Michael Arata has spent his life in the New Orleans legal community, arts community, and local sports community. He has represented clients in federal and state courts around the country and in some of the nation’s largest environmental mass tort class action cases, tax refund class actions, large-scale maritime loss cases and complex commercial and construction litigation.

Michael also was instrumental in the creation and passage of Louisiana’s successful film tax credit program and has represented film producers, studios, financiers and other entertainment and sports industry clients for over 25 years.

He was elected as Chairman of the State Bar Association Committee on Arts, Entertainment and Sports Law and has been a frequent lecturer and guest speaker at countless seminars, law school classes, trade group meetings, church groups and other community and professional gatherings, including the Louisiana Bar Association, New Orleans Bar Association, the Society of Louisiana CPAs, the Rotary Club, the New Orleans Film Commission, the Louisiana Department of Economic Development Office of Entertainment Development, Tulane Law School, Loyola Law School, University of New Orleans, Delgado University, De La Salle High School, Metairie Park Country Day School, the JAG School, and many others.

Michael’s lifetime of work in the arts community and charitable/non-profit community has been recognized by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the City of New Orleans, the New Orleans Family Justice Center, Project H.O.P.E, Tulane University and the NFL, among many others. He has led and served on the boards of numerous non-profit and charitable organizations, and continues to do so.

Michael is a graduate of De La Salle High School and Tulane University, where he was a starting member of the Tulane Football Team. He is a graduate of Tulane University School of Law, where he was a founding member of the Tulane Sports Law Society and a member of the Environmental Law Clinic. Known as “Coach Arata”, Michael Arata has coached countless New Orleans-area kids in football, baseball, soccer and track over the past 35 years. He currently serves as the Chairman of the USATF Masters Combined Events Subcommittee, which hosts the annual national indoor and outdoor masters track and field championships.

Michael Arata is married to Emily Sneed Arata, a former Deputy Mayor of the City of New Orleans, who serves as a senior executive at Ochsner Foundation Hospital. They have two boys, Gabriel and Rocko.