• Skip to content

liskow_lewis_white_new

future-focused

  • Team
  • Practices
  • Insights

Refinery Incidents & Litigation

Practices

  • Energy – Litigation

When it comes to personal injury, it’s not just the financial risk that is high: defendants sometimes want more than money. Liskow excels at dealing with these incidents, effectively minimizing exposure, and working out a resolution in the best interest of our clients.

Overview

When an accident occurs, we respond immediately to ensure that you are not required to halt your operations; if you are at fault, we strive to minimize the penalty. Whenever possible, we work to ensure there are no criminal implications on the regulatory side. We know that the incident itself – and the resulting litigation – will involve a lot of back-and-forth with various agencies, and we come prepared. Because of our 90 years of experience in oil and gas, we are adept at helping clients with their immediate regulatory response to OSHA, the State Police, the Chemical Safety Board, the Department of Environmental Quality, as well as the pipeline safety agencies.

Liskow represents major energy companies and other multinational corporations in cases involving catastrophic incidents such as environmental exposure and releases from refineries, oil spills, and accidents resulting in catastrophic physical injuries. We figure out the story and tap into the resources – both internal and external – to build the strongest possible case for state and federal court.

Scaling up at a moment’s notice

A refinery incident can occur at any time. More than once, we’ve had to respond immediately, piecing together information like a detective to determine what’s happened – while keeping in mind that litigation may follow, tomorrow or in six months. At the same time, we recognize it’s a traumatic event for you. We are both sensitive to your time of crisis while cognizant of the fact that our job is to terminate the problem and protect your company. We dig into the facts: who were the actual actors? What contracts and indemnities governed the operations at this refinery? What are the applicable insurance provisions? As skilled investigators, we are dedicated to finding the facts that may be lurking deep below the surface.

To do so, we ring the bell for other Liskow partners to help with the massive undertaking. And they do, every time, because Liskow’s core values are strong when it comes to helping others in urgent matters. While the best of our energy and casualty lawyers work on the refinery case, we can also turn to partners who possess deep knowledge of other niches: insurance, regulatory, and even white-collar criminal defense. Liskow’s culture means that you have ready access to the sophisticated knowledge of the entire firm.

Our litigation results instill trust in our clients

In the last few years, we have succeeded in achieving zero verdicts in 3 out of 4 mass tort class actions. That is because we are strategic from the outset, taking into consideration what contractual, regulatory, engineering, and operational issues might come up and affect our planning. We set the case up at the beginning to minimize our client’s risk.

A large part of how we do what we do is the technical experience we bring to the table. Understanding the regulations ad requirements for your business is part of our job. There is no learning curve: once an incident has occurred, we already know what the company was expected to do, and how agencies are likely to react. We also help translate the complex, technical details of each case to a jury or a judge, using the appropriate partner with specific subpractice experience, so that the factfinders can rule on the case we present.

We are known for these strengths

  • When insurance claim issues are involved, we investigate and ensure that the claims fall within coverage, and then work with insurers to ensure that they provide that coverage
  • From a regulatory angle, we often help clients cooperate with OSHA, the State Police, the Chemical Safety Board, the Department of Environmental Quality, as well as the pipeline safety agencies
  • In personal injury cases, we also take into account contractual, regulatory, engineering, and operational issues at play

Initial Contacts

  • Michael Golemi
    magolemi@liskow.com
    713.651.2914713.651.2914
  • Mark Latham
    mdlatham@liskow.com
    504.556.4180504.556.4180
  • Charles Wilmore
    cbwilmore@liskow.com
    504.299.6113504.299.6113

Our Team

Shareholders

  • Media item displaying: Michael P. Cash

    Michael P. Cash

    Shareholder

    Houston
    713.651.2839713.651.2839
    995
  • Media item displaying: Michael A. Golemi

    Michael A. Golemi

    Shareholder

    Houston
    713.651.2914713.651.2914
    995
  • Media item displaying: Jackie Hickman

    Jackie Hickman

    Shareholder

    New Orleans
    504.556.4084504.556.4084
    995
  • Media item displaying: Wade T. Howard

    Wade T. Howard

    Shareholder

    Houston
    713.651.2886713.651.2886
    995
  • Media item displaying: Greg L. Johnson

    Greg L. Johnson

    Shareholder

    New Orleans
    504.556.4115504.556.4115
    995
  • Media item displaying: Mark D. Latham

    Mark D. Latham

    Shareholder

    New Orleans
    504.556.4180504.556.4180
    995
  • Media item displaying: Alma Shields

    Alma Shields

    Shareholder

    Houston
    713.651.2974713.651.2974
    995
  • Media item displaying: Cherrell Simms Taplin

    Cherrell Simms Taplin

    Shareholder

    New Orleans
    504.556.4025504.556.4025
    995
  • Media item displaying: Elizabeth S. Wheeler

    Elizabeth S. Wheeler

    Shareholder

    New Orleans
    504.556.4013504.556.4013
    995
  • Media item displaying: Charles B. Wilmore

    Charles B. Wilmore

    Shareholder

    New Orleans
    504.299.6113504.299.6113
    995

Associates

  • Media item displaying: Jonas S. Patzwall

    Jonas S. Patzwall

    Associate

    Houston
    713.651.2824713.651.2824
    995

INSIGHTS

  • News
    10.04.22
    Lawdragon Names 4 Liskow Lawyers to 2023 500 Leading Litigators in America List
    less than a minute
Liskow & Lewis, APLC
Arrow Icon

future-focused

  • Baton Rouge
  • Houston
  • Lafayette
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • © 2025 Liskow & Lewis, APLC
  • Sitemap
  • Disclaimer
  • Employee Login
Site by
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
  • Team
  • Practices
  • Insights
  • Offices
  • Pro Bono
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • DEI
  • The Energy Law Blog
  • Gulf Coast Business Law Blog
  • The Maritime Law Blog