Patrick J. Lorio

Michael L. Eckstein is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Commercial Transactions / UCC Law and Tax Law. Michael L. practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana Best Lawyers has recognized Michael L. Eckstein since 2020. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition ref...

Lele Hainkel is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. She focuses on energy litigation. Lele has extensive experience handling offshore and onshore energy-related disputes in federal and state courts, as well as in arbitration. Her oil and gas litigation practice covers defense of claims against the oil and gas industry asserting liability for coastal erosion, legacy suit property restoration claims, disputes related to Outer Continental Shelf decommissioning liability, preferential rig...

McCann LeFeve is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. McCann practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana Best Lawyers has recognized McCann LeFeve since 2025. 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 McCann LeFeve is held by other lawyers.

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...

Roy E. Blossman is a founding partner of the firm. Mr. Blossman handles a variety of matters in banking and finance, including commercial financings, trouble debt restructurings, workouts, preparation of standard banking forms, general banking and lending advices and regulatory work. He also represents sellers and purchasers in sales and exchanges of developed and undeveloped real estate, preparation and negotiation of leases on improved and unimproved property, and all other kinds of transac...

Richard Cortizas is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group and a member of the Jones Walker board of directors. He focuses on transactional matters, representing clients in complex land use and zoning matters, public finance, and economic development projects. Richard has extensive experience representing corporate clients, developers and individuals before local planning commissions, boards of zoning adjustments, and governing authorities of political subdivisions throughout the state. Ri...

Mr. Orlansky concentrates his practice in the areas of business litigation, gaming law, and professional liability and ethics. He chairs the firm's Gaming Practice, is a member of the firm's Management Committee, and serves as the firm's loss prevention and ethics counsel. Mr. Orlansky joined Stone Pigman in 1984.

Ned Bergin is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. He represents utilities and publicly held companies in a broad range of disputes. Ned has a robust commercial litigation practice focused on utility regulation, complex and class action litigation, contract litigation, energy litigation, state constitutional and home rule law and antitrust matters. He represents publicly held entities in these areas, including large nationwide telecommunications providers and energy production and coge...

Melissa Lessell partners with her clients faced with professional liability and complex commercial litigation matters. She helps professionals navigate through disciplinary actions, ethics investigations, malpractice, negligence and breach of fiduciary duty claims and lawsuits. Forming partnerships with her clients, Melissa Lessell tirelessly defends them in professional liability and complex commercial litigation matters. She helps professionals navigate through disciplinary actions, license...

An attorney with Jones Walker for more than 40 years, David Edwards is a partner in the Tax Practice Group who focuses on estate planning and administration. David advises individual clients on wealth transfer at minimum tax cost, in addition to providing traditional estate planning counsel in areas of wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. He also advises clients on marriage contracts and other aspects of property obligations stemming from marriage. David’s practice includes the admini...