Liskow & Lewis is pleased to announce that Kelly Brechtel Becker has been certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization as an Appellate Practice Specialist. Kelly is now one of only thirteen lawyers in the state of Louisiana with this designation.
Kelly Brechtel Becker Certified as Appellate Practice Specialist
Trinity Morale Selected to The National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40
The firm is proud to congratulate Trinity Morale for her selection to join The National Black Lawyers’ organization as a National Black Lawyer Top 40 Under 40. The organization recognizes African American legal excellence and is dedicated to honoring our nation’s best black lawyers.
Trinity is an energy litigator in the firm’s New Orleans office. She has experience representing clients in contract disputes, tort claims, products liability, and oil and gas disputes. She also has experience with First Amendment issues, securities fraud, and trademark infringement.
Trinity received her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, and her Bachelor of Arts from Duke University, cum laude. She was a member of the Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic and the San Francisco Affirmative Litigation Project at Yale Law School and a Reginaldo Howard Memorial Scholar and a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow at Duke University.
After graduating from Yale Law, Trinity was a law clerk to The Honorable Myron H. Thompson, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.
Liskow Announces Six New Shareholders
Liskow is pleased to announce the election of six new shareholders, effective January 1, 2021.
Erin Bambrick, New Orleans
Erin Bambrick is an environmental lawyer focused on legacy and coastal land loss litigation, as well as matters involving land contamination and personal injury toxic tort exposure from Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). Erin’s work on the ground floor of government-initiated coastal erosion lawsuits in Louisiana has included work with experts and intensive scientific, factual, and legal case development. Erin graduated first in her law school class at Tulane University, receiving the Faculty Medal.
Emily Borgen, Lafayette
Emily Borgen’s practice focuses on environmental and energy litigation. Emily has particular experience representing oil and gas clients in coastal land loss and legacy lawsuits. She also has a broad range of experience in admiralty, maritime, and personal injury litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Emily clerked for the Honorable W. Eugene Davis of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Emily graduated cum laude from Duke University School of Law.
Lauren Bridges, New Orleans
Lauren Bridges is a maritime and environmental lawyer focusing on toxic torts, personal injury, property damage, economic loss, and other disputes in the maritime and energy industries. She has experience advocating for her clients in federal and state courts, at the trial and appellate levels, in both single-plaintiff and mass tort actions. Lauren has gained extensive experience representing and defending clients in the maritime and energy sectors in Jones Act and Longshore Act claims, disputes involving land contamination and personal injury toxic tort exposure from Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), refinery emissions, and oil spills. Lauren graduated from Loyola University School of Law and had the honor of serving as a legal intern to the Honorable Paula A. Brown in Division “J” of Orleans Parish Civil District Court.
Brittan Bush, Lafayette
Britt Bush is an energy litigator focusing on traditional oil and gas litigation and legacy litigation. He has experience representing exploration and production companies in royalty litigation, disputes with working interest owners, suits between mineral lessees and landowners, and claims involving conflicts over the ownership of mineral interests. In addition to his litigation practice, Britt has extensive experience advising oil and gas clients on pre-litigation matters including responses to formal demands from mineral lessors, working interest owners, and unleased mineral owners and best practices in dealing with mineral owners, working interest owners, and regulators. He has also represented small and large energy companies in oilfield legacy litigation. Britt is a member of the Institute for Energy Law as well as the Lafayette Bar Association. Britt graduated magna cum laude from Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center and received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia.
Jillian Marullo, Houston
Jillian Marullo handles an array of civil litigation matters as both plaintiff and defense counsel, representing clients in many sectors, including the oil and gas, insurance, and maritime industries. She has a diverse commercial litigation practice, with experience in general contract disputes, insurance and indemnity matters, employment disputes, and toxic tort and environmental litigation. She also represents clients in administrative appeals of federal and state agency orders. Jillian was the valedictorian of her class at South Texas College of Law and achieved the highest score on the Texas Bar Exam.
Joe Wilson, New Orleans
Joe Wilson is a business lawyer focusing on real estate, finance, general business, and trusts and estates matters. His practice involves counseling real estate developers, lenders, and business owners with diverse legal and operational issues, including property acquisitions, sales, and development, security rights and financing, and corporate structuring and governance. Joe further assists private clients with various probate and estate planning needs. He is experienced in negotiating and drafting purchase agreements, leases, title opinions, loans, mortgages, operating agreements, bylaws, wills, and trusts. Joe graduated summa cum laude from Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
Forty-One Liskow Lawyers Selected to 2021 Louisiana Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters
Forty-one Liskow & Lewis lawyers have been named to the 2021 edition of Louisiana Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters. Marguerite L. Adams, James A. Brown, and Thomas J. McGoey, II were named among the top 50 attorneys in the state of Louisiana. Additionally, Marguerite Adams was recognized as one of the top 10 attorneys in the state of Louisiana and as one of the top 25 women attorneys in the state.
