About Donnie O'Pry
Growing up
Donovan “Donnie” Jay O'Pry II was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. His father, Donovan O'Pry, worked for 35 years as an elementary educator in the Lafayette Parish School system, serving as an assistant principal and teacher at Lafayette Middle School, and then finishing his career at Acadian Middle School. Donnie's mother, Karen O'Pry, worked for the Department of Social Security in Opelousas with 35 years of service. Donnie attended St. Leo Seton Elementary and then graduated from Carencro High School in 1995. While at Carencro High School, Donnie was a member of the 1992 State Championship football team and was nationally ranked in speech and debate.
Education
Donnie attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on a full academic scholarship. While attending LSU, Donnie won LSU's annual public speaking contest as a sophomore. Donnie received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science in 1999. After graduating, he enrolled at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. While in law school, Donnie was chosen to serve as a member of the Moot Court Board, and also represented LSU at the Association of Trial Lawyers of America's National Mock Trial Competition in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Donnie graduated with a Juris Doctor from LSU Law School in 2002 and was admitted to the Bar that same year.
Work Career
Donnie began his legal career as an associate with the Lafayette firm of Jeansonne & Remondet. Donnie's practice was primarily in the fields of workers' compensation defense and automotive and premises liability. In 2007, Donnie became a partner at Jeansonne & Remondet, where he served in that capacity until opening the O'Pry Law Firm in 2014. On March 1, 2014, Donnie opened the O'Pry Law Firm. The firm's mission is to treat all of our clients as if they are a member of our family.
Professional Affiliations and Recognition
Donnie has been nationally recognized in the fields of workers' compensation and personal injury practice. He has been repeatedly rated as one of the Top Lawyers in both Acadiana and Louisiana by multiple publications including the Times Picayune, American Lawyer Media and Acadiana Profile Magazine. Donnie holds the highest rating of "AV Preeminent" awarded by Martindale-Hubble®, the most widely recognized and respected lawyer peer review service in the nation. In addition, Donnie has achieved a perfect 10.0 rating on Avvo.com, one of the most widely used lawyer rating services in the country. He has been inducted as a life time member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an elite group of attorneys who have achieved multi-million dollar verdicts or settlements for their clients. In 2020, Donnie made Superlawyers' list of top Louisiana attorneys. Donnie was also named to the "Top 10 Attorney List" for the State of Louisiana by both the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys and Attorney and Practice Magazine.
Donnie is a member of the Lafayette Bar Association and served as a Director on its Board of Directors from 2013 - 2020. Donnie also served as President of the Lafayette Bar Association in 2018. He is also a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and has served as a representative of the 15th Judicial District in the LSBA House of Delegates since 2012. Donnie is licensed to practice law before all Louisiana State Courts, the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and all United States District Courts in Louisiana.
Family
Donnie is married to Stephanie Hulin O'Pry and they have five children. Stephanie is originally from Loureaville and graduated from The University of Louisiana in Lafayette in 2002. Donnie and Stephanie are very active in their church, community, and children's school. Their entire family loves attending both LSU and UL games and socializing with their friends.
Meet The Team
Ben Minyard - Personal Injury Attorney
Ben Minyard is a life-long resident of Opelousas, Louisiana. He graduated from Opelousas Catholic and went on to obtain his bachelor's degree in general studies with a focus in business administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. During his time at ULL, Ben was a member of the Ragin Cajun baseball team for two years. After graduation, Ben began his career in the oilfield as a salesman before deciding to become a lawyer. In 2011, Ben enrolled at the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Upon graduation in 2014, Ben began his legal career working in defense-oriented firms. After eight years of defense practice and experience, Ben became a plaintiff's lawyer and now follows his true passion: helping people who have been injured, and who need someone to stand up to the insurance company on their behalf. Outside of his legal practice, Ben is the father of six boys, married to his wonderful wife April, and enjoys all things sports and outdoors related. This includes coaching many different sports teams, duck hunting and offshore fishing. He is also the passionate supporter of the ULL Ragin' Cajuns and the LSU Tigers.
Miles Hesterly - Personal Injury Attorney
Miles is a life-long resident of Lafayette. He attended Lafayette High School before graduating from Millsaps College. His past work experiences include working as a landman, working at the Louisiana State Capitol, working for the Louisiana State Senate, and working as an assistant soccer coach at St. Thomas More. After graduating from LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Miles earned valuable experience practicing in oil and gas law, succession law, insurance defense law, and now personal injury law. Miles' passion for helping the injured stems from observing insurance companies denying, underpaying, or delaying payment of valid claims, as well as experiencing this first-hand. Miles now passionately advocates for and represents his clients in their insurance company dealings so they avoid a similar fate. Outside of his career, Miles is the father of two boys, married to his lovely wife and college sweetheart Courtney, and enjoys spending time with his loved ones, watching and playing sports, trivia, and reading.
