Gerald A. "Jerry" Melchiode

C. Byron Berry, Jr.’s practice covers a broad spectrum of litigation matters. He handles complex, multi-district and multi-party litigation (including class actions) and is known for leading, managing and coordinating counsel in such matters. These cases arise in the areas of administrative law, construction litigation, business litigation, professional malpractice liability, pharmaceutical drug liability, products liability, healthcare, professional licensure investigations and discipl...

Jim Wright is a partner in the Maritime and Litigation practice groups. He represents clients in a broad range of commercial disputes, regulatory investigations, and criminal cases. Jim has more than four decades of experience as a trial attorney in civil and criminal jury and judge trials in federal and state courts. His areas of practice include maritime, white collar crime, oil and gas regulatory enforcement, environmental, customs, gaming regulatory enforcement, commercial litigation, pro...

Kerry Miller is a partner in Fishman Haygood’s Litigation Section. Kerry has the distinction of trying both the longest civil and criminal trials in the history of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. As jury trials resumed following pandemic related delays, Kerry tried the first civil jury trial in federal court in Louisiana and in Miami-Dade County in state court. Since June 2021, Kerry has tried several jury trials and participated in a large arbitr...

Zoë Vermeulen advises businesses on labor and employment matters, commercial litigation, offshore energy, and admiralty and maritime law. Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, she represents employers across a range of industries and focuses on practical legal guidance that aligns with each client’s operational and business objectives while accounting for an evolving regulatory environment. As part of her Litigation – Labor and Employment practice at Kean Miller, Zoë works cl...

Irving J. Warshauer joined the Gainsburgh Benjamin law firm as an associate in 1980, and he became a partner of the firm in 1984. Prior to joining this firm, he was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana and a Trial Attorney in the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice, from whom he received a Special Commendation in 1979. He served on the Federal Public Defender Panel for the Eastern District of Louisiana from 1981 – 2002. Irvin...

Natalie Taylor enjoys a diverse commercial law practice handling a wide range of issues, including corporate formations, reorganizations, and dissolutions, joint venture arrangements, corporate governance, private equity capital raising, project finance, real estate, and title review. Natalie’s practice has focused primarily on assisting local and international clients with all stages of project development, including company start-up, industrial site land acquisitions, structuring and ...

Joshua Rubenstein grew up in New Orleans and was the three-time Louisiana State High School Champion in Extemporaneous Speaking, which meant he was destined to be a trial lawyer. While in law school, he worked as a Judicial Law Clerk to Judge Roland Belsome, then of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans (New Orleans) and as a judicial extern for Louisiana Fourth Circuit Judge Pattie Murray. Following law school, he worked as Judge Ethel Simms Julien's law clerk and then entered priva...

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...

Jay Sever is a partner in the Insurance and Reinsurance group of Phelps Dunbar. He is the Regional Practice Coordinator for the firm's insurance practice group and is also head of the insurance and reinsurance practice group in the New Orleans office. He serves as local, regional and national coverage counsel for both foreign and domestic insurance companies. He counsels clients, manages disputes and tries cases involving a wide variety of insurance coverage issues, including matters arising ...

Senior Counsel Will Bland, III, one of the founding members of the firm, has more than 49 years of experience as a litigator. Will’s practice focuses on maritime personal injury defense, maritime collision and property damage insurance coverage, contractual indemnity, longshore matters, transportation defense, and general litigation. His clients have included both Fortune 500 and local one-boat companies, and he regularly represents vessel operators, shipyards, both brown water and offs...