Ivana Dillas
Attorney Brief
Medical malpractice, healthcare, professional liability, governmental liability, and casualty defense for physicians, hospitals, healthcare organizations, public entities, and other professionals throughout Louisiana.
Ivana Dillas represents healthcare providers and organizations in complex professional liability litigation. Her clients include physicians, dentists, podiatrists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare professionals and entities.
Ivana helps clients navigate medical review panels, malpractice litigation, regulatory and statutory defenses, expert testimony, dispositive motions, appeals, and other proceedings that may affect their professional standing and business operations. Her honors-level coursework in biology and chemistry gives her a useful foundation for analyzing medical records, treatment decisions, causation, and expert opinions.
Before joining Blue Williams, Ivana served as an assistant attorney general for the State of Louisiana, defending healthcare-related claims and conducting physician expert depositions across the country. She also has experience handling federal litigation and appellate matters.
Ivana is an experienced appellate advocate. She successfully argued before the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, obtaining reversal of a trial court ruling and dismissal of the client with prejudice. She joined Blue Williams in 2021 and is now a partner in the firm’s New Orleans office. Ivana is also fluent in Croatian/Bosnian.
Education
J.D., Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, 2016
- Certificate in Civil Law
- Certificate in Common Law
- Dean’s Scholarship for Academic Excellence
- Student Bar Association, Vice President
- Judicial Extern to the Honorable Susie Morgan, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
B.A., Political Science and Economics, Concordia College
- Presidential Distinction
- Honors in Biology and Chemistry
Narrative
Ivana’s practice focuses on healthcare litigation, medical malpractice, professional liability, governmental and municipal liability, and casualty defense. She represents individual providers and healthcare organizations through medical review panels, trial-court litigation, appellate proceedings, and other high-stakes disputes.
Her healthcare clients include physicians, dentists, podiatrists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, hospitals, clinics, and related organizations. Ivana works closely with clients and medical experts to understand the treatment at issue, evaluate the applicable standard of care, assess causation and damages, and develop a clear defense strategy.
Ivana’s prior service as an assistant attorney general gave her significant experience defending the State of Louisiana in healthcare litigation. As a trial attorney, she conducted physician and expert depositions throughout the country and handled claims presenting complex medical and governmental liability issues.
Her appellate practice includes matters involving summary judgment, statutory immunity, medical malpractice procedure, prematurity, and the sufficiency of pleaded claims. In 2022, following appellate briefing and court-requested oral argument, Ivana obtained a unanimous ruling from the Louisiana Fifth Circuit reversing the denial of summary judgment and dismissing her client with prejudice.
Ivana has also served as appellate counsel in reported healthcare decisions involving dental providers, fertility treatment, physical therapy, and the procedural protections afforded to qualified healthcare providers under Louisiana law. In 2025, she was listed as counsel for healthcare respondents in briefing filed with the Supreme Court of the United States.
Awards
Inside New Orleans Elite Lawyers, 2026
Bar, Courts & Professional Affiliations
Ms. Dillas is admitted to practice before all state courts in Louisiana and in the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Western, and Middle Districts of Louisiana. She is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel. She is an active member in the New Orleans community advocating for the preservation of the Vieux Carre, Animal Welfare, and Environmental Progress.