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Thirty-Eight New Orleans Liskow Lawyers Named “Top Lawyer” by New Orleans Magazine

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Liskow & Lewis is pleased to announce thirty-eight of the firm’s New Orleans lawyers are among New Orleans Magazine’s “Top Lawyers” 2018. 

The voting to determine the top New Orleans attorneys was open to all licensed attorneys in New Orleans, Louisiana. Voters were asked which attorney, other than themselves, should appear on the New Orleans list. The list includes:

Donald R. Abaunza, Admiralty & Maritime Law
Marguerite L. Adams, Real Estate Law, Trusts and Estates
Robert S. Angelico, Tax Law
John C. Anjier, Securities Regulation, Securities/Capital Markets Law
Kelly B. Becker, Energy Law, Appellate Practice
Wm. Blake Bennett, Banking and Finance Law, Gaming Law
Lauren Bridges, Mass Tort / Class Actions
James A. Brown, Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law, Bet-the-Company Litigations
Louis E. Buatt, Environmental Law
Ryan Christiansen, Banking and Finance Law
George Denegre, Commercial Litigation
James C. Exnicios, Tax Law
S. Gene Fendler, Admiralty & Maritime Law, Commercial Litigation
Kathryn Gonski, Appellate Practice
Shannon S. Holtzman, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Construction Law
R. Keith Jarrett, Admiralty & Maritime Law, Energy Law
Greg L. Johnson, Environmental Law
Philip K. Jones, Jr., Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Paul C. Kitziger, Real Estate Law
Cheryl M. Kornick, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Tax Law
Gene W. Lafitte, Oil and Gas Law, Energy Law
Thomas J. McGoey, II, Labor and Employment Law
Mark McNamara, Energy Law
Robert B. McNeal, Oil and Gas Law, Energy Law
Carey L. Menasco, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Joe B. Norman, Energy Law, Oil and Gas Law, Appellate Practice
Leon J. Reymond, Jr., Banking and Finance Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Trey Reymond, Venture Capital Law
Katie S. Roth, Appellate Practice
Kelly T. Scalise, Admiralty & Maritime Law
Matt D. Simone, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
Randye C. Snyder, Employee Benefits Law
Sean Toomey, Criminal Defense White Collar
Raymond T. Waid, Admiralty & Maritime Law
Stephen W. Wiegand, Environmental Law
Michael S. Williams, Employee Benefits Law
Charles B. Wilmore, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions
John M. Wilson, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law

Liskow & Lewis Receives National Tier 1 Practice Area Rankings in U.S. News’ “Best Law Firms”

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Liskow & Lewis has been ranked in the 2019 "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 rankings in the areas of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants and Oil & Gas Law, National Tier 2 rankings in the areas of Admiralty & Maritime Law, Banking and Finance Law, Commercial Litigation and Real Estate Law, and a National Tier 3 ranking in the area of Energy Law. Additionally, fifty-two lawyers were recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, BL Rankings, LLC, 2019 edition.

Liskow & Lewis received comments from companies including, South Louisiana Methanol, Motiva Enterprises LLC, Birla Carbon, Targa Resources, and Freeport-McMoRan. You can read all of Liskow & Lewis’ client testimonials by visiting the firm’s Best Law Firms Profile.

Liskow & Lewis Welcomes Five New Associates

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Liskow & Lewis is pleased to announce five attorneys have joined the firm. 

Elizabeth Byrne practices in the firm’s Houston office focusing on oil & gas litigation. She received her Juris Doctor from The University of Oklahoma College of Law. While pursuing her J.D., Elizabeth participated in the OU Law Oxford Program during the Summer of 2016. Prior to joining the firm, Elizabeth served as an intern for the General Counsel’s Office at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

Brady Hadden is a member of the firm’s Maritime, Oilfield, and Insurance practice group. Prior to joining the firm, Brady served as a law clerk to the Honorable Chief Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. He also served as a legal extern to the Honorable John W. DeGravelles of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.  Brady received his Juris Doctor and Diploma of Comparative Law from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University.

Brady McMillin is a member of the firm’s Maritime, Oilfield, and Insurance practice group. Prior to joining the firm, Brady served as a research clerk to the East Baton Rouge Parish Attorney’s office and the Louisiana Attorney General’s office. He received his Juris Doctor from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University.

