News

Liskow maritime attorney Ray Waid was recently quoted in The Wall Street Journal in the article, “A Focus on Terror Risks, Not War, Is Coming Back to Bite Companies,” discussing the legal and insurance implications of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, including rising war risk insurance demand, increasing premiums, and anticipated maritime coverage disputes.

Ray provided a quote on the expected litigation arising from these issues stating, “This will likely cause a wave of litigation. The longer this goes on, the more cases there will be.”

To read the full article, visit The Wall Street Journal here.

Liskow is proud to announce that the Federal Bar Association – New Orleans Chapter is recognizing James A. Brown with the John R. “Jack” Martzell Professionalism Award. The award is presented annually to honor an attorney who best exemplifies outstanding professionalism in the practice of law.

James’s distinguished legal career, longstanding leadership within the firm and the broader legal community, and sustained commitment to the highest standards of the profession exemplify the professionalism, judgment, and integrity recognized by the Professionalism Award.

James is an experienced trial lawyer handling complex litigation in state and federal courts across Louisiana and the U.S. His practice focuses on banking, contract, and professional liability disputes, class action defense, and insurance coverage litigation, alongside his work advising clients on crisis management matters. A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, James maintains a national reputation in key areas including corporate disputes, antitrust, and trusts and estates litigation. Throughout a career spanning more than four decades, he has represented national and international businesses, financial institutions, and major law and accounting firms in high-stakes cases characterized by their size, complexity, and large exposure.

At Liskow, James has held multiple leadership roles, including service on the firm’s Board of Directors and as Chair of the Commercial Litigation Section. He currently serves as the firm’s General Counsel and Loss Prevention Partner, and he leads the Professional Liability Group.

James’s commitment to the legal profession extends well beyond Liskow and the courtroom. He is the immediate past President of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, where he served as Chair of the Louisiana State Committee, currently chairs the College’s National Committee on Mental Health Awareness, and serves on the Podcast Committee. He has also served for more than three decades as an adjunct professor in Torts and Trial Advocacy at Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center and has co-chaired the Louisiana State Bar Association’s “P’s and Q’s” Ethics and Professionalism Program since 2004. His broader professional and civic leadership includes service as past Chair of the American Bar Association Presidential Standing Committee on Lawyers’ Professional Liability, chairing the U.S. Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel by appointment of the Chief Judge of the Federal Court, and serving on the New Orleans Ethics Review Board by mayoral appointment, including terms as Vice Chair and Chair.

James will receive the award at the Chapter’s Annual Meeting on August 17, 2026.

Liskow is pleased to announce that the firm is ranked nationally in The Legal 500 United States 2026 Guide for Transport: Shipping – Litigation and Regulation. Only 11 law firms were ranked in this area in the United States. Michael Fernandez is listed as a Leading Partner, and Will Yost is ranked as a Next Generation Partner.

In commentary provided by The Legal 500 editorial team, Liskow’s Maritime team was noted for its work in offshore oil and gas matters, casualty response, personal injury, offshore collisions, toxic tort class actions, vessel construction, salvage and wreck removal, and maritime litigation. The editorial team also highlighted David Reisman, Michael Golemi, Raymond Waid, Michael Fernandez, Will Yost, and Jonas Patzwall for their roles in the practice.

About The Legal 500

The Legal 500 analyzes the capabilities of law firms across the world, with a comprehensive research program revised and updated every year to bring the most up-to-date vision of the global legal market. The Legal500 assesses the strengths of law firms in over 150 jurisdictions highlighting the practice area teams who are providing the most cutting edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel. The research is based on feedback from 300,000 clients worldwide, submissions from law firms and interviews with leading private practice lawyers, and a team of experienced researchers.

Liskow attorneys Leon Rittenberg III and Kevin Naccari were recently featured on National Fisherman’s website with their article, “Marad Modernizes US Citizenship Evidencing Requirements for Vessel Owners and Program Participants.” The article details two final rules issued by MARAD on June 4, 2026, which simplify how business entities demonstrate U.S. citizenship for MARAD programs and fishery endorsements.

Leon and Kevin explain that these deregulatory actions significantly reduce compliance burdens by eliminating the need to provide sensitive personally identifiable information, such as birth dates and social security numbers, in citizenship affidavits. They also highlight that the rules remove the notarization requirement for standard affidavits and introduce a streamlined recertification process for entities with stable ownership. Furthermore, the article notes that these updates harmonize MARAD standards with existing U.S. Coast Guard guidance, establishing clearer methodologies for publicly traded corporations to evidence U.S. citizen ownership. 

Leon and Kevin note that these changes are expected to reduce administrative burdens while maintaining MARAD’s ability to oversee citizenship compliance.

To read the full article, please click here.

Liskow is pleased to be recognized in the 2026 edition of Chambers USA, a respected legal directory that has been publishing rankings for more than 30 years.  In the 2026 guide, Liskow received four national rankings, eight statewide rankings, and 32 individual rankings. 