Glen Marcantel, Personal Injury Attorney
Glenn graduated from LSU in 1983 with a degree in Business Administration and obtained his law degree from LSU Law School in 1986. Over the years, Glenn has handled a variety of legal matters including personal injury, worker's compensation, family law, real estate, business, bankruptcy, successions, criminal and social security. He has argued before the Louisiana Third and First Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Since 2006, Glenn has been and remains an Assistant District Attorney in the 27th Judicial District and has extensive experience in selecting juries and trying serious felony matters. Glenn and his wife, Cindy, have been married for 38 years and have 7 children and 10 grandchildren (so far!). Playing music and singing have been a big part of his life and he enjoys getting his hands dirty handling cattle and horses.
Emma Businelle, Paralegal - Auto Accidents
Emma serves as the paralegal on all of our automobile personal injury cases. She handles file management for cases from pre-litigation all the way through to trial preparation and beyond. Some of her duties include drafting pleadings, corresponding with adjusters and opposing counsel, coordinating and scheduling depositions and mediations, and regularly communicating important updates to clients throughout the progression of their cases. Emma received her bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University and afterwards completed their Paralegal Studies certificate program. Emma enjoys shopping, relaxing at home and spending time with her family.
Britni Mouton, Paralegal - Workers' Compensation
Britni is a paralegal and Workers' Compensation Coordinator at the O'Pry Law Firm. She assists our attorneys in all phases of litigation, such as pretrial discovery, drafting of pleadings, and trial preparation. Britni received her bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and thereafter obtained her law degree at Southern University Law Center. In her free time, Britni loves traveling, organizing, arts/crafts, and painting.
Trenelle Calligan - Customer Service/Intake Manager
Trenelle began working for the O'Pry Law Firm in September of 2019. As an intake specialist, she has the pleasure of acting as the first point of contact for all prospective personal injury clients and relaying their information to the attorney so they can determine a unique course of action moving forward. From there, she has responsible for the initial registration and case management for all new clients. Trenelle believes that working for the O'Pry Law Firm is truly a blessing because there is a high level of mutual respect amongst every team member. Additionally, she is able to help hundreds of people a year recover from a traumatic experience and be adequately compensated. During her free time, she enjoys touring different areas of Louisiana and traveling to learn more about our Cajun culture and taking as many photos as she can along the way!
Karen Monroe, Case Manager
Raised in The Jambalaya Capital of the World, Karen serves as Case Manager at the O'Pry Law Firm. As Case Manager, she uses her vast years of experience in the medical and legal fields to regularly communicate with our clients and assist them with their medical appointments, follow ups and treatment. Karen attended LSU and still loves her Tigers! In her free time she loves watching movies, football and enjoys fun times with family and friends.
Alissa Villanueva – Medical Case Manager
Alissa was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but moved to Lafayette in November of 2021. She has always wanted to work in the legal field because of the fast-paced environment and the ability to learn something new each day. She assists our intake department with the processing of insurance claims, medical records, disbursements, and handles a variety of administrative tasks. Since she is bilingual, she is also able to interact with our Spanish speaking clients. In her free time, she enjoys shopping and traveling.
Danyell Hunter - Customer Service/Intake Specialist
Danyell was born and raised in Carencro Louisiana. She is very compassionate about helping people feel comfortable through hard times. Danyell is a very happy and positive person. When Danyell was younger, she always wanted to work in the legal field, and now she is making that dream come true with hard work and lots of motivation. Danyell works at the front desk and is the first smiling face our customers see when they enter the office. In addition to handling the front desk, Danyell assists our clients when they call or have questions, helps intake new clients, directs calls to the correct representative in our firm, and handles incoming and outgoing mail and packages.
Lauren Valentin - Legal Assistant
Lauren Bankston Valentin was born and raised in Lafayette, where she attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and graduated with a degree in Marketing. At the O'Pry Law Firm she serves as a legal assistant focusing on client relations, trial preparation, and settlement. Lauren is passionate about serving others around her and enjoys working in an environment that makes their customers their top priority. Lauren enjoys spending time with her family doing activities such as camping, hunting, cooking, and doing fun DIY projects with her sisters.
Diyaana Motan - Legal Assistant
Diyaana was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. After getting married, she moved to Durban, South Africa where she currently works remotely. Diyaana helps coordinate and schedule medical appointments for clients and manage their medical records. Diyaana enjoys dealing with different challenges and learning something new every day. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, baking, and exploring Durban.
Rece Martin, Law Clerk
Rece serves as a Law Clerk at the O'Pry Law Firm and focuses on legal research and writing. He graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Finance with a minor in Law. Rece is currently studying Law and attends law school at Southern University. When he isn't at work or school, Rece coaches youth soccer teams and enjoys relaxing with friends and family.
Karen O'Pry - Bookkeeper
Karen makes sure that the firm's financial data is handled accurately and timely. She performs bookkeeping and accounts receivable functions using computer programs such as QuickBooks, Amicus and Excel. Karen retired after 35 years as a claims rep and technical expert with the Social Security Administration. She is now proud to be a part of her son's law firm. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with and cooking for her family, especially her six grandchildren.
