Somer G. Brown

Greg Duplantis’ legal practice centers on oil and gas property title examination with an emphasis on analyzing and rendering complex opinions concerning title that is held by production. He frequently calculates varying royalty interests, overriding royalty interests, and proportionately burdened net revenue interests. Greg routinely renders “stand up” title opinions that require physically searching the indices of courts' conveyance records and executing opinions on site. H...

Rebekka Veith is a partner in Fishman Haygood’s Litigation Section. Her diverse practice includes appellate work, class actions/mass actions/MDLs, fraudulent transfer and specialized bankruptcy litigation, and insurance coverage cases. Rebekka is known by her clients for being diligent and for her ability to resolve issues cordially but without concession. She currently represents a Louisiana law firm in protecting its interests in hurricane cases acquired from an out-of-state law firm ...

Richard Richter is a Member of the Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert law firm in New Orleans, Louisiana. His practice primarily includes real estate law, construction and development, zoning and regulatory matters, governmental relations, commercial finance and business transactions. Mr. Richter has an educational background in engineering and in law. He attended Tulane University and received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Degree (BSCE) in 1968. He pursued graduate E...

Michael K. Leachman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Intellectual Property, Litigation - Patent and Trademark Law. Michael K., who practices law in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael K. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Diane is a member of Butler Snow’s Finance, Real Estate and Restructuring Group. She focuses her practice on commercial transactions, including secured financings, real estate and leasing in the chemical, food, retail, healthcare, banking and telecommunications industry sectors.

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 ...

Stephen Fortson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Energy Law. Stephen, who practices law in Shreveport, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Stephen is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Bill Riviere practices in the areas of collision, maritime personal injury, terminal/installation damage, pollution, fire, salvage, maritime lien matters, oilfield indemnity and insurance coverage disputes, and appellate matters. He represents maritime employers, vessel owners, energy interests and their underwriters in personal injury defense litigation, including Jones Act and Longshore and Harbor Worker’s Compensation Act claims, and represents vessel owners, operators, dock and term...

Tracy Kern is a partner in the Labor & Employment Practice Group. Her practice covers the spectrum of employment litigation. Tracy represents clients in myriad matters, including state and federal claims, and individual and class action suits. She has handled cases involving claims of race, age, disability, national origin, and sex discrimination, as well as sexual harassment, retaliatory discharge, FMLA, FLSA, and noncompete/restrictive covenant issues. Her experience includes successful...

Larry Shea works primarily in the energy industry representing oil and gas producers and pipeline companies. He has handled numerous matters involving legacy litigation, environmental issues, oil and gas leasing rights, and operations. He commonly represents defendants, including the defense of clients in class actions and mass joinder litigation. Larry has played an integral role in landmark cases, such as AmCom v. Patterson, one of the first modern era decisions of the Louisiana Supreme Cou...