1001 Fannin StreetSuite 1800 Houston, Texas 77002 OverviewMichael Golemi is an experienced trial and appeals lawyer who focuses on helping Texas and Louisiana energy clients facing disputes involving maritime, casualty, toxic tort, insurance coverage and products liability law. In addition, Michael counsels clients in business, construction and labor and employment matters, representing them in litigation and through alternative dispute resolution. He has defended several offshore death and serious personal injury cases involving the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) and state workers’ compensation statutes. He has handled:
Platform, pipeline and oil well property damage and personal injury litigation Cargo claims, collisions and allisions, and maritime personal injury claims Serious motor vehicle accidents Construction defect cases Chemical releases and exposure, explosions and fires Products liability cases Class action litigation Mass casualty lawsuits
Michael was recently extensively involved in handling issues arising under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 as a result of the Deepwater Horizon Incident. "I've been on the front lines," as he describes it, "negotiating with individual and business claimants as well as government entities. I was there for our client for whatever was needed in what was truly a unique situation.”
His business litigation experience includes all types and sizes of disputes involving contracts, such as failure to pay claims, defense and indemnity obligations, and insurance coverage, and he has favorably resolved professional employment and non-competition disputes for labor and employment clients. In addition to his litigation practice, Michael helps clients with review and drafting of offshore contracts, focusing on complex indemnity and insurance issues. He also advises clients on day-to-day employment law issues arising in the operation of their businesses. Experience 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:
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.
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.
InvolvementProfessional
Texas Association of Defense Counsel - Board of Directors, District #19 Director (2015-present); Publications Committee (2016-present); Programs Committee (2015-2016); 2016 Trial Academy Faculty Member International Association of Defense Counsel – Member Texas Bar Foundation – Fellow Houston, Texas State, Louisiana State, U.S. Fifth Circuit, American, and Federal Bar Associations – Member Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel – Member The Maritime Law Association of the United States – Associate Member Houston Maritime Association – Firm Representative Houston Mariners Club – Member New Orleans Bar Association – Young Lawyers Section, Board of Directors; Chair-elect 2003–2004; Treasurer 2002–2003
Community
JDRF, Houston Gulf Coast Chapter
Executive Board of Directors, 2014-present, At-Large Member, 2017-present, Nominating and Board Development Chair, 2015-2017, Leadership Giving Committee Chair, 2014-2015 Board of Directors, 2013-present, 2018 Promise Ball Gala Fund A Cure Committee, 2016 Promise Ball Gala Fund A Cure Committee, 2015 Board of Directors Fast Start Award, 2015 Promise Ball Gala Fund A Cure Committee, 2014 Promise Ball Gala Underwriting Committee
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – World's Championship Bar-B-Que Committee, 2008 - present
Recognition
AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating in Martindale-Hubbell Rising Star in Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2008–2009 and 2011–2012, in the area of Transportation/Maritime Professionals on the Fast Track, HTEXAS Magazine, January 2009
Presentations
