Diana J. Masters

Steven W. Usdin is a founding member of Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, L.L.C. His practice is concentrated in commercial litigation, including insurance coverage, contracts, class actions and complex litigation, oil and gas litigation and intellectual property. Throughout his career, his diverse representations have included, among many other cases, representing large public companies in shareholder litigation, a shipbuilder in a multi-million dollar contract dispute, and insu...

Britton Seal is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group and co-leader of the mergers and acquisitions and private equity team. With broad knowledge of corporate and securities law, Britt represents clients in connection with mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; private equity transactions; business entity formation, counseling, and capitalization; joint ventures; and public and private company securities compliance. He has worked with a wide range of US and non-US individuals and public...

Jacques F. Bezou Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Professional Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs. Jacques F., who practices law in Covington, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jacques F. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and leg...

Carl Rosenblum is special counsel in the Litigation Practice Group. He focuses on representing parties involved in significant oil and gas contract disputes. Carl counsels and advises clients with operations onshore and on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. For more than three decades, he has represented independent producers, major producers, pipeline companies, oilfield service companies, seismic exploration companies, oil and gas management companies, financial institutions...

Mr. Landis' commercial litigation practice focuses primarily on bankruptcy, construction and antitrust disputes. He is a member of the roster of commercial arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association and is Co-Chair if the firm's Bankruptcy Practice Group. Mr. Landis joined Stone Pigman in 1977.

Michael A. Balascio is an experienced litigator representing clients in securities litigation and arbitration, high-stakes insurance coverage and bad faith cases, and complex commercial litigation. He has first-chair trial experience and has successfully litigated matters in federal and state appellate courts. In his securities practice, Michael counsels investment management companies and brokers in litigated matters and FINRA proceedings in a variety of significant disputes involving securi...

Pauline Hardin is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. She focuses on criminal litigation as well as business, commercial, and labor disputes. Pauline has tried more than 150 jury trials across the spectrum of criminal and commercial litigation. She routinely handles bet-the-company and high-stakes matters, and also draws on her experience to help clients facing grand jury investigations by avoiding prosecution, or when facing criminal charges, by negotiating plea agreements or going t...

Richard Cortizas is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group and a member of the Jones Walker board of directors. He focuses on transactional matters, representing clients in complex land use and zoning matters, public finance, and economic development projects. Richard has extensive experience representing corporate clients, developers and individuals before local planning commissions, boards of zoning adjustments, and governing authorities of political subdivisions throughout the state. Ri...

Rick Shelby is an experienced attorney who specializes in bankruptcy, restructuring, oil and gas litigation, commercial litigation and corporate governance. His representation includes secured and unsecured creditors, trustees, committees, and debtors. Mr. Shelby has handled virtually all aspects of bankruptcy work from complex chapter 11 cases representing debtors, creditors’ committees and secured creditors to consumer bankruptcy cases in chapter 7 and 13. He has recently represented ...

Ruddy Ramelli is a partner in the Tax Practice Group. Ruddy has been practicing tax law for more than 30 years and is a board-certified tax specialist as certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. He focuses his practice on federal and state income tax issues and the tax structuring and consequences of mergers, acquisitions, and related transactions. Ruddy regularly represents corporations, partnerships, individuals, and other for-profit entities, and has in-depth experience in...