Judge Lance M. Africk
Judge
United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
http://www.laed.uscourts.gov/
THE HONORABLE LANCE M. AFRICK received a Bachelor of Arts and Laws degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1973, and his Jurist Doctorate degree from the University of North Carolina Law School at Chapel Hill in 1975. Following a judicial clerkship, and several years in private practice, Judge Africk served as the Chief of the Career Criminal Bureau for the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office and the Chief of the Criminal Division for the United States Attorney’s office in New Orleans. In 1990, he was appointed a United States Magistrate Judge. On April 17, 2002, he was confirmed as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Judge Africk is an adjunct professor of law at Tulane University Law School and former president of the Allstate Sugar Bowl. He currently serves on the 5th Circuit Committee on Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions. Judge Africk was also a reviewing author for Moore's Federal Practice/Criminal Procedure Chapters, Third Edition. Judge Africk was appointed by Chief Justice Rehnquist to the Judicial Conference Committee on Criminal Law and he was reappointed to that committee by Chief Justice Roberts, his term ended on October 1, 2011. He was inducted into the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame in July, 2011.

Mr. Blake R. David Sr.
Partner
Broussard & David
https://www.broussard-david.com/
BLAKE R. DAVID SR. is a founding partner of Broussard & David, LLC. Mr. David focuses on personal injury and wrongful death litigation with an emphasis on offshore/maritime, trucking accident, aviation, products liability, industrial accident, and automobile claims. Mr. David is an "AV" rated attorney by Martindale-Hubble (highest rating possible). Mr. David is board certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in Civil Trial Advocacy and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). From 2012-2020, Mr. David has been recognized by Louisiana Super Lawyers in the field of personal injury law, and by Million Dollar Advocates and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, he was included in Louisiana Super Lawyers list of TOP 50 lawyers in the state of Louisiana (this exclusive list of 50 named individuals is selected out of over 22,000 lawyers in Louisiana). Mr. David has been named to Top 1% of lawyers nationwide by National Association of Distinguished Counsel. He has also been recognized by The National Trial Lawyers as a Top 100 Trial Lawyers, an exclusive designation for
trial lawyers who exemplify superior qualifications, trial results, and leadership. Mr. David’s professional associations include the Louisiana State Bar Association (Nominating Committee, Board of Governors), Louisiana Association for Justice (President-Elect, Executive Committee Member, Board of Governors, Maritime Section Chair), Lafayette Bar Association (Past President, Foundation Board Member), the American Inn of Court of Acadiana (Past President) and the International Society of Barristers. He also is a founding board member of the Lafayette-Acadiana Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (Past President). He is a member of the American Association for Justice (Council of Presidents), the American Bar Association, and the Christian Trial Lawyers Association. Annually, Mr. David teaches Trial Advocacy to law students at the LSU Law Center. He also lectures on maritime law at the LSBA Admiralty Symposium. In 2017, Mr. David was appointed to the Louisiana Board of Regents by Governor John Bel Edwards and confirmed by the Louisiana Senate (the secondary education board that coordinates the efforts of all 33 degree granting institutions in the State of Louisiana). He currently serves as Chair of the Board of Regents, and is head of the Executive Committee. Prior to litigating, Mr. David graduated from
LSU (BA, JD) and worked as a registered lobbyist with Haynie & Associates in Baton Rouge. He and his wife, Amber, reside in Lafayette with their three children.

Judge W. Eugene Davis
U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
THE HONORABLE W. EUGENE DAVIS is a graduate of Tulane Law School, receiving an L.L.B. degree in 1960. He received his undergraduate degree from Samford University and also attended the University of Alabama. Judge Davis is married to the former Celia Chalaron. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Maritime Law Association of the United States and the Louisiana Bar Association. Judge Davis served as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana, 1976-1983. He was appointed United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit on November 16, 1983, and entered on duty December 9, 1983. Judge Davis was appointed as a member of the Advisory Committee on Criminal Rules on October 1, 1995. He became Chairman of this Committee on October 1, 1997 and served as Chairman until October 2001 when his term of service ended. Judge Davis received the prestigious 2014 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Fifth Circuit at the American Inns of Court Celebration of Excellence held at the Supreme Court of the United States in October of 2014. Judge Davis was inducted into the Tulane Law School Hall of Fame in March of 2015. In September, 2017, Judge Davis was honored as the “Distinguished Jurist Lafayette Parish Bar Association Hall of Fame” and in April, 2018, Judge Davis was also honored as the “2017 Distinguished Jurist” by the Louisiana Bar Foundation.

