James A. "Jim" Watson

Kathleen Charvet brings more than 25 years’ experience counseling and advocating for employer and contractor clients across admiralty, maritime law, Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Compensation, and Defense Base Act matters. She has represented vessel owners, railroads, stevedoring companies, military employers, and insurers in complex litigation and regulatory matters nationwide. Kathleen’s collaborative approach involves expert witnesses, mediators, and courts to secure op...

Rob Scheffy is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group, focusing on real estate, and a member of the Energy, Environmental & Natural Resources Industry Team. Rob Scheffy has provided businesses with a steady, guiding hand through all phases of the economic cycle, from booms to busts and everything in between. Often described as a “hybrid” lawyer, he draws on his years of private practice and his service as in-house counsel for an interstate gas pipeline company to advise pip...

Bert M. Cass Jr., is a jury trial litigator concentrating in the defense of bodily injury and death cases particularly in marine and offshore litigation claims. His practice focuses on representing vessel owners, oil and gas producers, exploration and drilling companies, facility operators, distributors, and offshore service contractors and their insurers against personal injury, wrongful death and survival claims. He is also experienced in energy-related claims, including interpretation of i...

Alison Palermo is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice. Alison, 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 Alison is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Katherine King is an attorney with Kean Miller in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where her practice focuses on Administrative / Regulatory Law, Communications Law, and Energy Law. She advises clients on project development and electric regulatory matters involving a wide range of generation projects. Katherine regularly works with electric generators and project developers on structuring generation projects to meet business objectives while complying with federal energy regulatory requirements and L...

I am a founding partner of JJC Law LLC, where I focus on maritime, products liability, environmental, and personal injury litigation. I was born in Patterson, Louisiana, in St. Mary Parish, and grew up along the Bayou Teche. My journey eventually led me to New Orleans, where I attended Tulane University and Tulane Law School. My background in physics, mathematics, and computer science, combined with my lifelong experience around the offshore and inland oil and gas industries, gives me a uniqu...

Connell is a member of Butler Snow’s Tort, Transportation and Specialized Litigation Group. He focuses his practice on defending commercial insurers (trucking accidents), construction litigation, and legal and professional malpractice.

Ben Woodruff is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group, a member of the Finance team, and chair of the firm’s Mentoring and Training Committee. Ben represents borrowers and leading financial institutions with the arrangement and syndication of senior credit facilities, including acquisition, bridge, refinancings, and other corporate finance transactions. He also has significant experience with cash flow and asset-based lending, debtor-in-possession financing, loan restructurings and ...

Mr. Colbert is a Louisiana Board Certified Tax Law Specialist and his practice is dedicated to matters of taxation. He joined Stone Pigman in 1997 and was admitted to the bars of Louisiana and Mississippi in 1978 and of the District of Columbia in 1979.

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...