Michael counsels corporations and handles complex business litigation, primarily in the energy sector.  He has years of experience in the trial and appellate courts of Louisiana and Texas for clients and cases, such as the following:

• Michael was lead trial counsel for a marine client that was involved in a multi-party, multi-vessel fleeting incident that resulted in a Jones Act seaman’s personal injuries, including allegations of traumatic brain injury. The court granted summary judgment on all claims of unseaworthiness against the client, and after a weeklong bench trial in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division, the client’s Complaint for Exoneration From and Limitation of Liability was granted, exonerating the client and dismissing all claims against the client with prejudice. 

• An international oil and gas client had a difficult offshore problem.  The mooring system for one of the company's offshore facilities partially collapsed, falling to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.  Michael was part of the team that answered the client's call to evaluate the damage and help figure out what to do.  He investigated, managing a team of experts who reviewed the manufacture, installation and operation of the structure, looking for technical causes for the collapse and preserving any evidence for testing.

  • He also worked with the client's in-house counsel and management, providing notice to other parties involved of planned testing and recertification of equipment.  The client successfully resolved the matter with its insurers as well as the contractors involved.

• A service company recently had an accident in Texas when a unit at its customer’s refinery caught fire.  An employee was seriously injured.  Michael helped investigate the cause and source of the fire and analyzed issues involving workers’ compensation and third-party claims as well as indemnity issues relating to the premises. 

• After obtaining a favorable jury verdict against a major insurance company for underground blowout coverage, Michael successfully argued for the application of statutory penalty interest under the Texas Insurance Code recovering more than $1.2 million in late-payment interest.  The award was appealed by the insurer and upheld by the Fifth Circuit.