USA Nationwide Rankings

• Transportation: Shipping/Maritime: Litigation (outside New York), Band 1
• Offshore Energy, Band 2
• Oil & Gas Litigation, Band 3
• Transportation: Shipping/Maritime: Litigation (New York), Band 3

Louisiana Statewide Rankings

• Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas, Band 1
• Environment, Band 1
• Litigation: Appellate, Band 1
• Litigation: General Commercial, Band 1
• Banking & Finance, Band 2
• Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Band 3
• Labor & Employment, Band 3
• Real Estate, Band 4

Attorney Rankings

USA – Nationwide

Offshore Energy

• Jana Grauberger, Band 1

Product Liability: Toxic Torts

• Charles Wilmore, Band 1

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

• David Reisman, Band 2
• Michael Golemi, Band 3
• Raymond Waid, Band 3

Oil & Gas Litigation

• James T. Kittrell, Band 2

Transportation: Shipping/Maritime: Litigation (New York)

• Michael Fernandez, Band 3
• William Yost, Up and Coming

Louisiana Rankings

Banking and Finance

• Ryan Christiansen, Band 4

Bankruptcy/Restructuring

• Philip K “Kirk” Jones Jr, Senior Statepeople

Corporate/M&A

• Leon J Reymond III, Band 3

Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas

• April Rolen-Odgen, Band 3
• Jeff Lieberman, Band 3
• Kelly Becker, Band 3
• Larry P Simon Jr, Senior Statespeople

Environment

• Greg Johnson, Band 1
• Lou Buatt, Band 1
• Clare Bienvenu, Band 3

Environment: Litigation 

• Robert McNeal, Band 1
• Mark McNamara, Band 3
• Michael Mims, Band 3

Labor & Employment

• Tommy McGoey, Band 1

Litigation: Appellate

• Kelly Becker, Band 1
• Kathryn Gonski, Band 2

Litigation: General Commercial

• James Brown, Band 1
• Shannon Holtzman, Band 3
• Carey Menasco, Band 3
• Carol “LuLu” Reisman, Band 3
• Tyler Trew, Band 3

Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations

• Sean Toomey, Band 2

Marine Finance

• Leon Rittenberg, III, Band 2

Tax

• Bob Angelico, Band 1
• Caroline Lafourcade, Band 2

Chambers conducts over 285,000 interviews and surveys annually to assess law firms and attorneys across the country. We are honored by this recognition and appreciate the continued trust of our clients and peers.

In an article published by Waste Advantage Magazine, Liskow attorney Michael Mims examines the emerging legal and compliance issues surrounding remote methane monitoring at landfills.

Satellite, drone, and other remote-sensing technologies are making methane emissions more visible to regulators, community groups, the plaintiff bar, and the public. At the same time, states such as California, Colorado, and Oregon are beginning to incorporate these technologies into their regulatory frameworks, creating new regulatory obligations and risk-management considerations for landfill operators.

Michael’s article explains how this shift may affect landfill operators, including through increased regulatory scrutiny, public emissions reporting, and potential legal exposure. The article also offers practical considerations for operators seeking to anticipate and manage these risks as methane monitoring technology continues to evolve.

To read the full article, click here.

Liskow labor and employment lawyer Laura Alaniz spoke with SHRM.org about the U.S. Department of Labor’s recently proposed joint employer rule, which seeks to establish a unified standard under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act. The rule, if finalized, would offer employers a more predictable framework for assessing joint employer relationships with staffing agencies, subcontractors, and vendors.

However, experts caution that the proposed rule does not resolve all compliance challenges.  Alaniz noted that while the rule aims to bring greater consistency to the DOL’s enforcement efforts, it falls short of addressing the broader fragmentation of joint employer standards across federal agencies and states.

“Overall, while the proposed rule is intended to create more consistency with the DOL’s enforcement, it does not resolve the broader issue that joint employer standards vary across agencies and states,” Alaniz said.

To read the full article, visit SHRM.org.

A team from Liskow, along with Kelley Drye & Warren, Partridge LLC, The Lanier Law Firm and Downs Ward Bender Herzog & Kintigh, was honored as lead runner up in Am Law’s “Litigator of the Week” contest for securing a $2.25 billion settlement for its client, the State of Maryland, in connection with the M/V DALI’s allision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, marking the largest single maritime property damage settlement in U.S. history.

The team led by David L. Reisman and R. Keith Jarrett, included Raymond T. Waid, Elizabeth A. Strunk, Elizabeth “Libby” McIntosh and Jessie Elizabeth Shifalo.

Tulane University Law School recognized the role alumni played in securing a historic settlement for its client, the State of Maryland, in connection with the M/V DALI’s allision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The settlement is the largest single maritime property damage settlement in U.S. history.

Liskow maritime attorneys helping lead the effort on behalf of the State of Maryland were David Reisman and Elizabeth Strunk, and four Tulane Law alumni: R. Keith Jarrett (L’85), Raymond T. Waid (L’07), Elizabeth “Libby” McIntosh (L’15), and Jessie Shifalo (L’22).

“Tulane’s maritime law program has long prepared students not just to understand maritime law academically, but to step into the most sophisticated, high-stakes maritime matters in the world,” said Waid, who also serves as an adjunct professor of maritime law at Tulane Law.

Liskow environmental lawyer Greg Johnson spoke with Manufacturing Dive about The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently proposed new rule to revise the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review (NSR) preconstruction permitting program. The proposed revisions would allow companies, including artificial intelligence, essential power generation, and data centers, to begin construction of certain non-emitting portions of a project before obtaining an NSR permit.

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“The rules already allow certain site preparation activities, such as site clearing, to begin before a permit is issued, but this change would expand the scope of work that would be allowed and reduce the types of activities that are prohibited without the issuance of a permit,” said Johnson. “Further, the incorporation of these concepts into the regulations will add permanence to them and make it more difficult for a future administration to reverse course.”

To read the full article, visit Manufacturing Dive. Liskow’s environmental regulatory team recently posted an update on the proposed revisions here.