A.M. “TONY” CLAYTON graduated from Southern Law School and soon thereafter began a litigation practice with his soon to be wife, Paula Hartley Clayton. Tony also worked for district attorneys Doug Moreau and Richard J. Ward Jr. It was during those times that Clayton developed into a true trial lawyer, one that was unafraid to let a jury decide various matters.

At the same time, Michael Fruge graduated from the LSU Law Center and began a litigation-based practice at Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson. It was there that he was trained in the areas of commercial and casualty litigation. During those formative years, Frugé realized what he wanted to do in his professional career—litigate before juries.

In 2008 and with a common goal to litigate, Clayton and Frugé joined together and started the firm Clayton & Frugé. The firm quickly became known as the go to firm for jury trials for a diverse group of clients. They were soon joined by Richard J. Ward III, and the firm was renamed Clayton, Frugé & Ward.

The firm has expanded over the years. Their experience includes prosecutorial backgrounds, civil trial work and extensive other work within the court system. That experience is something that Managing Partner Tony Clayton says gives the firm the know-how to successfully represent clients and their businesses. “We’ve pulled ourselves and our resources from different backgrounds to put together a team of lawyers that can address our clients’ issues in an array of situations, often by working collectively,” Clayton says. “I think one of the biggest components of our success is in fact our diversity.”

Clayton served as an interim district court judge for the Nineteenth Judicial District Court, as well as a special prosecutor for East Baton Rouge Parish. One of his most notable cases was when he convicted serial killer Derrick Todd Lee of second degree murder. Clayton has literally tried hundreds of cases and is the chief felony prosecutor for the Eighteenth Judicial District Court. The experience continues with Michael Frugé, who has now been in practice for over 16 years and tried numerous civil juries. Frugé also works as an Assistant District Attorney for the Eighteenth Judicial District Court. Richard J. Ward, known as Rick, has been in practice for over seven years. He too serves as a prosecutor for the Plaquemine City Court. Ward also has served a broad district in his capacity as a state senator for the last five years.

In addition to the founding members, Clayton, Frugé & Ward has several other attorneys: Attorney Christie Chapman, who has more than 10 years of legal experience and served as the assistant district attorney of East Baton Rouge Parish; Michael Hendry; and Randall “Blue” Gay. Together the firm boasts more than 45 years of legal experience.

The firm uses that experience and diversity to cover an array of legal disputes, which range from trial cases such as personal injury issues to business litigation. For businesses facing class action lawsuits, product liability claims or contract disputes, the firm is adept at resolving the issues successfully, Clayton notes.

Not only does the firm work toward assisting businesses in the litigation process, its attorneys also understand the importance of maintaining a business’s public image throughout the process. Clayton says businesses can often be cast in a negative light through litigation and that can be hard to bounce back from. But he and his partners work tirelessly to ensure wrongfully conceived notions are reversed or lessened through arguing the case successfully.

Over the years, the firm has been called on to assist major businesses like Tenet Health Care, Ford Motor Co., Lloyd’s of London, Placid Refinery and Morgan Keegan, among many others. The cases involving those clients often involved complex business matters with considerable exposure. Through the efforts of the firm and Clayton’s unique ability to relate to almost any juror, those matters were favorably resolved either by agreement or by a jury. 

Clayton, Frugé, & Ward offers clients alternative methods to handling potentially protracted and expensive litigation that takes away from its business clients’ core. This includes deviation from standard hourly contracts through the use of reverse contingencies and result-based fees. The firm offers the “big picture” from the beginning of the legal process to the end. More importantly, it is honest with clients and does not promise results, only to recommend a client cave at the courthouse steps. The firm will try each case to a conclusion.

Clayton and his partners have also been able to use the experience they have in criminal and civil trials and apply that knowledge to business litigation. Convincing juries in criminal proceedings beyond a reasonable doubt is a tough benchmark to meet, Clayton notes, so the team at Clayton, Frugé, & Ward is well-prepared for a variety of legal challenges.

“We’ve got experience talking to jurors,” says Clayton. “I learned in all my years that if you’re honest and you present an honest case and you’ve got the facts, you win with juries. If you present in an honest way with a concise, organized set of facts, the jury is going to do what’s right.”

It is that collective experience, diversity and collaboration that has made Clayton, Frugé & Ward a successful firm, one that can assist a wide variety of businesses.