Kordell Caldwell

Richard E. Sarver is a founding member of the law firm of Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, L.L.C., a New Orleans litigation firm ranked among the top litigation firms in Louisiana. Rick has extensive jury trial experience, including trials in thirteen different states. He has served as lead trial attorney in more than 100 jury trials, including complex multidistrict litigation. Many of his trials have been in bet-the-company litigation, where he repeatedly has succeeded before j...

Christopher Wappel is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. He focuses on commercial lending and finance. Christopher has practiced law since 1999. He represents borrowers, agents, and lenders in structuring, negotiating, and documenting senior and subordinated, secured and unsecured, and bilateral and syndicated credit facilities, including acquisition, asset-based, oil and gas, real estate, receivables, vessel, and working capital financings. Christopher also has significant experience...

Thomas Hubert is a partner in the Labor & Employment Practice Group and a lead trial attorney for the trade secret non-compete team. Thomas is also a formally trained and qualified mediator. Since 1989, Thomas has practiced primarily in the area of labor and employment law, as well as in areas that fall under more traditional commercial claims. Specifically, he has focused on business and commercial litigation, and labor and employment (including commercial contracts, Unfair Trade Practic...

Ian Atkinson is a seasoned trial and appellate lawyer whose practice spans complex commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense, and tax litigation. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes disputes in state and federal courts and has substantial experience handling matters through every stage of litigation, from pre-suit investigations and dispositive motion practice to trial and appeal. Ian has served as lead counsel in bench and jury trials and is regularly entrusted ...

Rick Shelby is a partner in the firm's Bankruptcy and Business Reorganization practice. He combines 15 years of industry experience as a corporate engineer with elite legal acumen to advise clients on complex bankruptcy, corporate restructuring, and oil-and-gas litigation matters. This background provides him with a unique insider perspective on the commercial realities facing energy and industrial sectors. A seasoned advocate, Rick guides debtors, creditors, and trustees through high-stakes ...

Lori Mince practices in the areas of commercial litigation, media law, and tax litigation. She is also a certified American Arbitration Association® arbitrator. In her commercial litigation practice, Lori has represented clients in a variety of matters, including class actions and commercial disputes involving GoAuto Insurance, LLC; LCMC Health; Wallace Drennan, Inc.; Rouses Enterprises; H&E Equipment Services, Inc.; Stirling Properties; Lloyd’s of London; and ASM Global, LLC. L...

David K. Smith is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Admiralty and Maritime Law. David K. practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana Best Lawyers has recognized David K. Smith since 2026. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which David K. Smith is held by other lawyers.

Craig Isenberg is a trial and appellate lawyer focusing on complex litigation matters, including commercial disputes, mass and toxic torts, environmental, product liability and securities matters. Craig has extensive trial experience in high-stakes litigation—trying jury and bench trials in Louisiana and across the country. He has tried a significant Clean Water Act case against the Department of Justice, dozens of toxic tort trials involving hundreds of plaintiffs, and a variety of com...

Grady Hurley is a partner in and co-leader of the maritime litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution team and co-chair of the Energy, Environmental & Natural Resources Industry Team. Since 1979, he has focused on maritime, oilfield, and energy litigation. Grady has broad-ranging dispute resolution and transactional experience at the intersection of energy and maritime law, including in areas such as offshore energy exploration, production, and distribution, where a range of complex ...

Member Mike Parks has more than 25 years of experience in trucking, transportation and automobile defense, general casualty and insurance defense, premises liability, products liability, and maritime litigation. As supported by the peer honors he has received, including Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Rating, inclusion in Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers and New Orleans Magazine Top Lawyers, Mike has developed a reputation as a highly skilled trial attorney in transportation and insurance defense li...