Philip La Nasa was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and graduated from Jesuit High School and the University of Mississippi. After Ole Miss, Mr. La Nasa attended Loyola University in New Orleans and earned both his MBA and JD degrees in 1995. While in law school, Mr. La Nasa served as a law clerk for the New Orleans Sewage and Water Board, the local water utility that had an in-house legal department handling a variety of legal issues including general liability, employment, environmental, civil service, and contract matters. Mr. La Nasa went on to serve as a Judicial Law Clerk for two Orleans Parish civil trial court Judges. Following his judicial clerkships, he worked as an associate attorney for a mid-size law firm handling civil cases in a variety of practice areas. In 1998, Mr. La Nasa started a small law firm with his father (a New Orleans lawyer since 1959) and a law school classmate, and maintained a successful and growing law firm until Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005.
While Mr. La Nasa practiced law in New Orleans, he was active with the New Orleans Bar Association. After serving as the Chairperson for several of the Young Lawyers Section Committees, he was elected Chairman of the Young Lawyer’s Section for the Association. Mr. La Nasa was then elected to be a Member of the Board of Directors for the New Orleans Bar Association and served in that capacity for three years. Additionally, he served a three-year term as Hearing Committee Member for the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board. Mr. La Nasa maintains his Louisiana law license; is licensed to appear before all of the Louisiana state and federal courts; and is a member of the Louisiana and New Orleans Bar Associations.
In August 2007, Philip and his family moved to Tennessee. He and his wife live in Knoxville with their three children. Since he began practicing law in Tennessee, Mr. La Nasa has appeared in Courts in 62 of Tennessee’s 95 counties and is a member of the Tennessee State Bar Association, Knoxville Bar Association, and Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association. In 2023, Philip was recognized by the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. In his free time, Philip enjoys working with and volunteering for the Knoxville Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House of Knoxville, and the Bridge Ministry (feeding the homeless) for the local chapter of the Knights of CoIumbus.
Education
University of Mississippi, Bachelor of Public Administration, 1991
Loyola University College of Business, M.B.A., 1995
Loyola University College of Law, J.D., 1995
Court Admissions
All Tennessee State Courts
Eastern District of Tennessee Federal Court
All Louisiana State & Federal Courts
Professional Bar Associations & Memberships
Knoxville Bar Association
Tennessee State Bar Association
Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
Louisiana State Bar Association