News

PLANO is dedicated to promoting and advancing the profession of Petroleum Landmen. Their mission includes providing continuing industry educational opportunities, facilitating business and social networking, and staying abreast of legal and legislative activities affecting the Gulf Coast Oil and Gas Industry. PLANO’s membership consists primarily of professional landmen engaged in various aspects of land title agreements, essential for the exploration, exploitation, and production of hydrocarbons and other minerals. Their diverse membership also includes title attorneys, abstractors, surveyors, and other professionals involved in all aspects of the energy industry, including oil & gas, solar, wind, carbon capture, and more.

In addition, we are proud to congratulate Liskow lawyer Matthew Simone for his service as the President of PLANO.

Liskow is pleased to announce the firm is listed in the latest edition of Chambers USA – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. The firm ranked nationally in Offshore Energy and Transportation: Shipping/Maritime Litigation, as well as rankings for Louisiana in the areas of Banking & Finance, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas, Environment, Labor & Employment, Litigation: Appellate, Litigation: General Commercial, and Real Estate.

In addition, the 2024 edition of Chambers features 27 Liskow lawyers:

Transportation: Shipping/Maritime: Litigation (outside New York) (National)

David Reisman – Band 2

Michael Golemi – Band 3

Ray Waid – Band 3

Offshore Energy (National)

Jana Grauberger – Band 2

USA Product Liability: Toxic Torts (National)

Charles Wilmore – Band 1

Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Louisiana)

Joseph Hebert – Band 3

Kirk Jones – Senior Statespeople

Corporate/M&A (Louisiana)

Trey Reymond – Band 3

Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas (Louisiana)

Kelly Becker – Band 3

April Rolen-Ogden – Band 3

Larry Simon – Senior Statespeople

Environment (Louisiana)

Lou Buatt – Band 1

Greg Johnson – Band 1

Environment: Litigation (Louisiana)

Robert McNeal – Band 1

Mark McNamara – Band 3

Michael Mims – Up and Coming

Labor & Employment (Louisiana)

Tommy McGoey – Band 1

Litigation: Appellate (Louisiana)

Kelly Becker – Band 1

Kathryn Gonski – Band 2

Litigation: General Commercial (Louisiana)

James Brown – Band 1

Shannon Holtzman – Band 3

Carey Menasco – Band 3

LuLu Reisman – Band 3

Tyler Trew – Up and Coming

Litigation: Securities (Louisiana)

George Denegre – Band 2

Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Louisiana)

Sean Toomey – Band 2

Marine Finance (Louisiana)

Leon Rittenberg – Band 2

Tax (Louisiana)

Bob Angelico – Band 1

Liskow is proud to announce that Bill Schwartz has been recognized as a “highly recommended” Male Ally of the Year by Meritas, a global network of law firms. This award was created to recognize lawyers who are actively committed to encouraging, advancing, sponsoring, or championing the progress of women in law firms.

This recognition underscores Bill’s dedication to advancing gender equality in the legal profession. From mentoring and providing guidance to supporting career advancement opportunities, Bill continuously empowers colleagues to reach their full potential. As his colleague Jill Willhoft notes, “He trains, mentors, and encourages the future women trial attorneys to leave us with the skills, strength, and courage to take on tomorrow.”

The Meritas Women’s Leadership Awards program was created by the Meritas Women’s Leadership Congress. The awards support the group’s mission to create visibility, knowledge sharing, mentorship, and skills-building opportunities to support women’s professional legal careers, as well as its goal of fostering conversations to help promote diversity and inclusion in firm recruiting, retention, and business development.

Liskow is proud to welcome Caroline Lafourcade, a Board Certified Tax Law Specialist (as certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization) and leader in the Louisiana tax law bar to the firm. Caroline joins the firm’s New Orleans office as a shareholder and brings nearly 30 years of experience advising individuals and businesses on federal taxation and Louisiana state and local tax matters.