“Recent Trends in Contractual Risk Allocation (Post-Macondo),” Institute for Energy Law 67th Annual Oil & Gas Law Conference, February 18, 2016, Houston, Texas “Row Your Boat: Admiralty in 2015,” Texas Association of Defense Counsel Transportation Law Seminar: Planes, Trains, Automobiles (And Ships!), May 14, 2015, Fort Worth, Texas "Contractual Indemnity and Insurance: The Basics," Liskow & Lewis Oilfield Indemnity and Insurance Seminar, October 30, 2014, Houston, Texas "Casualty Strikes – Analysis of an Offshore Incident," Liskow & Lewis Oilfield Indemnity and Insurance Seminar, October 30, 2014, Houston, Texas "Indemnity in Deep Water: Indemnity Agreements Offshore and the Deepwater Horizon," Lorman Education Services Maritime Personal Injury Seminar, New Orleans, LA, April 2013 “Trends in the Oilfield Regulatory Environment: Legislative, Regulatory and Legal,” Liskow & Lewis Oilfield, Indemnity & Insurance Seminar, November 8, 2012 "Contractual Risk Allocation in a Post-Macondo Environment," Willis North American Energy Conference, Lost Pines, TX, May 2012 "Contracts – How Has Macondo Impacted the Way We Do Business With Each Other?" Willis North American Energy Conference, San Antonio, TX, April 2011 "OPA 90—Liability and Scope of Recovery," Liskow & Lewis Oilfield, Maritime & Indemnity Seminar, Houston, TX, October 2010 "Environmental Litigation Update – Toxic Torts and Legacy Lawsuits," Liskow & Lewis Environmental Seminar, Houston, TX, May 2009 "Panel Discussion – Anatomy of an Oilfield Casualty Part I," Liskow & Lewis Oilfield Indemnity and Insurance Seminar, Houston, TX, March 2009 "Allocation of Risks by Contract," Marsh Upstream Energy Insurance and Risk Management Course, Houston, TX, March 2008 "Disaster Scenario: Onshore Hurricane Crisis Resolution," IQPC's Advanced Contract Risk Management in Upstream Oil and Gas, Houston, TX, June 2007 "Panel Discussion – Force Majeure, Business Interruption, and Related Hurricane Issues – What to be Aware of Before and After a Hurricane Hits," Liskow & Lewis Oilfield Indemnity and Insurance Seminar, Houston, TX, November 2006 "Contractual Risk Issues and Indemnification," Marsh Upstream Energy Insurance and Risk Management Course, Houston, TX, October 2006 "Disaster Scenario: Onshore Hurricane Crisis Resolution," IQPC's Advanced Contract Risk Management in Upstream Oil and Gas, Houston, TX, June 2006 "Allocation of Risks by Contract," Strategic Research Institute's 3rd Annual Insurance and Risk Management for the Oil and Gas Industry Summit, Houston, TX, March 2006 "Oil Spills – How to Recover Your Response Costs From the Oil Spill Trust Fund," Liskow and Lewis Environmental Seminar, Houston, TX, January 2006 "Effective Use of Graphics and Document Management During Trial," Liskow & Lewis Toxic Torts Seminar, New Orleans, LA, April 2004 "Your Third Party Contractor (Tankerman, Mid-Stream Fuel Providers, etc.) Causes a Reportable Spill – How Does This Affect You and How Should You Handle the Problem," Liskow & Lewis Environmental Seminar, New Orleans, LA, May 2003
Publications
“Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: ‘Don’t Worry, We Have Indemnity,’” State Bar Litigation Section Report The Advocate, Volume 78, Spring 2017 “Recent Trends in Contractual Risk Allocation (Post-Macondo),” Institute for Energy Law 67th Annual Oil & Gas Law Conference, February 18, 2016, Houston, Texas "A Rose by Any Other Name: Texas Court of Appeals Says Nuisance “Symptoms of Discomfort” Require the Same Proof of Causation as “Disease,” Liskow & Lewis' The Energy Law Blog, October 20, 2015 "Contractual Indemnity and Insurance: The Basics," Liskow & Lewis Oilfield Indemnity and Insurance Seminar, October 30, 2014, Houston, Texas "Indemnity in Deep Water: Indemnity Agreements Offshore and the Deepwater Horizon," Lorman Education Services Maritime Personal Injury Seminar, New Orleans, LA, April 2013 “Trends in the Oilfield Regulatory Environment: Legislative, Regulatory and Legal,” Liskow & Lewis Oilfield, Indemnity & Insurance Seminar, November 8, 2012 Selected Non-Litigation and Pre-Litigation Issues Arising After the Storms: A Three-Part Series: Part One – Force Majeure Selected Non-Litigation and Pre-Litigation Issues Arising After the Storms: A Three-Part Series: Part Two – Selected Insurance Issues Selected Non-Litigation and Pre-Litigation Issues Arising After the Storms: A Three-Part Series: Part Three – The Oil Pollution Act of 1990
After Hours "I am an avid football fan, particularly LSU football, and I enjoy coaching my kids’ youth football, baseball, and soccer teams. I also volunteer as one of the coaches of our high school’s 7v7 football team. Helping JDRF work toward improving treatments and eventually finding a cure for my daughter’s Type I Diabetes is another passion of mine." |
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