practice began

The firm traces its roots to Schaneville & Baringer, founded in Baton Rouge in 1981. In January 2005 it took its current name, The Baringer Law Firm, L.L.C. That gives it a working history in the same Louisiana market that now runs more than four decades.

A second chapter opened in November 2012. James S. Holliday, Jr. and his staff moved over from The Law Offices of James S. Holliday, Jr., APLC. Holliday had been a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association for more than 47 years. He wrote Louisiana Corporations and Louisiana Construction Law, both published each year by West Publishing Co. He died in 2022, and the firm still lists him as a partner within its history.

So the practice a client meets today is really two lineages joined together. One grew from the 1981 partnership. The other arrived with Holliday and his team. Both leaned toward business and tax work, which is where the firm still spends most of its time.

Focus and practice areas

Most of the work sits on the business side. The firm handles business and commercial law, from entity formation and contracts to asset and stock sales, mergers and acquisitions, and disputes between shareholders or partners. Tax planning and tax litigation run alongside that work.

Real estate is a second pillar. The firm covers commercial negotiations, closings, litigation, and 1031 like-kind exchanges. Construction law, securities, and Chapter 11 bankruptcy fill out the commercial side.

For individuals, the firm prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and probate matters. It also takes family law and personal injury cases. In my opinion that spread reads as a firm built first for business clients, with private-client and personal work kept on hand for the same families over time.

How the team is built

Dale R. Baringer is a partner and the name behind the current firm. He works as a writer and lecturer. Effective in 2013 he became a co-author, with Holliday and others, of Louisiana Corporations and Louisiana Construction Law for West Publishing Co. The firm credits him with more than 100 seminar papers on subjects such as business and LLC formation, taxation, Chapter 11 and general bankruptcy, and 1031 like-kind exchanges.

Of counsel and associate

William H. Caldwell is listed as an associate. The site names him but does not set out his practice areas or schooling. A prospective client would want to ask about those points directly.

David O. Mooney sits of counsel and brings an accounting background to the group. He earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Juris Doctor, both from Louisiana State University, with the law degree from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Before practicing law he worked as a CPA, served as a business auditor for the IRS, and held the role of Vice President of Finance for a travel agency. Earlier in his legal career he represented federal agencies.

Jim C. Carver, listed as Dr. James C. Carver, is also of counsel. His practice sits where chemistry meets law. He handles intellectual property, trademarks, environmental law, and personal injury, and he serves as a councilor with the American Chemical Society. That scientific grounding is unusual for a firm of this size, and it widens the range of matters the office can take on.

The accounting and tax thread

One pattern is hard to miss. Several attorneys hold LLM degrees in tax law. Others hold undergraduate degrees in accounting, economics, or finance. Mooney's CPA and IRS history fits the same shape, and Baringer's seminar topics circle back to tax again and again.

As a reviewer, I read that as a firm that treats the numbers as part of the legal work, not a task handed off elsewhere. For a business owner weighing a sale, a merger, or a tax question, that overlap can save time and reduce the gap between the lawyer and the accountant.

Who the firm serves and what to check

The firm works from a single Baton Rouge office. It represents businesses and individuals, and by its own account it takes matters across Louisiana and in other parts of the United States. It keeps a company page on LinkedIn, which is the only social profile the site points to.

The public record here is heavier on history and authorship than on named case results. That is common for a business-focused practice, where much of the work stays private. In my opinion the clearest signal on the site is the writing: partners who author annual legal treatises and teach the same subjects tend to know the statutes they apply well.

A few things are worth confirming before a first meeting. One listed partner has passed away, so ask about current staffing and who would handle your file. Caldwell's profile does not list his focus, so ask about his areas. And since the team blends business, tax, real estate, and a science-driven practice, ask each attorney about your specific matter to find the right fit.