Caroline’s arrival coincides with the Louisiana legislature’s examination of a proposal from Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and other state legislators to overhaul the state’s tax system as early as next year, a move that could drastically change the way businesses operate in the state.

“The timing could not be better for us to welcome Caroline to Liskow, where she will join a sophisticated group of business attorneys,” said Liskow managing partner Mark Latham. “The depth and breadth of Caroline’s experience and relationships will benefit Liskow and its clients, particularly as the elimination of the state’s income tax remains high on Governor Landry’s agenda.”

Caroline advises individuals and businesses in state and local tax audits, administrative appeals, state and local tax litigation, and income tax, sales and use tax, severance tax and ad valorem property tax. She also assists clients with business formation and planning and sophisticated estate and succession planning.

Caroline serves as chair of the 2023-2024 Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization Tax Law Advisory Commission, where she is charged with maintaining the integrity and standards of tax practice for specialists in Louisiana. She was also selected by the Louisiana Department of Revenue as the tax law delegate for the S.R. 22 Misclassification of Employees Task Force, established to study and make recommendations for changes to state laws to minimize worker misclassification in Louisiana, where she drafted the legislation that was ultimately enacted.

“The opportunity to join such a well-respected tax practice at Liskow was simply one I could not pass up,” said Lafourcade. “I am excited to leverage my experience and the expertise of the talented attorneys at Liskow to ensure our clients receive the sophisticated tax counsel they deserve.”

Caroline has been recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America^® for Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Litigation and Controversy, and Tax, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates since 2013. She received her undergraduate degree from Loyola University New Orleans and her law degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.

Liskow is pleased to announce the following attorneys have been selected to the 2024 list of Acadiana Profile’s Top Lawyers:

Vanessa Waguespack Anseman — Energy Law
George Arceneaux — Oil and Gas Law
Brian Capell — Energy Law
Hunter Chauvin — Energy Law
Billy Domingue — Banking & Finance
Joe Giglio — Corporate Law, Oil and Gas Law
Rebecca Guidry — Energy Law
Jeffrey Lieberman — Administrative/Regulatory Law
Jim Mansfield — Natural Resources Law
C.J. Miller — Banking & Finance
Jared Nelson — Mass Tort Litigation/Class Action
John Parker — Energy Law
Jamie Rhymes — Oil and Gas Law
April Rolen-Ogden — Energy Law
Larry Simon — Appellate Practice, Oil and Gas Law
John Troutman — Product Liability Litigation

Each year, Acadiana Profile publishes its Top Lawyers list. The voting to determine the 2024 top attorneys for Acadiana Profile magazine was open to all licensed attorneys in the Acadiana, Louisiana market area. 

Liskow is excited to announce Tax attorney Kevin Naccari, Jr. has joined its New Orleans office.

Kevin is an associate in the firm’s Business Transactions practice group. He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Louisiana State University before receiving his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. During his time at Loyola Law, he served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Carl J. Barbier of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Additionally, Kevin obtained an LL.M. from New York University.

Kevin brings over seven years of experience as a corporate accountant to his legal practice, which spans a diverse range of businesses, from small-scale restaurants and convenience stores to large health insurance companies and pre-initial public offering retailers. During his time as an accountant, Kevin focused on inventory system design, maintenance, and financial operations optimization.

Liskow is pleased to announce the launch of its newest resource, The Maritime Law Blog. Authored by Liskow lawyers, this platform will provide insights into the latest issues and developments shaping the legal maritime industry. Subscribe below to stay informed as Liskow authors navigate the complexities of maritime law.

