Claire A. Noonan

Fishman Haygood Special Counsel Alicia Bendana maintains a national practice focused on complex bankruptcy and commercial litigation. She represents trustees, debtors, creditors, creditors’ committees, receivers and liquidators in high-stakes matters involving officer and director liability, professional negligence, fraud, RICO, fraudulent transfers, and business dissolutions. A Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Alicia is also board certified in business bankruptcy law by both the America...

Howard Shapiro is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation - ERISA and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants. Howard, who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 1993. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Howard is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Melissa Lessell partners with her clients faced with professional liability and complex commercial litigation matters. She helps professionals navigate through disciplinary actions, ethics investigations, malpractice, negligence and breach of fiduciary duty claims and lawsuits. Forming partnerships with her clients, Melissa Lessell tirelessly defends them in professional liability and complex commercial litigation matters. She helps professionals navigate through disciplinary actions, license...

Amelia L. Hurt is an associate in the firm’s Bankruptcy and Business Reorganization section. Her practice focuses on bankruptcy and bankruptcy litigation, where she represents debtors, debtors-in-possession, creditors, and trustees in Chapter 11 cases throughout the country. Ms. Hurt also handles bankruptcy-related litigation matters and appellate work, including cases before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Hurt’s legal expertise includes prosecuting and defending preferen...

Jay Sever is a partner in the Insurance and Reinsurance group of Phelps Dunbar. He is the Regional Practice Coordinator for the firm's insurance practice group and is also head of the insurance and reinsurance practice group in the New Orleans office. He serves as local, regional and national coverage counsel for both foreign and domestic insurance companies. He counsels clients, manages disputes and tries cases involving a wide variety of insurance coverage issues, including matters arising ...

Scott Willis is a partner in Fishman Haygood's Business Section. He practices primarily in the areas of commercial transactions, negotiated acquisitions, banking and commercial real estate acquisitions, development, and financing. Scott is a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (“ACREL”) and previously served on its Board of Governors, is a member of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys (“ACMA”) and serves on its Board of Regents, and is a past C...

The founding member of the firm, Larry Pugh has been practicing law in New Orleans since 1986. A skilled trial lawyer, he has defended businesses and individuals in complex civil matters and class actions. He is trial counsel for clients involved in nationwide litigation and has tried cases in multiple jurisdictions, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Tennessee. He is a leading litigator in the areas of asbestos litigation, other toxic tort litigation, products liability and environm...

Amanda Russo Schenck obtained her undergraduate degree in Mass Communications from Louisiana State University in 2003 and her law degree from Loyola University of New Orleans School of Law in 2006. While at Loyola, Amanda was the Vice-president of the Student Bar Association, a Student Practitioner in the Family Law Section of the Loyola Law Clinic, and a teaching assistant in the Research and Writing Lab. Amanda was also the Case Note and Comment Editor of the Loyola Law and Technology Annua...

Rebecca Wilmore joined Blue Williams in 2017 and is a partner in the Metairie office. Her practice focuses primarily on medical malpractice defense and healthcare law. Ms. Wilmore earned a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, minoring in political science and graduating cum laude in 2001. She obtained her Juris Doctorate and Bachelor of Civil Law degree in 2004 from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University, where she served as a member of the Moo...

Kelly Duncan is a partner in the Maritime Practice Group. He serves currently as co-chair of the firm’s Gaming Industry Team and served on Jones Walker’s board of directors from 2006 to 2014. Kelly has 40 years of experience handling admiralty, maritime, and international and customs law matters, including domestic and international matters relating to marine acquisitions, financings, vessel construction, regulatory issues, maritime lien enforcement and foreclosures, contracts of ...