future-focused

Practices

Esmeralda Moreno

713.651.2959

Overview

Jody Schisel-Meslin is a maritime lawyer in the firm’s Houston office focused on assisting clients in the maritime and energy sector in litigation, commercial disputes, and alternative dispute resolution. Jody’s experience includes collisions and allisions, personal injury, property damage, salvage claims, vessel arrests and attachments, and drafting and interpreting charter agreements. Jody’s practice covers all stages of litigation, from emergency casualty response and investigation through litigation, trial, and appeals. Prior to practicing law, Jody managed the daily operations of a fleet of offshore research, subsea construction, and multi-purpose support vessels operating out of US and international ports of call, including overseeing compliance with class, flag, and port state requirements.

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. 

Notable Experience

  • Jody was counsel for a marine client that was involved in a multi-party, multi-vessel fleeting incident that resulted in a Jones Act seaman’s personal injuries, including allegations of traumatic brain injury.  The court granted summary judgment on all claims of unseaworthiness against the client, and after a weeklong bench trial in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division, the client’s Complaint for Exoneration From and Limitation of Liability was granted, fully exonerating the client and dismissing all claims against the client with prejudice.
  • Negotiated a full voluntary dismissal of in personam and in rem claims in excess of $900,000 brought against a client vessel owner in a multi-party allision case
  • Negotiated settlement for full monetary claim in excess of $800,000 on behalf of client dock owner in an allision case involving in personam and in rem claims
  • Jody represented a barge owner in a barge fleet breakaway resulting from Tropical Storm Imelda, overseeing USCG and NTSB investigations and ultimately recovering the damages associated with the loss and/or repair of the barges when they broke free from the fleet.

Involvement

Professional

  • Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association "WISTA," Member
  • Houston Mariners Club, Member
  • Maritime Law Association of the United States, Member
  • American Bar Association TIPS Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee, Member

Community

  • Houston Food Bank, Volunteer

Recognition

  • Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch,” 2022-2023
  • Maritime Law Certificate, Tulane University Law School
  • Maynard, Cooper & Gale Admiralty Writing Competition Award
  • Dean Rufus Harris Peer Fellow Program
  • Tulane Law Review Charles Janvier II Award to recognition tab

Credentials

Education

  • Tulane University Law School (J.D., cum laude, 2018)
    • Maritime Law Certificate
    • Tulane Law Review
    • Senior Fellow, Legal Research and Writing Program
  • Gonzaga University (B.A., Spanish, B.A., International Studies and Minor in General Business, cum laude, 2008)

Bar Admissions

  • Texas, 2018

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District, Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District, Texas

Languages

  • Spanish

Presentations

  • "Oilfield Casualty Insurance – Is it Covered?" Liskow Maritime Seminar, October 26, 2022, Houston, Texas
  • Hook, Line & Sinker – Litigation Nightmares Arising When My Vessel’s Anchor Ruptures Your Subsea Pipeline, 73rd Annual Energy Law Conference, February 17, 2022 - February 18, 2022

Publications

After Hours

"I like to stay on the move, so my time outside of work is usually spent traveling and exploring, both abroad and finding hidden gems within Houston. I look for any chance to be outdoors, and enjoy running, beach time, and golfing with my husband. I also enjoy rooting on the Saints and my hometown team, the Seattle Mariners."

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