Mr. Kenneth G. Engerrand
President and Director
Brown Sims, PC
http://brownsims.com
Kenneth G. Engerrand practices law as President of Brown Sims, P.C. in its Houston, Texas office and teaches as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center. For the past 45 years he has lectured on legal subjects in courses and seminars presented by The University of Texas, Tulane University, The University of Houston, Louisiana State University, Loyola University, South Texas College of Law, and The University of St. Thomas, as well as to meetings and seminars presented for The United States Department of Labor, The State Bar of Texas, The State Bar of Louisiana, The International Association of Drilling Contractors, The Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference, The National Association of Marine Surveyors, The International Transportation Management Association, the Houston Claims Association, and a host of other groups.

Mr. Engerrand earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Florida State University and his J.D., with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law, and he is a member of many professional organizations, including the Maritime Law Association, American and Houston Bar Associations, Defense Research Institute, Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Order of the Coif, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Delta Phi, Mariners Club, Propeller Club, State Bar of Texas and the Texas Bar Foundation. He supports a number of civic, industry, and charitable groups and serves as President of the Judge John R. Brown Scholarship Foundation.

Mr. Engerrand has written extensively, and his publications include: Maritime Oilfield Contracts Reconsidered, 41 Hous. J. Int’l Law 241 (2019); Escape from the Labyrinth: Call for the Admiralty Judges of the Supreme Court to Reconsider Seaman Status, 40 Hous. J. Int’l Law 741 (2018); Collateral Source Issues in Maintenance and Cure Cases, 42 Tul. Mar. L.J. 1 (2017); Removal of Admiralty Suits, 41 Tul. Mar. L. J. 1 (2016); Admiralty Jury Trials Reconsidered, 12 Loy. Mar. L.J. 73 (2013); The Relationship Among General Maritime Law, OPA, and OCSLA, 25 U. San. Fran. Mar. L.J. 253 (2013); Vessel Status Reconsidered, 11 Loy. Mar. L.J. 213 (2013); Forum Selection and Arbitration Clauses in Seamen’s Injury Claims, 11 Loy. Mar. L.J. 109 (2012); Indemnity for Gross Negligence in Maritime Oilfield Contracts, 10 Loy. Mar. L.J. 319 (2012); A Tedious Balance: Third-Party Claims under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, 10 Loy. Mar. L.J. 1 (2011); Jones Act Issues after Norfolk Southern Railway v. Sorrell, 6 Loy. Mar. L. J. 1 (2008); Primer on Maintenance and Cure, 18 U. San. Fran. Mar. L.J. 41 (2005-06); Primer of Remedies on the Outer Continental Shelf, 4 Loy. Mar. L. J. 19 (2005); Medicare Set-Asides and Protecting the Parties’ Interests in Longshore Claims, 3 Loy. Mar. L.J. 11 (2004); The Fleet Rule for Seaman Status: The Peril of Perils, 2 Loy. Mar. L.J. 92 (2003); DOHSA’s Reach: What Are the High Seas Beyond a Marine League from Shore? 1 Loy. Mar. L.J. 1 (2002); Changes in Pursuing and Defending Attorney’s Fees Claims in the Fifth and Ninth Circuits, 14 U. San Fran. Mar. L.J. 155 (2001-02); Recent Developments in Admiralty Law in the United States Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit, and the Eleventh Circuit, 24 Tul. Mar. L. J. 741 (2000); Recent Developments in Admiralty Law in the United States Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit, and the Eleventh Circuit, 20 Hous. J. Int’l L. 265 (1998); Removal and Remand of Admiralty Suits, 21 Tulane Mar. L. J. 383 (1997); Recent Developments in Admiralty Law in the United States Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit, and the Eleventh Circuit, 18 Hous. J. Int'l L. 709 (1996); Seaman Status Reconstructed, 32 S. Tex. L. Rev. 169 (1991); Admiralty Law, 23 Tort & Ins. L.J. 251 (1988); Seaman Status Reconsidered, 24 S. Tex. L.J. 431 (1983); The Continuing Conflict Between Congress & the Supreme Court over the Standard of Care in Longshore Third Party Actions, 22 S. Tex. L.J. 423 (1981); Troubled Waters for Seaman’s Wrongful Death Actions, 12 J. Mar. Law & Com. 327 (1980), reprinted in 21 S. Tex. L.J. 191 (1980).

