Best Lawyers Near You in New Orleans, Louisiana for Litigation - Bankruptcy
Lisa Futrell is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. She focuses on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters. Lisa Futrell has practiced in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency, and financial restructuring for more than 30 years. The scope of her practice includes the representation of creditors, debtors, trustees, and official and ad hoc committees in Chapter 11 cases, a foreign representative in Chapter 15 cases, adversary proceedings, out of court restructurings and forbearance...
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 ...
David F. Waguespack is a partner in the Firm, practicing in bankruptcy, commercial litigation, creditor’s rights, and gaming law. He has represented lenders, debtors, creditor committees, and other parties in complex Chapter 11 reorganizations and related litigation and has served as a Chapter 11 trustee. Mr. Waguespack regularly represents investors acquiring property in and out of bankruptcy. He has handled litigation relating to liens, real estate, construction, shareholder’s r...
Nicholas Wehlen is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Bankruptcy, Litigation - Construction and Litigation - Securities. Nicholas practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana Best Lawyers has recognized Nicholas Wehlen since 2021. 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 reg...
Alicia Bendana focuses her national practice on complex bankruptcy and commercial litigation, representing trustees, debtors, creditors, creditors’ committees, receivers, and liquidators in high-stakes matters involving officer and director liability, professional negligence, fraud, RICO, fraudulent transfers, and business dissolutions. A Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Alicia is also board certified in business bankruptcy law by both the American Board of Certification and by the Louis...
Mr. Landis' commercial litigation practice focuses primarily on bankruptcy, construction and antitrust disputes. He is a member of the roster of commercial arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association and is Co-Chair if the firm's Bankruptcy Practice Group. Mr. Landis joined Stone Pigman in 1977.
Andy Mendez concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, complex litigation, family law, and bankruptcy. He has represented individuals, privately-held companies, and publicly-traded corporations in a wide variety of disputes as plaintiffs, defendants, debtors, and creditors. Andy began his career at the main office of a multi-national law firm before joining Stone Pigman. He has substantial experience defending product liability and toxic tort personal injury claims, incl...
Tristan Manthey focuses his practice on bankruptcy and insolvency matters. Since 1998, he has handled chapter 11 reorganizations, business workouts, debt restructurings, insolvency litigation, and creditor rights. Tristan is experienced in complex financial and legal matters involving numerous industries, including but not limited to, oil and gas, medical, construction, manufacturing, hotel and tourism, utilities, gaming companies, public television broadcast companies, service companies, rea...
Amelia L. Hurt is an associate in the firm’s Bankruptcy and Business Reorganization section. Her practice focuses on bankruptcy and bankruptcy litigation, where she represents debtors, debtors-in-possession, creditors, and trustees in Chapter 11 cases throughout the country. Ms. Hurt also handles bankruptcy-related litigation matters and appellate work, including cases before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Hurt’s legal expertise includes prosecuting and defending preferen...
Douglas S. Draper practices primarily in the creditor and debtor rights area. His practice involves an equal mix of litigation and business negotiation. The creditor and debtor rights work involves representation of bondholders, creditors’ committees and debtors in large commercial and business cases. Has represented clients in successful reorganizations of hotels, grocery chains, apartment complexes, office buildings, oil companies, shipyards, clothing stores, an oil refinery, and fast...
Mark Mintz is a restructuring partner in the firm’s New Orleans office and co-leads the firm’s bankruptcy & restructuring team. Mark is co-leader of Jones Walker’s bankruptcy and creditors’ rights team and represents clients in a wide range of creditor and debtor rights matters, with a particular focus on creditors’ committees. Among his notable engagements, Mark advised a client involved in the bankruptcy of a Houston-based oil exploration and production (E&...
Kaja Elmer represents businesses, investors, borrowers, trustees, and receivers in a wide range of commercial matters in state and federal courts. Her practice includes commercial disputes, securities fraud actions, and bankruptcy-related litigation, with experience handling claims involving statutory violations, breach of contract, misrepresentation, and breach of fiduciary duty. Kaja also has significant experience in class action litigation. She served as counsel to a nationwide class of s...
Mr. Holmes has more than 25 years of experience as a business lawyer, representing clients in arbitration and litigation as well as handling transactional matters. He also represents franchisors with respect to disclosure, relationship and termination issues. Mr. Holmes also helps clients in the matters of business organization, contracts, directors’ and officers’ liability, bankruptcy and intellectual property as well as trusts and estates. Mr. Holmes is an Eagle Scout and remain...
Stewart focuses on bankruptcy, restructuring, and creditors’ rights; admiralty and maritime; marine finance and vessel documentation; asset-based finance; litigation, corporate and commercial law; and oil and gas. Stewart has been practicing law in New Orleans for more than 38 years. He is a 1974 graduate of Kenyon College, magna cum laude , where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated top in his class in 1977 from Tulane Law School where he was elected to the Order of the Coif...
Katherine Clark is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation - Bankruptcy. Katherine practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana Best Lawyers has recognized Katherine Clark 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 Katherine Clark is hel...
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.
