SARAH E. IIAMS is a shareholder at Abbott, Simses & Kuchler.

Ms. Iiams graduated summa cum laude from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. In 1993, she received her law degree, cum laude, from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ms. Iiams graduated in the top three percent of her law school class. At Loyola, she was a member of the Loyola Law Review and Moot Court Staff. She was an Intramural Semi-Finalist in the Loyola Moot Court Competition, and received the American Jurisprudence Award in Corporations.

Ms. Iiams is “AV” Peer Review rated by Martindale-Hubbell. She is admitted to practice in the State of Louisiana, and before the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana. Ms. Iiams is also admitted to practice in the State of Mississippi, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, the State of Texas, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, and in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

She is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, New Orleans Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, Mississippi Bar Association and the Texas State Bar Association. She is also a member of Phi Kappa Phi and the Defense Research Institute.

Ms. Iiams presently manages complex civil litigation dockets in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. She concentrates in the areas of Toxic Tort, Product Liability and Mass Tort Litigation, with an emphasis on the defense of chemical exposure cases. She has also practiced extensively in the areas of Admiralty/Maritime Personal Injury and Railroad Defense Litigation. Her trial work includes cases involving premises and product liability for chemical and particulate exposures. She also served as co-lead trial counsel in the successful defense of a chemical release case in which thousands of plaintiffs had sued alleging personal injuries and property damage. She has participated in trials in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi and has also been admitted on a pro hac vice basis for purposes of trials in other states.

Ms. Iiams is an active member of the Women's Counsel Network for one of the Firm's major clients, where she has served on the leadership team, and as co-chairperson of the Career Development Committee. She is currently a member of the Defense Research Institute’s “Women in the Courtroom Committee.” She has given presentations on various topics at client-sponsored and defense association conferences. She also has been approved by the Louisiana State Bar Association as a speaker in Professionalism, and has been a presenter on that subject at Continuing Legal Education Seminars.

Ms. Iiams has served on many committees within the Firm and is currently a member of the Firm's Professional Utilization Committee.

Ms. Iiams is a native of the New Orleans area.