Member Spotlight: Brittany Wolf-Freedman

Brittany Wolf-Freedman is a member of Gainsburgh Benjamin where her litigation practice focuses on personal injury, medical malpractice, appellate litigation, admiralty, and vaccine injury litigation. She also serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Southeast Louisiana Legal Services and provides volunteer legal services through the Homeless Experience Legal Protection Programs. We hope you enjoy getting to know Brittany!

How has being a member of the FBA enhanced your career or benefitted you personally or professionally? 

Being a member of the FBA has given me the opportunity to learn from judges and attorneys who perform at the highest level in their field. I have no doubt that my legal advocacy, particularly in federal court, is stronger as a result of my participation in the FBA. 

What is your biggest strength as an attorney and why?  (e.g., legal writing, oral advocacy, marketing yourself and your firm). 

My biggest strength as an attorney is probably my written advocacy. I spent the first two years of my career clerking at the Louisiana Supreme Court and in the Middle District of Louisiana, which gave me the opportunity to hone my legal writing skills. Moreover, it allowed me to view issues from the Court's perspective, not solely as an advocate for one side, which has benefitted me tremendously in litigation.

 What is your favorite part about being an attorney and why? 

As cliché as it sounds, my favorite part of being an attorney is helping people. Working on the plaintiff's side, my clients come from all walks of life, but the one thing they all have in common is that they have been injured or wronged in some way. Money usually will not fix their problem or cure their injury, but it is the best method of compensation afforded by the civil justice system, and I love helping my clients achieve some sense of justice. 

What is one thing you wish you would have known before becoming an attorney and why? 

Being an attorney is not just a job you can clock out of at the end of the day, it is part of your identity. It affects the way you think about, and interact with, the world around you.

 What is the best advice you have ever received in the legal profession? 

You only have one chance to build your reputation. If you're courteous, professional, ethical, and prepared, then opposing counsel, judges, and their staff will remember that about you. And if you're not, they will remember that too. 

Where are you from and how did you end up in New Orleans? 

I'm originally from Chicago, and I grew up in Florida. I moved to New Orleans to attend Tulane Law School, and I met my now-husband on the first day of orientation. He isn't from here either, but we decided this would be a lovely place to build a life together. Eleven years and two kids later, here we are.

Name one thing that you could not live without and why?

I couldn't live without my family. My husband is my biggest supporter and best friend. My two sons are my greatest accomplishments, they taught me a love deeper, more selfless and unconditional than I ever knew was possible. My family made me a better and more compassionate, patient, loving person than I ever was before them and I truly cannot live without them. 

What would you do professionally if you were not an attorney and why?  

If I wasn't an attorney, I would be an artist. I'd paint, metalsmith, and dabble in photography. I'm in my happy place when I am creating art.

 Other than your career, what are you passionate about and why?  

I am passionate about raising strong, principled, compassionate boys who will make the world a better place. Also, when time allows, I am passionate about doing yoga, metalsmithing, traveling, and enjoying the beautiful, musical, delicious culture of New Orleans.

 Favorite New Orleans dish and restaurant?   

I'm a vegetarian, so this is probably not a particularly exciting answer... but I love a good tofu bahn mi from Ba Chi or MoPho. And though not technically a "dish" from a restaurant, peanut butter fudge pie ice cream from Creole Creamery is the stuff dreams are made of.

 You get one superpower. What is it and why?

 There is a character in the movie Encanto who can heal physical ailments and injuries with her cooking. I think that would be quite useful.

 What is a recent “success” you’ve had, either professional or personal, and how did you make it happen? 

 I recently settled a case following an absolute breakdown at mediation. We were miles apart at the mediation, and both sides and the mediator quickly realized the case was not going to settle, and we left thinking we were headed to trial. The following day, I called opposing counsel and we had a refreshingly honest conversation without any posturing and both of us expressed a desire to resolve the case and admitted our respective clients' expectations needed to be tempered. During the next call I received from counsel, she offered a favorable settlement that my client happily accepted.