Wynton Yates

Ms. Johnson is active in the defense of complex environmental, toxic tort, chemical exposure, carbon monoxide, insurance coverage, medical monitoring, naturally occurring radioactive material (“NORM”) occupational injury cases, oyster, oil spill, pesticide, personal injury, property damage, and class action litigation. She also has an active mediation and appellate practice in the same areas. Ms. Johnson has particular abilities in defending premises owners, employers and their executive offi...

Dan practices in the area of construction litigation with a focus on construction and surety litigation. He represents general contractors, major subcontractors, sureties, public and private owners, and wireless telecommunications carriers and owners of telecommunications infrastructure. Dan also serves nationwide as a construction mediator and as a construction arbitrator through Perry Dampf, and arbitrations only through the American Arbitration Association. Outside of the courtroom, Dan re...

Phil Claverie, Jr. practices in the areas of business and finance and real estate, advising clients on matters related to banking, commercial transactions, real estate, leasing and probate. He represents a number of financial institutions in loan transactions involving real estate acquisitions and construction, vessel acquisitions and construction and working capital. He also represents a number of real estate developers and business owners in connection with development projects, land acquis...

As a degreed engineer, Keith J. Bergeron realizes that it gives his construction clients a sense of security to know they share similar backgrounds and that he understands their type of work. Receiving a lawsuit brought against you brings the stigma that something went wrong, but sometimes that is not a true statement. Keith investigates claims and defends his clients in all aspects of construction and construction surety law. He devotes special attention to architectural and engineering defe...

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 ...

Katherine Clark is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation - Bankruptcy. Katherine, who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Katherine is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Michael Botnick is a member with more than 40 years of experience in commercial litigation and is a certified mediator. His practice encompasses transactions, real estate, contracts, and corporate law, as well as trusts and estates. In the last 28 years, Michael has dedicated a hefty portion of his time practicing construction law and handling litigation cases involving disputes, an area in which he has been recognized in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business . Chambers USA sta...

As a member of Lugenbuhl's Admiralty & Maritime Group, Adelaida (Adi) Ferchmin focuses on advising clients in a wide variety of maritime, insurance, and energy matters. When working with her clients, Adi uses her knowledge of Spanish, Polish and Croatian to assist clients with international transactions and matters involving foreign entities or witnesses. Growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico Adi has a thorough understanding of not only the languages, but barriers that can be brought on by ...

Mr. Schneider is Co-Chair of the firm's Real Estate Practice Group and is a member of firm's Management Committee. He has extensive experience in the area of sophisticated commercial real estate transactions in Louisiana and elsewhere. He has been involved in many of the major commercial real estate transactions and gaming developments in the region. Mr. Schneider joined Stone Pigman in 1984.

Ruddy Ramelli is a partner in the Tax Practice Group. Ruddy has been practicing tax law for more than 30 years and is a board-certified tax specialist as certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. He focuses his practice on federal and state income tax issues and the tax structuring and consequences of mergers, acquisitions, and related transactions. Ruddy regularly represents corporations, partnerships, individuals, and other for-profit entities, and has in-depth experience in...