Elmwood Maritime Lawyers

"Having been involved in a catastrophic car wreck only a few years ago, I know exactly what's it like to be laid up in a hospital for days, not be able to work or do normal daily activities for months at a time, and stuck wondering how you'll pay for a new car or your medical bills. I know the aggravation and frustration that my clients have because they can't drive, have to go to treatment, or simply hate waking up in the morning because they're sore. It's because of this first-hand knowledge that I am able to relate to...

A partner of Montgomery, Barnett, Brown, Read, Hammond & Mintz, Patrick O'Keefe is engaged in general maritime trial and appellate practice involving personal injury and death with particular expertise in defense of claims arising under the Longshore Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Defense Base Act and the Jones Act. A member of the American Bar Association, the Louisiana State Bar Association, the New Orleans Bar Association, the Maritime Law Association of the United States, the Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute (Chairman, 1989), the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association. Mr. O'Keefe is also a member of the Federal Bar...

In my 23 years of practice I have not only mastered the law, but I have also learned how different courts in southeastern Louisiana operate. My approach to any case is to prepare like we are going to trial but hope we can reach a settlement before trial is necessary. If a settlement cannot be reached, we’ll be ready. I have presented cases and won at all levels of court in the state, including the Louisiana Supreme Court, The Court of Appeal, Juvenile Court and the State Courts.

New Orleans personal injury attorney Brent Cueria, skillfully represents clients who have suffered due to the negligence of others. He advocates for victims of trucking accidents, car accidents, Maritime accidents and any type of accident involving loss and trauma throughout New Orleans and Nationwide.

JOHN R. WALKER is a Partner in SBSB's Houston office. For the past almost twenty-five years, it has been my privilege to represent insurance and employer interests focusing on the defense of claims brought under the Longshore and Harbor Act, the Defense Base (DBA), the Non-Appropriated Funds (NAF) Instrumentalities Act, the Jones Act, and General Maritime and Admiralty Law. Additionally, John also has extensive experience in First Party Insurance Defense matters, representing employers, insurance carriers, and third parties in State, Federal and Appellate courts. Prior to joining the firm, John handled First Party Insurance Defense,...

Jeffrey P. Berniard received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance at McNeese State University, in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 2001 and received his Juris Doctorate degree at Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 2004. Jeffrey opted to study in the state of Louisiana, his home, in order to stay close and stay connected to the state he loves and the state he grew up in.

Immediately following his graduation, Jeffrey Berniard was admitted to practice law in the state of Louisiana, including being able to practice in the Eastern, Western, and Middle Districts of Louisianaís U.S. District...

Karen Waters Shields is a partner in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. Karen is an experienced litigator with particular experience in a wide variety of admiralty and oil & gas casualty issues, including Jones Act, personal injury, oil and gas exploration, well blowouts, cargo damage, vessel collisions, vessel damage, platform damage and barge damage. Her experience with oil and gas casualties is both offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and on land. Karen also has experience in construction law, consumer credit reporting, products liability, and general personal injury litigation. Following law school, she served for one year as...

Hugh Lambert founded The Lambert Firm (now Lambert Zainey Smith & Soso) in 1977 and has since grown the firm to one of the most prestigious and well respected firms in New Orleans, representing individuals and businesses alike in a wide range of legal matters. In addition to his legal representation, Hugh Lambert is a frequent lecturer across the United States on class actions and mass torts. He has also authored and published legal articles. He has held a broad range of leadership positions in many organizations devoted to law, civic and charitable pursuits. He is a member in good...

Tod Everage is a partner in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2011 and practices in the Offshore Energy and Maritime Litigation Practice Group. Tod’s practice primarily involves representing oil and gas operators (offshore, midstream, and onshore) and their service providers and contractors in litigation in both state and federal courts. Tod has gained extensive experience representing vessel owners, shipyards, and diesel engine service providers in warranty claims. Tod’s practice also includes assisting clients in contract review, drafting, negotiations, transactional disputes, and general corporate advices. Tod has tried several cases to verdict as well...

