Trey Woods prides himself on maintaining an incredibly demanding schedule. Hailing from Savannah, Georgia, he cherishes his Valdosta, GA upbringing—a town distinguished by picturesque azaleas, delectable pecans, and high school football championships.

As a young man pursuing a legal career, Trey laid the groundwork for effective courtroom arguments as a standout member of his high school debate team, where he earned the award of “Best Negative Debater” at Regionals his Senior year and collected several state and regional championships.

Throughout his years at Millsaps College in Jackson, MS, Trey avowed that his next step would be relocating to New Orleans, LA – a city he envisioned as his true home – while earning his Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees at Loyola University New Orleans. Trey fully embraced his new city, particularly after marrying a New Orleans native. Firmly committing to his legal career, Trey gained valuable experience as a law clerk for Herman Herman & Katz.

After graduating from law school in 2011, Trey remained at the firm as an associate for three years, working on the BP Oil Spill trial team.

Acquiring valuable expertise working both on the BP Oil Phase 1 trial team and handling hundreds of claims for local fishermen, he and a fellow young attorney were tasked with reviewing and improving the BP Settlement Program claims process, which was an approximate $7.8 billion settlement fund.

As Trey became more familiar with the stories of fishermen whose lives were devastated by the spill, he felt a deepened desire to represent plaintiffs. He was driven to take on trial work for those who had been injured or harmed—particularly due to the rewarding relationships that developed through daily interactions with his clients. Trey found fulfillment in not just providing legal representation but witnessing firsthand the positive changes he could create in their lives.

*Photo credit: Norris Gagnet Photography*

In 2013, Trey responded to an online job opportunity at Didriksen Law Firm. Caleb Didriksen, the founding partner, required assistance managing the growing number of BP Spill claims and expanding the firm’s civil litigation practice for injured parties. After being hired, Trey quickly demonstrated his expertise and resolved the BP claims expeditiously. His contributions to the firm were significant, particularly due to his extensive time spent in court, where he excelled in arguing procedural motions and navigating complex legal procedures and evidence.

Eager to offer legal representation to plaintiffs, Trey dedicated a significant part of his practice to personal injury cases related to impaired driving accidents. These are cases where the at-fault driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In such cases, victims—often seriously injured—can be entitled to not only compensatory damages for medical bills, lost wages, pain, and suffering, but also punitive damages.

Trey emphasizes that punitive damages, created by the Supreme Court, are specifically designed to punish bad behavior and deter others from similar conduct. However, the mere fact that a responding officer issues a citation for a DWI does not automatically guarantee that the plaintiff will receive any punitive damages.

As such, attorneys are charged with proving driver impairment during trial. This proof can come from experts like toxicologists who review medical records and provide opinions about impairment.

Complicating cases, if a driver suspected of impairment takes a blood test and the sample is mishandled, the analysis might not hold up in court. The judge or jury may even consider excluding the results or excluding the testimony of experts regarding the results if they fail to meet the criteria of a Daubert challenge, which evaluates the scientific methods experts use to support their opinions. Additionally, expert testimony can be challenged, and insurance companies often use this to exclude certain evidence from trial.

Another hurdle is that insurance companies do not always provide coverage for punitive damages. Policies must explicitly state this exclusion for it to be valid under Louisiana law. Often, one of the primary reasons punitive damages are awarded is because the insurance policy and underwriter failed to explicitly exclude them in the policy terms.

These days, with marijuana use—both recreational and medicinal—growing rapidly, tackling impaired driving cases has become even trickier. Unlike alcohol, which leaves the system quickly, marijuana remains in the system longer, making it difficult for first responders to collect solid evidence. For example, if someone says they used marijuana a couple of days before the collision, proving they were impaired while driving can be challenging.

Moreover, prescription medications, especially opiates, can also factor into claims of intoxication and present their own testing hurdles. This entire scenario highlights just how difficult it is for law enforcement to determine impairment caused by these substances and why it is critical to immediately contact an attorney who can obtain various forms of evidence and issue evidence preservation letters.

Trey strongly recommends: if you are involved in an accident and suspect the other driver is impaired, call 911 and ask for a responding officer or traffic investigation unit. Always ensure the scene is properly investigated before you leave, even if it takes several hours for the police to respond. Take out your phone and document everything—take photos and a 360-degree video recording of the entire area and video record any and all conversations you have with any person at the scene. And call an attorney as soon as possible.

When Trey is not representing clients, he maintains a busy life outside the courtroom. He has served on the Board of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana since 2012, currently serving as the Vice President and having negotiated and drafted the multi-million-dollar agreement for the new House located on the campus of the Manning Family Children’s Hospital. Trey also is passionate about sustainability and growing his own food. He has raised chickens for the past 15 years and has built community gardens in unused communal spaces in his Navarre neighborhood equipped with irrigation systems. In fact, his wife Leah is the sustainable garden coordinator at St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Lakeview, and his grandparents owned a nursery in Florida. Trey enjoys hiking, camping, and has coached his kids’ flag football teams for the past six years. His two children, ages 11 and 6, enjoy “riding” in an intricate streetcar float constructed by Trey for the St. Anne’s Walking Parade on Mardi Gras day.