Jody Schisel-Meslin is a member of the firm’s Maritime, Oilfield, and Insurance practice group. Prior to joining the firm, Jody served as an intern to the Honorable Ivan L.R. Lemelle of the United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana. She also served as a legal clerk for the Tulane University Legal Assistance Program. Jody received her Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School.

Sara Grace Sirera is a litigator practicing in the firm’s New Orleans office. Her practice primarily consists of representing clients in the Maritime, Oil and Gas, and Insurance industries. Sara Grace is a graduate of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University where she received her Juris Doctor and Diploma of Comparative Law, cum laude. During law school, she participated in several moot court competitions and served on the Student Bar Association as Vice President of her graduating class. Prior to joining the firm, Sara Grace served as a Judicial Intern to the Honorable Regina Bartholomew- Woods of the Louisiana Court of Appeal for the Fourth Circuit and as a judicial extern to Magistrate Judge Richard L. Bourgeois of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.

April L. Rolen-Ogden Named Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America

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Liskow & Lewis shareholder, April L. Rolen-Ogden, has been selected as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. The Litigation Counsel of America (“LCA”) is an invitation-only trial lawyer honorary society composed of less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. Fellows are selected based upon excellence and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and superior ethical reputation.

April is an oil & gas litigator with experience as a trial lawyer in both state and federal courts, as well as arbitration tribunals. She defends her trial work on appeal through her appellate practice. The array of topics she has litigated is extensive. April defends companies in high stakes commercial and energy litigation matters. She litigates traditional oil and gas disputes involving royalties, servitudes, title disputes, property damage, statutory penalties, joint operations, oil and gas accounting, taking production in kind, the Risk Fee Statute, and complex oil and gas marketing matters. April defends oil and gas companies in environmental legacy suits seeking damages and restoration for oilfield contamination and coastal loss. She defends companies in personal injury cases, including toxic torts, whether those injuries occur in the oilfield or any other context. She frequently defends companies in disputes involving allegations of fraud, unfair trade practices, and trade secrets.

April has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America and Louisiana Super Lawyers. She is listed as a “Top Lawyer” in Oil & Gas, Commercial Litigation, and Energy Law by Acadiana Profile. April is involved in the Institute for Energy Law, the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute, and she was the first Lafayette member of the Board of Directors for the expansion of the South Louisiana chapter of the Women’s Energy Network. April received her Juris Doctor from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University.  

April joins three other Liskow Senior Fellows and Fellow in the LCA, Gene Fendler, Lawrence Simon, and Michael Cash.

Four Liskow Lawyers Selected to 2018 Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters

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Liskow & Lewis is pleased to announce the following Houston-based lawyers have been selected to the 2018 edition of Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters:

Michael Cash, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation, Litigation

Marilyn Maloney, Banking, Energy & Natural Resources, Intellectual Property, Real Estate

Michael Rubenstein, Bankruptcy, Business Litigation, Creditor Debtor Rights

Robert Theriot, Energy & Resources

Super Lawyers lists outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Texas Super Lawyers includes a statewide nomination process, a peer-review survey by practice area, and independent research on candidates. The process results in a list of the top five percent of attorneys in each state, as nominated by their peers, which is then reviewed by an independent research team that focuses on professional accomplishments, peer recognition, and community involvement.

Liskow & Lewis Welcomes Five Associates to the Firm

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Liskow is pleased to announce five attorneys have joined the firm. 

Aubrey Denton is an energy litigator practicing in the firm’s Lafayette office. Prior to joining the firm, Aubrey served as a legal extern to the Honorable John deGravelles of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. She received her Juris Doctor and Diploma of Comparative Law from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University. 

Melanie Derefinko is a litigator in the firm’s New Orleans office, who focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation involving disputes between businesses. She received her Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Before joining Liskow & Lewis, Melanie was a judicial intern for the Honorable J. Sterling Snowdy of the Fortieth Judicial District Court, and a judicial intern for the Honorable Fredericka Wicker of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Jacques Mestayer is a litigator practicing in the firm’s New Orleans office. Jacques’s practice primarily consists of representing clients in the Maritime, Oil and Gas, and Insurance industries. Before joining the firm, Jacques had the honor of serving as a law clerk to the Honorable W. Eugene Davis of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and as a judicial intern for Justice Marcus R. Clark of the Louisiana Supreme Court. He received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University.

John Troutman is a litigator. He has experience representing clients in a wide variety of legal matters ranging from construction disputes to community property partitions; class actions to derivative actions; products liability to professional liability; collection lawsuits to bankruptcy proceedings; and more. John has taken cases to trial across Louisiana, and has represented clients in arbitrations, mediations, and administrative proceedings before state agencies. He received his Juris Doctor from Southern University Law Center.