David Sharpe focuses on marine insurance coverage; marine finance and vessel documentation; bankruptcy, restructuring, and creditors’ rights; admiralty and maritime; and international and cross-border law. He represents clients that own, operate, charter, or employ vessels, and helps them understand and manage their risks in the United States, Gulf of Mexico, and worldwide offshore maritime oilfield and alternative-energy markets. Mr. Sharpe services clients in the area of concentration on maritime contracts (time and bareboat charter parties, master service contracts, insurance and indemnity agreements, marine-insurance coverage, and ship sale and finance) and related commercial litigation (maritime liens, vessel arrest and attachment,...

Daniel Stanton practices in the admiralty, maritime , and energy law practice groups. Prior to law school, Daniel worked as a commercial property and casualty insurance producer in Northwest Florida where he helped businesses manage liability and property risks through a variety of insurance vehicles. He is listed as a Rising Star in Louisiana Super Lawyers 2018 - 2020 and 2023. Daniel earned his B.B.A. from Mississippi State University in 2007. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2013, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Maritime Law Journal, President of the Maritime Law...

Attorney Mark Glago graduated from the University of Richmond in Virginia with Phi Beta Kappa honors, having triple-majored in Political Science, Speech and Sociology. He was the University’s Rhodes Scholar nominee and received the “Most Outstanding Graduate” award. At the Tulane University School of Law, he was Managing Editor of the Tulane Law Review and again graduated with honors. Over the past 17 years, Mr. Glago has handled over 2,500 cases and been the “first-chair” lawyer for over 160 trials in Louisiana courts. He has built a respected, full-service law firm devoted to recovering compensation for clients in a range...

Amanda Howard Lowe is a partner in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in 2009 and practices in the admiralty and maritime, energy and corporate litigation groups. Amanda has considerable experience in a wide variety of admiralty issues, including Jones Act and personal injury defense, maritime litigation, oil and gas exploration, drilling accidents, well blowouts, cargo damage, ship collisions, ship allusions, vessel groundings, lift board and jack-up rig accidents, vessel mortgage filings, product liability, redhibition, as well as premises liability, construction defect litigation and general personal injury litigation. Amanda's experience also includes assisting clients in...

Chuck Talley is a partner in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. He practices in the admiralty and maritime, and oil and gas practice groups. Chuck has particular experience in admiralty and maritime law, personal injury defense, including defense of Jones Act seaman claims, property damage claims, Corbello litigation, appeals, and oil & gas law. He has more than 31 years of trial and appellate experience before state and federal courts throughout the United States.

Chuck is listed in Louisiana Super Lawyers, 2008-2019. He is also listed in Best Lawyers in America, 2020.

Chuck was selected by New Orleans CityBusiness as...

Zoë Vermeulen is a partner in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in 2012 and practices in the admiralty and maritime practice group, as well as the labor and employment group.

Zoë earned her B.A. in Public Relations from Louisiana State University in 2008. She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, in 2012 from Tulane University Law School, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif and Moot Court Board.

Richard P. Voorhies III founded The Voorhies Law Firm in 2012. Before starting his own firm, Richard earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Lafayette, received a Juris Doctor from Loyola School of Law, and served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Dee D. Drell in the Western District of Louisiana. He is an active member of the Louisiana State Bar association and licensed to practice in every court in the state. If needed, Richard can also practice before District Courts in Louisiana and the United States Court of Appeals. With experience in...

Glenn Orgeron is of counsel to the New Orleans office of Kean Miller and a Registered Professional Engineer. He practices in the construction and litigation groups. Glenn has over 25 years of experience in complex construction law matters, mold litigation, and product liability litigation in state and federal courts.

Glenn is a Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) in the United States Marine Corps. He has served in a variety of legal positions for the United States Marine Corps, including assignments as Deputy General Counsel, Assistant General Counsel, and General Counsel in wide range of jurisdictions including Hawaii, Japan, the Indian Ocean, Washington, D.C.,...

Tom's practice focuses on personal injury and criminal defense litigation in all Federal and State Courts. He has successfully taken on big corporations and local, state and federal governments in personal injury and criminal defense cases. Tom has helped injured clients and their families who have suffered catastrophic personal injuries and tragic wrongful deaths. He has handled a variety of personal injury cases across the state of Louisiana, including maritime and offshore accidents. He also represents individuals accused of violent and non-violent criminal conduct, as well as grand jury investigations and regulatory matters. Tom has...

