Carole Cukell Neff

Bill Backstrom is a partner and leader of the firm’s Tax Practice Group. For more than 35 years, he has focused on state and local tax matters in Louisiana and on a multistate basis. Bill provides comprehensive, practical, and solution-focused tax guidance to a broad range of business enterprises. Known for the quality of his counsel, his commitment to client service, and his ability to explain sophisticated issues in clear terms — particularly with respect to Louisiana’s hi...

Joanne Rinardo defends clients in employment and constitutional claims and is best known for litigation involving Title VII, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, and Family Medical Leave Act, as well as general employment claims. Ms. Rinardo has defended 60 EEOC and/or comparable state agency charges in a tri-state area over a two-year period with no findings of “cause” issued against the client. She also advises clients ...

Chris Caplinger is a partner at Kean Miller in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he represents clients in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation – Bankruptcy. His practice includes bankruptcy, restructuring, and creditors’ rights, as well as marine insurance coverage and oil and gas matters. Chris represents debtors, creditors, and creditor committees in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization cases, creditors in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 ...

Wayne Zeringue, a partner in the Maritime Practice Group and Energy, Environmental, and Natural Resources Industry Team, represents marine and energy clients in a broad range of litigation and transactions. Wayne has more than 30 years of experience in admiralty and maritime, oil and gas, construction, products liability, and environmental litigation. He represents oil companies, exploration and production companies, builders, owners, barge lines, towing companies, marine fabricators, shipyar...

Etienne Balart is a partner in the Maritime and Litigation practice groups, in the Construction Industry Team, and co-leads the firm's Latin America working group. He provides transactional and litigation counsel to clients in the energy and maritime industries. Etienne helps clients identify and quantify financial, compliance, and other risks associated with disputes and litigated matters, negotiate, and, where necessary, bring to trial commercial and other disputes. Relying upon this deep e...

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...

Leading Maritime Injury Advocate Ian Taylor is a trusted advocate for individuals injured at sea, recognized for his skill in complex maritime, products liability, and civil litigation cases. As a member of Lewis, Kullman, Sterbcow & Abramson, LLC, he was appointed by a federal judge to the Executive Committee overseeing litigation from the 2021 SEACOR POWER maritime disaster and has played a key role in securing multi-million-dollar recoveries for clients in the BP oil spill and other ma...

Ms. Talley is Co-Chair of the firm's Real Estate Practice Group. Her practice includes all aspects of real estate development, financing, leasing, purchase and sales. Ms. Talley has been involved in many of the major commercial real estate developments in Louisiana. She joined Stone Pigman in 1981.

Michelle M. Roy is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Michelle M., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michelle M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Mark Fullmer practices in the areas of business and finance and corporate and securities. He represents start-up companies as well as companies in the mature stages of their growth cycle. His practice in the area of corporate and securities includes all aspects of public and private company representation, including public offerings, private placements, corporate governance, compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley, and mergers and acquisitions. He has also represented both venture capital funds and in...