Jacob E. Roussel

Partner - Baton Rouge

T: (225) 381-3172
F: (225) 381-8029
jacob.roussel@bswllp.com

Jacob Roussel is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, L.L.P. Jake received his undergraduate degree in Construction Management from Louisiana State University and his law degree from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Jake’s principal areas of practice include Construction and Labor & Employment.

Construction

Mr. Roussel advises and represents clients, including owners, design professionals, general contractors, sureties, subcontractors, and suppliers, in all aspects of construction related matters. Mr. Roussel assists clients with risk avoidance through negotiation and preparation of contract documents as well as in the resolution of claims and disputes through litigation in state and federal courts and mediation and arbitration. Mr. Roussel has handled matters involving public and private construction projects, including industrial, highway, commercial, and residential projects. Specific experience handling construction industry disputes includes:

Public bid protests and disputes
Design errors and omissions
Construction defect claims
Compliance with building codes and regulations
Payment and lien claims, including under the Public and Private Work Acts and claims involving payment bonds
Unforeseen site conditions
Delay, acceleration, and inefficiency claims
Scope-of-work disputes
Cost overruns
Contract termination disputes

Labor and Employment

Mr. Roussel regularly represents employers in a broad variety of labor and employment matters, including preparing employment and independent contractor agreements as well as in the resolution of claims and disputes. Mr. Roussel’s experience involving employment disputes includes non-competition agreement claims, wage payment disputes, and discrimination, harassment and retaliation litigation.

Practice Areas

Education

Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University, J.D./D.C.L., cum laude, 2012

Louisiana State University, Construction Management, magna cum laude, 2008

Admissions

Louisiana, 2012

Experience

Extern to the Louisiana Court of Appeal First Circuit Honorable Jewel "Duke" Welch

Honors and Awards

Ranked in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in Construction, 2024

Named "Ones to Watch" by Best Lawyers (Since 2021)

AV^® Preeminent^TM Peer Review Rated.

Publications

“Conflict In The Courts Over Prompt Payment On Public Projects” January 2021
“Court Holds That Owner Has No Right to Recovery Against Payment Bond” October 2019
“Court Ruling Subjects Design Professionals to Negligence Claims for Expanded Time Period” October 2019
“Coming Soon: Changes to the Private Works Act” October 2019
“Offsets for Disputed Claims: Public VS. Private” March 2019
“Merits Succeed, and Procedural Arguments Rejected, in Public Bid Law Case” January 2019
“Bidding Requirements: Do They Exceed or Conflict with the Public Bid Law?” Jacob Roussel, November 2018
“Court Rules That Supplier Notices of Non-Payment Are Not Required” September 2018
“What If It's Impossible to Comply with the Bid Requirements?” July 2018
“Court of Appeal Holds that Claims of a Public Entity are "Secondary" to a Contractor's Right to Prompt Payment” May 2018
“Recent Cases Have Reduced Defenses to Payment Bond Claims” March 2018
“A Year After Substantial Completion, and Still Timely Recording Liens” March 2017
“Recording of Claims on Public Projects- How 2016 Cases Modified Our Understanding Regarding Their Timeliness and Necessity” January 2017
“Statutory vs. Conventional Bonds: What’s the Difference?” October 2016
“Claims Against Design Professionals: Is It Too Late?” March 2016
“Payment: “If” vs. “When”” September 2015
“Does the Public Bid Law Only Contain the Minimum Requirements for Bidding?” June 2015
“ABC Weighs-In on No Damage for Delay Provisions on Public Projects” Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc., Pelican Chapter, Merit Shop Message, June 2015
“Imminent OSHA Changes” October 2014
“Compelling Contract Payments from a Public Entity: What Happens When It Spends Your Money Elsewhere?” April 2014
“Use It or Lose It” September 2013
“Time to Make a Move: New Law Allows for LLCs to Change their State of Organization” December 2012

Presentations

Indemnification and Defense, American Council of Engineering Companies, Deep South Convention, July 2013
Liability and Contractual Provisions for Design Professionals, Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) Baton Rouge- Fall Seminar, October 2015
The legal implications of your Div. 0 + 1 Specifications, , Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) New Orleans and AIA New Orleans Symposium, October 2018
Damages in the Construction Industry,, Forensic, Litigation & Valuation Workshop, Society of Louisiana CPAs, October 2018
Louisiana Construction Law: The Latest Jurisprudential Developments,, Baton Rouge Bar Association, Construction Law Section , March 2019
Minimum Standards of Land Surveying, American Council of Engineering Companies, Deep South Convention , July 2019
Contract Clauses to Manage Risks, , Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) Baton Rouge, March 2020