Jim Silverstein practices in the areas of admiralty and maritime, products liability, energy, construction and environmental law.

Jim has extensive litigation experience, and has successfully defended clients in cases involving various aspects of maritime, admiralty, energy, and oil and gas law. He also maintains an active practice successfully defending manufacturers in product liability cases. He has defended cases involving numerous products, including ladders, electrical motors, fans, table saws, radial arm saws, planers, power tools, cranes and pumps. He has also successfully defended and prosecuted cases in the commercial litigation field.

Jim is an accomplished trial lawyer and is listed in Louisiana Super...

Chauvin Kean is an associate in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2015 and practices in a variety of areas, including the business and corporate groups. Specifically, his practice areas includes: oil and gas transactions and litigation; admiralty and maritime litigation; international trade; acquisitions and divestitures; customs compliance; construction litigation; insurance coverage; and general and commercial litigation. He has experience with in a variety of issues, including Jones Act compliance, oil and gas exploration, pipeline construction, drilling incidents, well blowouts, cargo damage claims, ship and barge allisions, maritime liens, vessel and marine asset acquisitions,...

A graduate of Tulane University School of Law, an avid gardener, and a history buff, Louis lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. He enjoys speaking French and is an advocate for French language and culture in Louisiana. Bringing more than 50 years of legal experience to the table, Louis R. Koerner, Jr. can assist you with complex litigation and appeals related to maritime and personal injury cases. Certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization.

Christopher L. Williams focuses his practice on complex employment litigation, including cases involving violations of wage-and-hour laws, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, unpaid wages, breach of contract, whistleblower claims, and non-compete issues. After working for some of the nation’s largest labor-and-employment law firms, he opened his own practice in 2014 to concentrate on protecting the rights of workers and employees. Mr. Williams draws on his previous experience representing employers to provide legal advice to individuals regarding potential claims and legal remedies under state and federal employment laws. Mr. Williams has litigated a wide variety of employment issues in...

Over 36 years of litigation experience in Louisiana State and Federal Courts representing handling civil cases including Personal Injury, Automobile, Trucking and Transportation, Admiralty and Maritime, Negligence, Premises liability, Professional Malpractice, Commercial and Business Litigation, Products Liability, Insurance Coverage, Subrogation and Workers Compensation. AV Rated by Martindale Hubbell.

I learned early on that as a lawyer, I could change people’s lives for the better. A few years ago, I had a client who worked for one company as a tankerman for 20 years. He was ordered into a crawlhole during a storm to check the radar, and as he was getting out, the boat hit a swell. He was thrown backwards and ended up with a spine injury. He went from being the main provider for his family to borrowing money to get a Coke and sleeping on people’s sofas. The day of the trial, the company offered us $100,000. The jury...

Maro Petkovich, Jr. is a founding member of Bowes, Petkovich & Palmer, LLC and serves as the firm’s managing member. He operated Petkovich Law Firm for 6 years before merging his practice into the firm. Prior to going into business for himself, he already had years of experience representing some of the nation’s largest companies. His time representing various Fortune 500 companies as a creditors’ rights attorney and a former insurance defense attorney gives him the insight to effectively navigate cases and stay ahead of the curve. His practice continues to center on representing regional and...

Ethan Zubic focuses his practice on commercial litigation in a wide range of practice areas, from cooperative purchasing enterprises to property damage to legacy litigation, as well as environmental law, admiralty and maritime law, insurance coverage and defense, real estate litigation and commercial transactions. He has handled cases involving property insurance, ocean marine insurance coverage disputes, subrogation claims, marine pollution insurance defense, commercial transactions and general litigation in Louisiana state and federal courts. Ethan is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Environmental and Litigation - Real Estate, as well as the Louisiana Super Lawyers Rising Stars...

Robert Killeen was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1962. He attended Tulane University in New Orleans where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1984, and a Juris Doctor in 1987. Mr. Killeen was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1987, and the Texas Bar in 1990. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, United States Court of Federal Claims, United States District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, Northern and Western Districts of Texas, and United States District Courts for the Western, Middle and Eastern Districts...