Mr. Engerrand is author of the casebook, Admiralty Environmental and Insurance Issues, Fifth Edition, © 2020, and the chapter “Concurrent Jurisdiction” in The Longshore Textbook, Seventh Edition.

Mr. Engerrand’s publications have been cited and quoted by the United States Supreme Court as well as appellate and district courts from California to New York.

Professor Thomas C. Galligan Jr.
Professor
Louisiana State University
https://www.law.lsu.edu/
Thomas C. Galligan Jr. is a law professor at LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, He holds the Dodson and Hooks Endowed Chair in Maritime Law and the James Huntington and Patricia Kleinpeter Odom Professorship of Law. He teaches and writes about Torts and Admiralty. From January 1, 2020-July 5, 2021, Galligan served as LSU President (originally, he was named Interim President but the Board of Supervisors later retroactively removed the interim title). As president, Galligan was both the chief executive of LSU’s eight campuses and leader of the university’s flagship campus in Baton Rouge. He now holds the rank of President Emeritus. From 2016-19, Galligan was the Dean of LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center. From 2010 to 2016, Galligan served as the President of Colby-Sawyer College, a private liberal arts based college in New London, New Hampshire. Galligan also held a faculty position and regularly taught; he holds the rank of Emeritus Professor. Prior to leading Colby-Sawyer, Galligan served as Dean of the University of Tennessee’s College of Law from 1998 to 2010. He started his academic career at LSU in 1986 as a Professor of Law. During his first tenure at the university, students named him the Outstanding LSU Professor six times. From 1995-1998, he also served as the Executive Director of the Louisiana Judicial College. Galligan is a member of the Council of the ABA Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. Previously, he served as a member (2007-2015) and as chair of the American Bar Association Accreditation Committee (2013-2015). He has been a member of and chaired several site evaluation teams for the ABA and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Galligan is a frequent continuing legal education speaker on his areas of expertise, having given more than 250 speeches and presentations to judges, lawyers, and others about Torts, Admiralty, Complex Litigation, Professionalism, and more. In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, he testified three times before congressional committees considering amendments to the Death on the High Seas Act and other applicable maritime statutes. His scholarship has been cited by numerous courts including the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, various United States District Courts, the Louisiana Supreme Court, and various State Appellate Courts. He holds an A.B. in Political Science from Stanford University, a J.D. from Seattle University School of Law where he graduated summa cum laude and first in his class, and an LL.M. from the Columbia University Law School. Galligan resides in Baton Rouge with his wife Susan.

Hon. Patrick J. Hanna
Magistrate Judge
United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana
https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/
THE HONORABLE PATRICK J. HANNA was appointed to serve as a Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette Division, on December 1, 2009. Prior to his appointment, Judge Hanna practiced law in Lafayette, Louisiana for over 20 years. After his discharge from the United States Coast Guard, he attended USL where he graduated in 1984 with an undergraduate degree in political science. He received his Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University Law Center in 1987. Upon graduation, he began practicing law with the Onebane Law Firm in Lafayette. In 1992, he attended the Vermont Law School to study environmental law. In 1994, he and his partners formed the law firm of Rabalais, Hanna & Hays where he focused his practice in maritime, construction, and environmental law. The firm became Rabalais, Hanna & Hebert in 1997 and remained as such until his appointment in 2009.

Mr. Matthew A. Moeller
The Moeller Firm LLC
https://www.moellerfirm.com/
Matthew A. Moeller's experience and practice primarily includes the representation of vessel owner and operators, contractors, and shipyards 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, maritime contractual disputes and maritime property damage matters, as well as the representation of marine insurers in insurance coverage matters. Matthew’s experience also includes the defense of insurers, hotel operators, and transportation companies in land-based personal injury actions.