Super Lawyers
Charles B. Wilmore
Cheryl M. Kornick
David W. Leefe
Donald R. Abaunza
George Arceneaux III
George Denegre, Jr.
Greg L. Johnson
James A. Brown
Jamie D. Rhymes
John C. Anjier
Kelly T. Scalise
Lawrence P. Simon, Jr.
Marguerite L. Adams
Mark L. McNamara
Philip K. Jones, Jr.
R. Keith Jarrett
Robert B. McNeal
Robert S. Angelico
Shannon S. Holtzman
Thomas J. McGoey, II
Tiffany Delery Davis
William "Blake" Bennett
Rising Stars
Alexander J. "Alex" Baynham
April L. Rolen-Ogden
Brian W. Capell
Brittan J. Bush
Cody J. "C.J." Miller
Court C. VanTassell
Devin C. Reid
Emily C. Borgen
Erin Bambrick
Hunter A. Chauvin
Jeffrey Birdsong
Jonathan J. Fox
Laura Springer Brown
Mark R. Deethardt
Matthew Simone
Raymond T. Waid
Ryan T. Christiansen
Stephen W. Wiegand
Tyler D. Trew
Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. This selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.
Liskow & Lewis and Shell Host Virtual Discussion on Racial Injustice
Liskow Receives National Practice Area Recognition in U.S. News’ “Best Law Firms”
Liskow has been ranked in the 2021 “Best Law Firms” list by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®, BL Rankings, LLC. Firms included in the “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with consistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Firms receive tiered rankings if they have a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.
The firm received National Tier 1 ranking in Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants and National Tier 2 rankings in the areas of Admiralty & Maritime Law, Banking and Finance Law, Commercial Litigation, Energy Law, and Real Estate Law. Additionally, sixty-two lawyers were recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2021 edition.
Through Best Lawyers research, several companies commented on their experience with Liskow & Lewis, including Shell, Schlumberger, Enterprise Transfer Partners, Tokai Carbon, Capital One, and many more. You can read all of the comments made about the firm by visiting Liskow’s Best Law Firms Profile.
Firm Mourns the Loss of S. Gene Fendler
S. Gene Fendler passed away suddenly on October 21, 2020, doing something he had loved to do for the better part of his life – flying his airplane. We are shaken and already miss him. For forty-five years, Gene was a pillar of Liskow & Lewis and of the Louisiana legal community. He worked as a trial and appellate lawyer in both casualty and business matters, taking many lawsuits to verdict or judgment in state and federal courts throughout Louisiana as well as Texas, Illinois, and Massachusetts. His success as a trial lawyer resulted in his induction into the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Gene’s legal career began when he graduated first in his law class at LSU Law in 1973 after serving as editor-in-chief of the Louisiana Law Review. He completed a federal judicial clerkship with Judge Alvin B. Rubin of the federal courts before starting with Liskow & Lewis in 1974. Gene then spent his entire legal career with our firm, serving in virtually every leadership capacity, including several terms on the firm’s Board of Directors and Compensation Committee, and mostly memorably as President and Managing Partner. Under his leadership as President, Liskow & Lewis opened its office in Houston, Texas, and emerged from the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe stronger than ever.
Over the years, Gene remained in close contact with LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center, having been selected as a member of the Law Center Hall of Fame, teaching trial advocacy there for several years, and appearing as a guest lecturer to law students in the fields of tort law, maritime law, and the art of cross-examination. Since its founding, he served on the Planning Committee for the annual Alvin B. Rubin Seminar on Maritime Personal Injury at the Law Center. Gene delivered numerous lectures at the seminars on torts, civil procedure, and professionalism. He also served as a member of the Law Center Alumni Board of Trustees for 14 years and as its President for 10 of those years. In 2019, Gene was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the Year by the Law Center. Recipients of this award are recognized for rare distinction in professional achievement, high ethical standards, and loyalty to the LSU Law Center.
