David M. Melancon

Richard C. Stanley is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Antitrust, Litigation - First Amendment, Litigation - Real Estate, Litigation - Securities and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants. Richard C., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2006. This recognitio...

Jay Adams is a partner in the Tax Practice Group and leader of the state and local tax team. Through partnering with his clients, Jay has developed a broad knowledge of the energy, manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and retail industries that allows him to provide comprehensive and cost-effective advice in those areas. For more than 25 years, Jay has represented clients in matters involving virtually every type of state and local tax and in numerous jurisdictions. He has successfully ...

Chris Wootten is Director in the Affordable Housing and Community Development practice in the New Orleans Office. His practice focuses on commercial finance, government incentives, public private partnerships and real estate development. Chris commonly represents commercial lenders, SBA licensed Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs), Community Development Entities (CDEs), tax credit investors, non-profit corporations, business owners and developers. Chris has extensive experience closin...

Michael F. Held is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Admiralty and Maritime Law. Michael F., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael F. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Lee Adler practices primarily in the areas of general business relationships and finance. He has an extensive transactional-based practice representing clients in a wide variety of fields. Finance transactions include real estate finance, vessel finance, accounts receivable-based finance and equipment and inventory finance, representing both borrowers and lenders. Prior to joining Phelps in 1992, Mr. Adler was an attorney at a large multi-practice firm in New York.

Josh Keller is a New Orleans native and Partner in the firm’s Civil Litigation section. His practice focuses mainly on personal injury defense and products liability matters. Josh primarily defends high net worth individuals through private client group insurers and publicly traded companies through Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurers. Most of the cases he defends involve multi-million dollar claims. Josh handles matters involving auto accidents, premises liability, insurance co...

Mark Mintz is a restructuring partner in the firm’s New Orleans office and co-leads the firm’s bankruptcy & restructuring team. Mark is co-leader of Jones Walker’s bankruptcy and creditors’ rights team and represents clients in a wide range of creditor and debtor rights matters, with a particular focus on creditors’ committees. Among his notable engagements, Mark advised a client involved in the bankruptcy of a Houston-based oil exploration and production (E&...

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...

Lindsey H. Chopin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and Employment Law - Management. Lindsey H., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lindsey H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

A partner of Montgomery Barnett Daniel Lund has been engaged in general civil practice since 1963, with a concentration in trial and appellate practice in a variety of fields. These include antitrust and trade regulation, banking, business, contract, construction, environmental, executive employment, insurance defense, labor, legal malpractice, oil and gas, product liability, securities, trade secrets, transportation, and tort. Mr. Lund also has extensive experience in agency and private arbi...