Chauntelle Wood is a litigator in the firm’s Houston office. Prior to joining Liskow & Lewis, Chauntelle served as the Assistant District Attorney for the Harris County District Attorney’s office (DA’s office). She was the first chair attorney in 28 jury trials.  During her time at the District Attorney’s office, she served as a Senior Felony Prosecutor and a Misdemeanor Court Chief. Chauntelle is an Adjunct Professor at Texas Southern Thurgood Marshall School of Law where she teaches Trial Simulation. She received her Juris Doctor from Southern University Law Center. Chauntelle served as a Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force Reserves for 8 years.

Eight Liskow Attorneys named Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” and Fifty-Two Attorneys Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, BL Rankings, LLC, 2019

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Liskow is pleased to announce the lawyers listed in the 2019 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, BL Rankings, LLC.

Eight Liskow lawyers are listed as “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective areas of practice:

George Arceneaux III – Oil and Gas Law

S. Gene Fendler – Admiralty and Maritime Law

Gene W. Lafitte – Oil and Gas Law

James N. Mansfield III – Energy Law

Thomas J. McGoey II – Litigation – Labor and Employment

Leon J. Reymond III –  Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Lawrence P. Simon, Jr. – Natural Resources Law

John M. Wilson – Litigation – Environmental

Only a single attorney in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as a “Lawyer of the Year.” Selections for this honor are based on voting averages received during Best Lawyers peer review assessments. This designation reflects a high level of respect an attorney has earned among his or her peers regarding abilities, professionalism, and integrity.

Additionally, fifty-two Liskow lawyers were recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2019 Edition:

Donald R. Abaunza, Admiralty and Maritime Law

Marguerite L. Adams, Real Estate Law, Trusts and Estates

Robert S. Angelico, Tax Law

John C. Anjier, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Securities, Securities / Capital Markets Law

George Arceneaux III, Litigation – Environmental, Oil and Gas Law

Wm. Blake Bennett, Banking and Finance Law, Gaming Law

James L. Breaux, Real Estate Law

James A. Brown, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Litigation – Antitrust, Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants

Louis E. Buatt, Environmental Law

Brian W. Capell, Energy Law

Michael P. Cash, Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

George Denegre, Jr., Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Securities

Thomas P. Diaz, Admiralty and Maritime Law

Billy J. Domingue, Banking and Finance Law, Commercial Finance Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law

James C. Exnicios, Tax Law

S. Gene Fendler, Admiralty and Maritime Law, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

Joseph C. Giglio, Jr., Corporate Law, Real Estate Law

Don K. Haycraft, Admiralty and Maritime Law, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

Joseph P. Hebert, Energy Regulatory Law

Shannon Skelton Holtzman, Commercial Litigation

R. Keith Jarrett, Admiralty and Maritime Law

Greg L. Johnson, Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental

Matt Jones, Energy Law

Philip K. Jones, Jr., Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation – Bankruptcy

Paul C. Kitziger, Real Estate Law

Cheryl Mollere Kornick, Commercial Litigation, Energy Law, Litigation and Controversy – Tax

Gene W. Lafitte, Antitrust Law, Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Energy Law, Natural Resources Law, Oil and Gas Law

David W. Leefe, Admiralty and Maritime Law, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

Marilyn C. Maloney, Banking and Finance Law, Energy Law, Real Estate Law, Trademark Law

James N. Mansfield III, Energy Law, Mining Law, Natural Resources Law, Oil and Gas Law

Thomas J. McGoey II, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment

Robert B. McNeal, Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental, Oil and Gas Law

Joe B. Norman, Commercial Litigation, Energy Law, Oil and Gas Law

William W. Pugh, Admiralty and Maritime Law

Gary Rachlin, Real Estate Law

Devin C. Reid, Admiralty and Maritime Law

Carol W. Reisman, Commercial Litigation

David L. Reisman, Admiralty and Maritime Law

Leon J. Reymond III, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Leon J. Reymond, Jr., Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law

Jamie D. Rhymes, Litigation – Environmental, Oil and Gas Law

April Rolen-Ogden, Energy Law, Oil and Gas Law

Kelly T. Scalise, Admiralty and Maritime Law

Scott C. Seiler, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Lawrence P. Simon, Jr., Natural Resources Law, Oil and Gas Law

Randye C. Snyder, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

David J. Weiner, Real Estate Law

Charles B. Wilmore, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

John M. Wilson, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental

Brett D. Wise, Admiralty and Maritime Law

John D. Wogan, Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Trusts and Estates

Andrew Wooley, Commercial Litigation, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. Almost 87,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and we have received almost 10 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2019 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, 7.8 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in almost 60,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Liskow Shareholder Beth Wheeler Named to CityBusiness' Women of the Year Class of 2018

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Liskow is proud to congratulate Beth Wheeler for her selection to New Orleans CityBusiness’ ‘Women of the Year’ 2018.

