Edwin C. "Ed" Laizer

Jane Jackson focuses her practice in the areas of environmental litigation, oil and gas, and commercial litigation. She handles the defense of environmental claims by landowners alleging environmental damage arising from oil and gas exploration and production operations. Ms. Jackson has represented public entities in land use cases involving the appropriation of property for constructing and maintaining hurricane protection levees, and she also has experience handling cases involving land los...

Amelia L. Hurt is an associate in the firm’s Bankruptcy and Business Reorganization section. Her practice focuses on bankruptcy and bankruptcy litigation, where she represents debtors, debtors-in-possession, creditors, and trustees in Chapter 11 cases throughout the country. Ms. Hurt also handles bankruptcy-related litigation matters and appellate work, including cases before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Hurt’s legal expertise includes prosecuting and defending preferen...

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&...

Etienne Balart is a partner in the Maritime and Litigation practice groups, in the Construction Industry Team, and co-leads the firm's Latin America working group. He provides transactional and litigation counsel to clients in the energy and maritime industries. Etienne helps clients identify and quantify financial, compliance, and other risks associated with disputes and litigated matters, negotiate, and, where necessary, bring to trial commercial and other disputes. Relying upon this deep e...

Dorothy H. Wimberly is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Environmental and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants. Dorothy H., 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 Dorothy H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Asher Friend is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group and a member of the firm's M&A and private equity and corporate and securities and executive compensation teams. Asher focuses his practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities, and general corporate law. Asher has developed significant experience in the hospitality, healthcare, energy, and technology industries, including representing clients in myriad acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and...

Bill Backstrom is a partner and leader of the firm’s Tax Practice Group. For more than 35 years, he has focused on state and local tax matters in Louisiana and on a multistate basis. Bill provides comprehensive, practical, and solution-focused tax guidance to a broad range of business enterprises. Known for the quality of his counsel, his commitment to client service, and his ability to explain sophisticated issues in clear terms — particularly with respect to Louisiana’s hi...

David N. Luder is the firm's managing partner. He maintains a varied arbitration and litigation practice covering a broad spectrum of industries and disputes. A key focus of David’s practice is financial services arbitration and litigation. He regularly represents domestic and international broker-dealers, banks, hedge funds and registered investment advisors in FINRA and AAA arbitrations across the country and institutional clients and individuals before regulatory bodies at all stages...

John Werner is the Managing Partner of Fishman Haygood. John works in the firm’s Business Section, primarily on financings, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, and general corporate advice. In private equity, John represents Black Bay Energy Capital, Jefferson Capital Partners, and Enhanced Capital Partners in their investments in various portfolio companies. He also represents numerous private equity funded portfolio companies in their ongoing corporate nee...

Richard Dicharry practices in the area of insurance and reinsurance. He began his career at Phelps Dunbar in 1978, practicing in admiralty litigation. After seven years of an active litigation practice, he refocused his practice on insurance coverage work for the London insurance market. Since 1985, Mr. Dicharry has counseled and represented insurers with regard to a variety of liabilities, with particular emphasis on energy, property and uncertain date of loss exposures.