Clare M. Bienvenu

Stephen R. Klaffky focuses his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, environmental litigation, insurance coverage and bad faith, and securities litigation and regulation. Stephen has represented financial institutions, investors, manufacturers, and employers through trial and on appeal. As lead counsel, he has successfully defended clients against allegations involving fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, lender liability, employment discrimination, and wrongful termination. He has also...

Craig Isenberg is a trial and appellate lawyer focusing on complex litigation matters, including commercial disputes, mass and toxic torts, environmental, product liability and securities matters. Craig has extensive trial experience in high-stakes litigation—trying jury and bench trials in Louisiana and across the country. He has tried a significant Clean Water Act case against the Department of Justice, dozens of toxic tort trials involving hundreds of plaintiffs, and a variety of com...

Douglas S. Draper practices primarily in the creditor and debtor rights area. His practice involves an equal mix of litigation and business negotiation. The creditor and debtor rights work involves representation of bondholders, creditors’ committees and debtors in large commercial and business cases. Has represented clients in successful reorganizations of hotels, grocery chains, apartment complexes, office buildings, oil companies, shipyards, clothing stores, an oil refinery, and fast...

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 ...

Mark Mallery is the Managing Shareholder of the firm’s office in New Orleans, where he has practiced labor and employment law for over twenty-five years. A problem-solver for employers, Mark has acted as lead counsel on complex disputes, including Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower claims before the Office of Administrative Law Judges; pattern and practice and class based claims prosecuted by the EEOC; collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act; and class-based discrimination claim...

Senior Counsel Georges Legrand is one of the founding members of MBLB. He has more than 44 years of experience as a litigator. As a leader of the firm’s Admiralty and Maritime law practice, he has been part of forging a team of attorneys who have developed a depth of expertise that rivals larger firms. His practice focuses on defense of maritime personal injury and property damage claims on the river and offshore, as well as insurance, transportation, and contractual matters. His experi...

Tristan Manthey focuses his practice on bankruptcy and insolvency matters. Since 1998, he has handled chapter 11 reorganizations, business workouts, debt restructurings, insolvency litigation, and creditor rights. Tristan is experienced in complex financial and legal matters involving numerous industries, including but not limited to, oil and gas, medical, construction, manufacturing, hotel and tourism, utilities, gaming companies, public television broadcast companies, service companies, rea...

Valerie E. Fontenot is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Health Care Law and Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants. Valerie E., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Valerie E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jim Swanson was among Fishman Haygood’s founding partners in 1996. He served as the firm’s Managing Partner for 16 years, and he is the current Chair of its board of directors. As a commercial trial lawyer, Jim has particular experience in securities litigation, domestic and international arbitration, environmental litigation, and general commercial matters. Jim has handled numerous cases in which clients have received multimillion-dollar recoveries. Noteworthy matters include a j...

Miriam Wogan Henry is a partner in the Tax Practice Group and a member of the firm’s board of directors. She focuses on estate planning, including family wealth transfer plans, charitable planning, and business succession planning, along with advising clients regarding fiduciary litigation and transfer tax controversy matters. Miriam advises on trust and estate planning matters such as drafting wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and marital property agreements. Advising clients in conne...