Beth was recognized for her success in the legal industry, as well as her work in the community. She is a shareholder in the firm’s New Orleans office focusing on a range of complex litigation matters, including environmental law and toxic tort litigation, oil and gas disputes, insurance disputes, commercial litigation, and construction contract litigation. Beth has represented clients in defending toxic tort and chemical exposure proceedings, oil and gas property litigation, class action breach of contract claims, and large construction disputes, including government contract disputes.

Beth says that her favorite thing about practicing law is working on the strategy of an argument or building a case for trial.  “This is most satisfying when done collaboratively and I have been honored to work with lawyers at prior firms and at Liskow who are great strategists and legal minds.”   Beth says that her ultimate goal as a lawyer is to communicate a message or argument clearly and succinctly. “I strive to provide just the right amount of information to my clients so he or she can make an informed decision knowing that they are inundated with information and pressed for time.”

Beth is passionate about Court Watch NOLA, a nonprofit organization that through citizen volunteers monitors all aspects of the New Orleans Parish Criminal Parish Court system to make sure they are doing their jobs effectively, transparently and efficiently. She is active on the Board (and now serves on the Advisory Board) of Court Watch NOLA.  Beth said, “I have enjoyed working with the organization and its many stakeholders as Court Watch has grown and expanded to make a real difference in our community.”

Beth is proud of the progress that the legal industry has made with diversity and inclusion, and Liskow & Lewis is proud that she is being recognized for the part that she has played. Beth encourages young females to consider the legal industry, she said, “I am proud to be a part of the inroads that female lawyers have achieved in the legal field. Starting the practice of law when working as a female associate was just becoming more widely accepted, law firms (with the help of technology) have evolved to allow more flexible schedules and a more reasonable work life balance increasing the opportunities for woman lawyers. I encourage any young female to consider the practice of law as a career.”

Started in 1999, Women of the Year recognizes 50 women from the area whose successes in business and contributions to the community have made them movers and shakers in the region. Honorees are innovative leaders who are making waves with their energy, ideas, achievements and commitment to excellence in the area. Honorees are selected based on business and community involvement and achievement that have set the pace for the overall community.

The National Bar Association Selects Dana M. Douglas as Recipient of the Women Lawyers Division Outstanding Minority Partner in Majority Firm Award

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Liskow is pleased to announce Dana M. Douglas has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division Outstanding Minority Partner in Majority Firm Award. Dana will be recognized at the National Bar Association’s 2018 Awards Breakfast on July 31, 2018.

Dana is being recognized for her many achievements within her firm, community, and the civic and professional organizations in which she is involved. Her commitment and leadership skills are apparent through the positions that she holds. Dana is the President of the New Orleans Bar Association. She is also a Charter and Founding Member of the Louisiana Chapter of the Women’s Energy Network, Past President of the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Society, and she served as Chair of the 2017 Annual Justice For All Ball.  Dana was recently selected as a “Women of the Year” honoree by New Orleans CityBusiness.

Dana’s service to the community has been formally recognized by many, including the Louisiana State Bar Association (“LSBA”) and the Federal Bar Association. In 2008, Dana was presented with the Louisiana State Bar Association’s President’s Award.  In 2016, she was presented the Federal Bar Association Camille Gavel Award, and in 2014, she received the LSBA Crystal Gavel Award. She was also a recipient of the 2017 Gillis Long Public Service Award from Loyola University School of Law. These recognitions speak to the difference Dana makes in the community. She is dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the practice of law and cites the importance of diversity across all spectrums in the field. Within Liskow & Lewis, Dana serves on the Diversity Committee and is head of the Paralegal Committee.

Dana received her Juris Doctor from Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans. She focuses her practice at Liskow & Lewis on energy, products liability, and intellectual property litigation in the state and federal courts of Louisiana and across a wide variety of industry sectors.