SalvadorBivalacqua
Managing Partner
Sal Bivalacqua is a founder of the firm and has been a partner since 2005. In 2025, he became the managing partner of Bivalacqua, Gelé + Ellis. Outside the courtroom, Sal enjoys a full life with his wife, Eileen, and their dogs, Ronin and Oliver, in New Orleans. He is an avid traveler who has explored destinations as far as Australia and New Zealand, where he and Eileen were married in 2014. Sal has a passion for cars—especially Porsche 911s—and a love of building intricate model kits. He values time outdoors, whether diving the Great Barrier Reef or planning adventures closer to home, and he balances his professional drive with a deep appreciation for family, creativity, and exploration.
If you asked his mom, she would say that Sal was born to be a lawyer—based on his lifelong ability to talk himself out of trouble. In truth, the law found Sal during his final year of college, when he took a class taught by a visiting law professor. What he discovered was a profession he not only loved but excelled in. For Sal, the courtroom is where he feels most at home, bringing energy and focus to every case. He thrives on tackling complex or novel legal issues, digging deep to understand them and crafting creative strategies others might overlook. Beyond the intellectual challenge, what drives him is the chance to make a real difference—helping individuals and businesses navigate tough situations, find solutions, and ultimately succeed.
Education
After graduating in the top five percent of his class at the University of Southeastern Louisiana, where he earned his B.A., Sal went on to pursue a law degree at Tulane University School of Law, graduating in the top quarter of his class in 2000. During his time as a law student, Sal gained both a global perspective on the law and practical experience that continues to benefit his clients today.
Sal studied both American and international law and participated in programs focused on Greek and Australian jurisprudence. As a third-year law student, he spent a semester as an exchange student at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia, where he worked for the city’s second-largest law firm.
In his second year at Tulane, Sal gained in-depth knowledge of the insurance industry while serving as a summer associate in a firm that provides in-house counsel to State Farm. This experience is invaluable in his personal injury practice.
Experience
Sal spent the first six years of his legal career at a prominent New Orleans firm with more than 35 years of experience providing a wide range of legal services to the people of Southeast Louisiana. During his time there, Sal honed his skills and quickly made a name for himself in the local legal community. In a case that would help define the trajectory of his career, Sal obtained a six-figure judgment in a case of first impression against the United States Navy. This successful start launched Sal on the path to establishing a robust litigation practice that continues to grow and thrive.
Sal’s litigation experience— including high-stakes, $100-million-plus contract disputes— enables him to offer his business clients not only confident, sound representation across a variety of areas, but also the trial experience necessary to ensure they have immediate access to the courts when quick action is required to protect their interests. Even when facing large companies and law firms with seemingly unlimited resources, Sal has gone toe-to-toe with them and achieved successful results for his clients.
As Sal’s career developed, his passion for helping injured individuals remained strong and was complemented by a growing desire to help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into profitable businesses. A large part of his practice now involves assisting business owners in launching and expanding new ventures in New Orleans and the surrounding communities.