Gene’s service to the wider community included duty as Captain in the Louisiana Army National Guard, as President of his synagogue, and as President of the University of Virginia Alumni Club of Louisiana.
Gene leaves behind his mother Rae Kaplan Lilienthal, his wife Linda, his daughters Julia (Nico) and Abby (Billy), and two granddaughters. He was preceded in death by his son, Benjamin.
In addition, multiple generations of his friends and partners at Liskow & Lewis grieve as each of us is better for experiencing his kindness, humility, wisdom, and mentorship.
Gene, you were the best of us, and we will never forget you.
Liskow Welcomes Six New Associates
Liskow & Lewis is pleased to announce six new attorneys have joined the firm.
Alec Andrade is a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice group in the firm’s New Orleans office. He received his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2019. Prior to joining the firm, Alec served as a federal judicial law clerk to the Honorable Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle of the Eastern District of Louisiana. He also served as a student practitioner in the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic, where he practiced with the New Orleans District Attorney’s Office under the supervision of an experienced attorney.
Taylor Ashworth is an energy litigator practicing in the firm’s Lafayette office. Taylor is a graduate of the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center where she received her Juris Doctor and Diploma of Comparative Law, cum laude. During law school, Taylor was a member of the Louisiana Law Review and was elected to The Order of the Barristers. She also participated in several Moot Court and Trial Advocacy Competitions where she won many accolades including a national best oralist award and the Delia Cobb Moot Court Award.
Sheri Corales is a commercial litigator practicing in the firm’s New Orleans office. Prior to joining the firm, Sheri served as a federal judicial law clerk to the Honorable Kurt D. Engelhardt of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Sheri received her Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law where she served as a member of Loyola Law Review, Moot Court, and Vice President of the Association of Women Law Students.
Joe Heaton is an energy litigator practicing in the firm’s Lafayette office. Joe received his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University, where he served on the SBA Committee on Safety, Sensitivity, and Sustainability and as the SBA Ethics Committee Chair. He also received his master’s degree in Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he completed his thesis, “Exploring relationships between stress and olfaction as mediated by neuropeptide y.”
Andrew Mahtook is a business lawyer practicing in the firm’s New Orleans office. Andrew received his Juris Doctor with a Certificate in Civil Law Studies from Tulane University Law School where he served as the Tulane Law Review Senior Associate Editor. He also received his Master of Business Administration from the A.B. Freeman School of Business, Tulane University where he completed a Finance Concentration. While at Tulane, Andrew completed two international consulting trips for clients based in Bologna, Italy and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Nick Simon is a litigator practicing in the firm’s New Orleans office. Nick earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Law and Politics and received the Ford C. O’Connell Public Service Fellowship. He trained at the National Trial Advocacy College and completed academic research on the Louisiana Constitution. Nick clerked on the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, where he worked on nominations to the Supreme Court and federal appellate and district courts.
Liskow & Lewis Welcomes Clare Bienvenu
Liskow & Lewis is pleased to welcome Clare Bienvenu to the firm’s environmental group in New Orleans.
Clare is an experienced environmental regulatory and litigation attorney, who has practiced in both Louisiana and California. Clare counsels clients regarding regulatory problems spanning the major federal environmental statutes, including the Clean Air Act, CERCLA, RCRA, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and NEPA, and advises clients concerning various state environmental statutes and regulations. Her regulatory and transactional experience includes assisting energy, petrochemical, and industrial clients in compliance matters concerning air quality, water quality, hazardous waste, land remediation, and renewable energy projects. She has significant litigation experience, including CERCLA cost recovery and tort actions for land contamination, tort actions associated with storm water damage, environmental products liability actions, and environmental insurance coverage disputes.
Clare has assisted clients in several substantial site clean-up matters. Her experience includes the representation of clients as part of potentially responsible party groups formed to negotiate cleanup orders and response actions with state and federal environmental regulatory agencies. In connection with these sites, she has worked with consultants regarding site evaluations and remedial alternatives to implement clean-up goals.
Clare represents clients in connection with administrative proceedings and agency enforcement actions. She has participated in consent decree negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice, as well as settlement negotiations with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the California Air Resources Board.
Clare has counseled several non-California companies distributing or selling products in California regarding California Proposition 65 and the environmental aspects of California’s consumer products regulations.
Clare received her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Tulane University Law School, where she served as senior notes and comments editor on the board of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, magna cum laude, from Texas A&M University. She has practiced environmental law at firms in San Francisco and Los Angeles, in addition to New Orleans.