David S. Bland

Will Baldwin is co-leader of the firm’s Maritime Industry Group and leader of the firm’s maritime transactional team, where he focuses on maritime transactions and marine finance. Will also serves as co-chair of the firm’s offshore wind initiative. Will advises and represents clients on a wide range of complex marine transactional matters, including financings, ship mortgages, the purchase and sale of marine assets, Jones Act compliance, and governmental approval for maritim...

Jimmy A. Castex, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Litigation - Construction and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Jimmy A., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jimmy A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Steve Herman is special counsel in Fishman Haygood’s Litigation Section. With thirty years of experience, Steve’s primary practice has lately focused on representing both plaintiffs and defendants in commercial, class action, and professional liability cases, and he is often asked to provide expert testimony in such matters. He recently, for example, submitted a series of declarations in support of class counsel’s successful fee petition in the multi-billion dollar Aqueous F...

Ms. Johnson is active in the defense of complex environmental, toxic tort, chemical exposure, carbon monoxide, insurance coverage, medical monitoring, naturally occurring radioactive material (“NORM”) occupational injury cases, oyster, oil spill, pesticide, personal injury, property damage, and class action litigation. She also has an active mediation and appellate practice in the same areas. Ms. Johnson has particular abilities in defending premises owners, employers and their executive offi...

Frank Barry is an experienced maritime and energy litigator with successes involving maritime property damage, marine insurance indemnity and coverage claims. Frank also has achieved successful outcomes in insurance broker E&O claims, and in oil and gas claims such as Legacy Oil, on shore blowouts, and operating agreement litigation. With over 30 years of experience, his reported cases include seminal Louisiana caselaw on gas balancing and preferential rights in mineral law (Fina Oil &...

Michael S. Blackwell is Of Counsel with Riess LeMieux, L.L.C.. Michael represents a variety of clients, ranging from general contractors, subcontractors, owners, developers, insurers, and sureties in construction and labor issues, to companies involved in sales, acquisitions, corporate governance matters, commercial disputes, and other challenges arising in the commercial arena. He has engaged in significant contract negotiation, corporate formation, structuring, and governance matters, sales...

Leonard A. Davis is a partner of Herman, Herman &Katz , L.L.C., as well as the national firm of HERMAN GEREL, LLP, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. After receiving his B.A. from the University Texas at Austin, Mr. Davis attended Tulane University School of Law where he received his Juris Doctorate in 1984. Mr. Davis’ practice includes corporate law, commercial litigation, complex business litigation, multi-district litigation, mass torts, class actions and railroad crossing matter...

Mr. Masinter's practice focuses on contentious, complex litigation while concentrating primarily in the areas of business litigation, and securities litigation and arbitration. He also handles cases involving corporate disputes, breach of contract claims and unfair trade practices. Mr. Masinter is Chair of the firm's Litigation Section and Co-Chair of the Securities Practice Group. He joined Stone Pigman in 1990.

Céleste focuses on several insurance coverage practice areas including third-party insurance coverage, general liability, environmental and toxic tort liability coverage, and marine insurance coverage. Céleste represents insurers in connection with insurance coverage and bad faith disputes involving a variety of matters including environmental and latent injury claims, business torts, and labor- and employment-related claims. In addition, she has significant experience represent...

Nan Alessandra represents employers in both the public and private sectors in the defense of discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims for age, gender, disability, race, religion, national origin, and other protected categories. Her litigation experience includes the defense of EEOC and other administrative charges filed through the various federal and state court agencies, as well as defense of legal claims filed at both the judicial level, as well as through the arbitration process....