Brian Ballay

Jane Jackson focuses her practice in the areas of environmental litigation, oil and gas, and commercial litigation. She handles the defense of environmental claims by landowners alleging environmental damage arising from oil and gas exploration and production operations. Ms. Jackson has represented public entities in land use cases involving the appropriation of property for constructing and maintaining hurricane protection levees, and she also has experience handling cases involving land los...

Fishman Haygood’s Jason Burge represents victims of financial misconduct in single plaintiff, mass action, and class action cases against banks, loan servicers, stockbrokers, and investment firms. Jason is also an Appellate Practice Specialist, certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. With a background in economics, Jason can distill complex financial transactions into terms that judges, arbitrators, and jurors can understand; Chambers and Partners has described him as ...

Joseph Lassalle is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Joseph, who practices law in Metairie, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joseph is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

David Patrón serves as the Regional Practice Coordinator of the firm’s New Orleans Litigation Group where he manages one of the firm’s largest practice groups. With over twenty years of legal experience, David Patrón has established a solid reputation as a talented litigator who successfully represents businesses at all phases of litigation in state and federal courts throughout the Gulf South and beyond. Whether winning at trial or negotiating favorable settlements,...

Christopher Wappel is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. He focuses on commercial lending and finance. Christopher has practiced law since 1999. He represents borrowers, agents, and lenders in structuring, negotiating, and documenting senior and subordinated, secured and unsecured, and bilateral and syndicated credit facilities, including acquisition, asset-based, oil and gas, real estate, receivables, vessel, and working capital financings. Christopher also has significant experience...

Darryl primarily practices in areas of toxic tort and environmental law, representing defendants in asbestos litigation in Louisiana and other states. He also practices general insurance defense, particularly first party claims for disability and life insurance benefits. Darryl has successfully obtained multiple defense jury verdicts in favor of Monsanto, including a six week jury trial involving six plaintiffs claiming asbestos related disease from working in a paper mill, and a trial of nei...

Clients value Keith Grady’s practical, forward-looking counsel and extensive experience in Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Intellectual Property, and Litigation - Patent matters. Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, Keith is a shareholder at Kean Miller and has served as first chair through all phases of intellectual property litigation. His experience includes representing clients in hundreds of cases nationwide, handling preliminary injunction hearings, claim construction proceedings,...

Mr. Best is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and he returned home to South Louisiana in 2005. Mr. Best worked for a healthcare boutique firm in New Orleans for almost nine years before joining Blue Williams. Mr. Best has first and second chaired numerous bench and jury trials in Louisiana, as well as Georgia, and he has participated in numerous medical review panel proceedings and arbitration hearings in various jurisdictions. Mr. Best has extensive experience in healthcare regulatory and ...

James R. Silverstein is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Admiralty and Maritime Law and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. James R., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2014. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Gerald E. Meunier was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 20, 1948, and admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1974. He received his college education at Georgetown University and graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in 1970. Mr. Meunier attended Georgetown University Law Center while working in the United States Senate as an assistant to the Secretary for the Majority. He was a contributing Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal and received his J.D. in 1974. He also served in the D.C. Natio...