LSBA Board of Governors
President-Elect
Mr. Lawrence Joseph Centola
2026-2027
338 Lafayette St
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: (504) 581-9065
Fax: (504) 581-7635
Lawrence J. (Larry) Centola III is a principal of the New Orleans firm of Martzell, Bickford & Centola, where his practice focuses on class actions, products liability, including asbestos, and mass torts. He has been appointed class counsel in numerous cases across Louisiana, including the Bayou Corne sinkhole litigation, and has tried multiple cases to verdict.
Centola received his BA in political science in 1998 from Louisiana State University, where he served as Student Body President in 1997-98. He earned his JD in 2001 from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center and was admitted to practice in Louisiana the same year. He currently serves on the LSU Law Center Young Alumni Council and lectures frequently at continuing legal education programs on class actions, ethics, and professionalism.
Within the LSBA, Centola has served as the treasurer in 2022–24, First District representative on the Board of Governors, chair of the Young Lawyers Division in 2012–13, and as a member of the Client Assistance Fund Committee. He is a past torts bar examiner for the Louisiana Bar Examination.
Centola serves as the president of the Federal Bar Association New Orleans Chapter and on the Board of Governors for the Louisiana Association for Justice. In 2008, he received the national Sandra Day O’Connor Award for Professional Service from the American Inns of Court, presented at the United States Supreme Court to a lawyer practicing fewer than 10 years. In 2013, he received the Louisiana Association for Justice President’s Award. He has also been recognized by Super Lawyers magazine and other professional organizations for his trial work and client service.
He and his wife, Amy, are the parents of three daughters.