“At Liskow, we have seen an increased demand for maritime representation, advice, and content over the past several years as the industry has faced new challenges and an increasingly complicated regulatory environment. As we have worked to meet those needs, we found ourselves publishing more maritime-specific content on Liskow’s well-known Energy Blog. This year, we decided to pull that content into a new platform dedicated to the maritime industry to make it even more accessible. “The Maritime Law Blog” is more than just a blog—it is a vital resource designed to provide our friends in the maritime industry with the knowledge and insights they need to navigate this increasingly complex market. I’m excited to contribute to this invaluable platform and to help our clients chart a course toward success in their maritime endeavors.” – Ray Waid, Shareholder

Liskow’s team is one of the largest maritime practice groups in the United States. Liskow is ranked as a national leader in Transportation: Shipping/Maritime Litigation by Chambers USA. The firm also has been recommended in the 2023 Legal 500 United States guide for Industry focus – Transport: Shipping – Litigation and Regulation. Only 14 law firms were ranked in this area in the United States.

Click here to subscribe to The Maritime Law Blog and receive all content straight to your inbox.

The firm is excited to announce that three attorneys were selected to join The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s (LCLD) programs for 2024. Sheri Corales was selected as a 2024 LCLD Fellow, and Kyrie Buffa and Randee Iles were both invited to join the 2024 Pathfinders program. These programs help prepare diverse attorneys in their careers with professional and personal development, leadership training, and provide resources for relationship building.

In it’s thirteenth year, the LCLD Fellows Program is an ambitious, highly structured initiative built to increase diversity at the leadership levels of the nation’s law firms and corporate legal departments.

The LCLD Pathfinder Program is designed to train attorneys in critical career-development strategies including leadership and the building of professional networks. Pathfinders are selected by leaders at LCLD member corporations and law firms and have been identified as diverse, early-career emerging leaders who have, or have the potential to distinguish themselves within their organization.

The LCLD was founded in 2009 by the country’s leading general counsel and managing partners to provide the next generation of diverse attorneys with the tools and knowledge to excel in the legal profession. The council has more than 400 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who have committed to creating a truly diverse legal profession. Liskow is continually seeking opportunities to expand its knowledge and awareness around diversity and inclusion and the firm is proud to collaborate with organizations, such as the LCLD, that are also committed to making the legal industry more diverse and inclusive.

Liskow is proud to share that Shareholder Laura Springer Brown has received the inaugural Institute for Energy Law (“IEL”) Outstanding Young Energy Professional Award. In selecting the recipient, the IEL considered the nominee’s outstanding and special achievements in the energy profession, including work in the energy sector and contributions to the development of energy law, as well as factors such as exceptional or innovative client service in the energy sector; advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the energy profession; involvement or leadership in the candidate’s organization and/or professional organizations; contributions to the development of other energy lawyers or professionals; and involvement in the community, including through pro bono legal services.

Laura’s list of achievements and contributions is long. She serves as the assistant practice group leader for Liskow’s Energy section, the firm’s largest practice group. Laura has over a decade of experience with litigating complex issues for several major Fortune Global 500 companies in the energy and environmental space. In addition to her energy practice, Laura diversifies her work with a variety of general litigation and appellate matters. Whether she is providing pro bono services to an indigent client or representing the largest energy companies in the world, Laura is a committed advocate who brings the same diligent work ethic to every matter. Laura’s pro bono work has included handling paternity, interdiction, and TPR matters for The Pro Bono Project and the Orleans Public Defenders, service on the Pro Bono Project’s Justice for All Ball planning committee, and volunteerism with the New Orleans Civil District Court’s Domestic Self-Help Desk and the H.E.L.P. program providing legal services to New Orleans’ homeless citizens.

Laura is an IEL Advisory Board Member. She was previously a member of its Second Leadership Class, the editor of the Energy Law Dispatch, and a speaker at the very 1st National YEP Conference. Laura is also a long-time member of the Women’s Energy Network (“WEN”) and is the past President of the South Louisiana Chapter of WEN. During her five years of service on the Board of WEN-South Louisiana, she spearheaded the Chapter’s involvement in STEM education, launched a mentoring program for young women in the energy sector, and oversaw scholarship awards to college or graduate students pursuing energy careers.

The firm congratulates Laura on this well-deserved recognition.