Douglas S. Draper

Dana Shelton is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative / Regulatory Law, Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law and Utilities Law. Dana, who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Dana is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Seth’s practice areas focus on the representation and counseling of insurance companies in liability coverage and property coverage disputes in both Louisiana and Texas. He strives to provide his insurer clients with a focused and innovative solution to the most complex of issues. Seth has argued before the Louisiana Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the state appellate courts, and state and federal district courts on behalf of his insurer clients....

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 ...

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...

Jeff Tillery is a partner in the Maritime Practice Group and co-leader of the maritime litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution team. He helps maritime and marine industry clients prevent and resolve a broad range of disputes. For more than 35 years, Jeff has advised and represented clients in maritime personal injury and collision matters, commercial litigation, longshore matters, and marine insurance coverage disputes, and has tried, as lead counsel, complex marine multi-party casual...

Neal J. Kling, a Member of the firm, received his undergraduate degree in Business and Public Administration from Louisiana State University and his law degree from Louisiana State University Law Center where he graduated Order of the Coif and was a member of the Louisiana Law Review. He represents clients in the areas of secured financing transactions, real estate transactions, real property and personal property leasing, maritime construction and finance and other commercial transactions. M...

I’ve always stood up for the little guy, especially when they’re being pushed around by big insurance companies. My commitment to personal injury law grew out of a deep frustration with how everyday people are treated after an accident. I kept seeing the same pattern: hardworking folks doing everything right, raising families, paying their bills, showing up for work, only to be mistreated by the very systems that were supposed to protect them when they needed help the most. After ...

Scott Sternberg is an experienced and thoughtful litigator of complex and high-profile disputes. Scott is best known for his vibrant media, First Amendment and public affairs practice which reaches throughout the state of Louisiana and the southeast. Scott is primary outside counsel to Louisiana's newspapers of record, The Advocate and The Times-Picayune, and has represented local news stations and national investigative teams at the Wall Street Journal and USA Today . As business counselor a...

Nathan G. Huntwork is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Energy Regulatory Law and Utilities Law. Nathan G., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nathan G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...