Best Lawyers in Louisiana, United States for Admiralty and Maritime Law
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Matthew’s experience and practice primarily includes the representation of shipyards, vessel owners and operators and contractors as well as other businesses in maritime, construction and commercial disputes. This experience includes the defense of Jones Act, Longshore Harbor and Worker’s Compensation Act, and maritime personal injury claims, as well as maritime contractual disputes and maritime property damage matters. Matthew’s experience also includes the defense of insur...
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...
Kirk A. Guidry is an attorney licensed to practice law in Louisiana (since 1991), and is admitted to practice in all Federal Courts in Louisiana, and before the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. For 2013-2025, Kirk has been selected for inclusion in Louisiana Super Lawyers-Personal Injury Plaintiff, and enjoys a prestigious AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, thus signifying the highest legal ability and ethical standards. Kirk was al...
David K. Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Admiralty and Maritime Law. David K., 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 David K. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mr. Flint is a Shareholder in the New Orleans office with a practice that includes both commercial and civil litigation within the maritime and energy fields. His maritime industry experience includes the representation of drilling and service companies, blue and brown water vessel owners, charterers, and insurers. Particularly related to his maritime practice, Mr. Flint has developed a specialty with DBA cases defending burn pit and PTSD claims. His longevity in the practice area and concern...
Robert M. Kallam is a seasoned litigation attorney with more than thirty years of experience representing clients in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels. Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, he is a shareholder at Kean Miller and focuses his practice on Administrative / Regulatory Law and Admiralty and Maritime Law, along with complex civil litigation arising from marine , energy, transportation, and insurance-related matters. He regularly represents companies involved in hig...
Wayne Zeringue, a partner in the Maritime Practice Group and Energy, Environmental, and Natural Resources Industry Team, represents marine and energy clients in a broad range of litigation and transactions. Wayne has more than 30 years of experience in admiralty and maritime, oil and gas, construction, products liability, and environmental litigation. He represents oil companies, exploration and production companies, builders, owners, barge lines, towing companies, marine fabricators, shipyar...
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...
Member Dan Hoerner anchors the firm’s Lafayette, Louisiana office. He has been with Mouledoux, Bland, Legrand & Brackett since it was founded in 1997 and practiced with the firm’s founders for five years prior to that. His practice is primarily litigation-based, with emphasis on admiralty and maritime law, general casualty and insurance defense, personal injury defense, property damage claims, employer and premises liability, and contract negotiations and disputes. He has succ...
Richard Cozad is a partner in SBSB’s New Orleans office with more than 45 years of experience in private law practice. A member of the firm since August 2018, he has focused his years of practice primarily on admiralty, marine insurance and environmental law. Richard received his bachelor’s degree from Loyola University before going on to earn his law degree from Tulane University. Following graduation, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Nauman Scott, former Chief Judge of...
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...
Bret LeBreton is a partner in the Maritime Practice Group and a member of the insurance coverage team. He has practiced in all facets of maritime, energy, and marine and non-marine insurance law. Bret has represented assureds, underwriters, and other industry participants in a broad range of disputes involving hull, cargo, builder's risk, P&I, MEL, CGL, control of well, and excess and umbrella policies. He has given opinions regarding coverage, prepared reservations of rights, and advised...
Senior Counsel Georges Legrand is one of the founding members of MBLB. He has more than 44 years of experience as a litigator. As a leader of the firm’s Admiralty and Maritime law practice, he has been part of forging a team of attorneys who have developed a depth of expertise that rivals larger firms. His practice focuses on defense of maritime personal injury and property damage claims on the river and offshore, as well as insurance, transportation, and contractual matters. His experi...
Michael J. Ecuyer is a member of the law firm of Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier, & Warshauer, L.L.C. Michael is engaged in a civil litigation practice. He practices with an emphasis on the representation of plaintiffs in medical malpractice claims, admiralty or maritime matters, mass torts, FELA claims and personal injury claims. A member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the New Orleans Bar Association, the Louisiana Association for Justice (Executive Committee), and the Fede...
Walter Maestri is a maritime attorney working in the offshore fields representing companies that have contracts with oil and gas interests in the Gulf of Mexico. Whether representing the actual platform owner or the service industries that provide support to the oil and gas industry, he defends those companies against personal injury actions, property damage loss, lost oil and gas revenues, or other claims that may arise from operations in the Gulf. Working in partnerships with his clients, W...
David A. Bowling is the managing partner of The Bowling Law Firm APLC, in New Orleans, Louisiana. After spending most of his career focusing on the defense of malpractice and other complex medical cases, Mr. Bowling has now transitioned to a plaintiffs' practice. He and his firm concentrate on the representation of individuals and families in medical malpractice, catastrophic injury (including brain and spinal cord injury), and other serious personal injury litigation. Mr. Bowling has been se...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.