Matthew represents shipyards in vessel construction and repair disputes and general and sub-contractors in breach of contract, non-payment, defective workmanship, and lien disputes. Matthew also represents businesses in actions concerning breach of contract, fraud, intentional interference with contract, unfair trade practices and trade secret violations, as well as real estate title and boundary disputes. Matthew has tried numerous cases to verdict, obtaining both bench and jury verdicts in favor of his clients.

In addition to his litigation practice, Matthew counsels maritime clients in the formation and negotiation of master service agreements, master time charter agreements, third party access and boarding agreements and vessel construction contracts. Matthew counsels other businesses in the preparation and negotiation of non-compete, non-disclosure, non-solicitation, and professional services contracts. Matthew serves as outside general counsel for numerous clients including the largest liftboat owner/operator in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mr. Edwin G. Preis Jr.
Managing Partner
Preis, PLC
https://www.preisplc.com/
EDWIN G. PREIS, JR. is the Managing Partner and founder of Preis PLC, a regional defense law firm with offices in Lafayette, New Orleans, and Houston. Mr. Preis earned his undergraduate B.A. Degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1969, and obtained his Juris Doctorate Degree from the LSU Law Center in 1972. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Preis served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Nauman S. Scott, U.S. District Judge, Western District of Louisiana (1972-1974). Mr. Preis is licensed to practice in Louisiana and Texas. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana, and the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas. Mr. Preis is a member of the Federal Bar Association, Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit, Louisiana State Bar Association, State Bar of Texas, Lafayette Parish Bar Association, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, Defense Research Institute, Maritime Law Association of the United States, and Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute. Mr. Preis is listed in Best Lawyers in America, Louisiana Super Lawyers, and holds a Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating. Mr. Preis served as a faculty member for the LSU Law Center’s Trial Advocacy Training Program in 1992 and 1993, and currently serves on the LSU Law Center’s Board of Trustees. Mr. Preis has approximately 48 years of legal experience, and maintains an active litigation practice focused primarily on maritime and energy disputes, many of which are high profile, complex and involve major casualties. Mr. Preis was a member of the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board from January, 2010 until December 2015, pursuant to appointment by the Louisiana Supreme Court. He was Board Vice-Chair/Adjudicative Committee Chair for 2013, and was Chairman of the Board for 2014. Prior to his appointment to the Board, he served for seven years as a Hearing Committee Chairman. Mr. Preis was recently appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to the Louisiana Judicial Campaign Oversight Committee and the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board Advisory Committee.

Mr. David L. Reisman
Shareholder
Liskow & Lewis, APLC
David L. Reisman brings broad and practical experience to his maritime practice. David served as General Counsel of Bisso Marine, LLC for a decade following fifteen years as a partner in the Maritime Section of Liskow & Lewis. David also served for five years as General Counsel of T&T Bisso, LLC, an international emergency response, ship salvage and wreck removal contractor with offices in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. David returned to private practice with Liskow & Lewis in 2017. David’s experience in admiralty matters includes emergency response, contracts, Coast Guard regulatory and enforcement issues, insurance coverage, accident investigation, maritime and aviation finance and liens, compliance programs, and formation and management of joint ventures (international and domestic). His litigation practice covers a wide range of matters, including maritime and offshore personal injury and property damage, vessel collisions and allisions, products liability, aviation, drilling and completion accidents, reservoir damage, pipeline accidents, indemnity and insurance, and commercial disputes. David is a member of the Louisiana and Texas bars, the American Society of Safety Professionals and the American Salvage Association.

Mr. Dean A. Sutherland
Jeansonne & Remondet, LLC
https://www.jeanrem.com/
Dean A. Sutherland received a JD degree from the LSU Hebert Law Center in 1975, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. His legal practice involves admiralty and maritime law, insurance coverages, insurance bad faith claims, construction and civil litigation.

Since 1983, Dean has maintained an “AV Preeminent” rating in Martindale-Hubbell®. He has been listed in Best Lawyers of America®, in the fields of admiralty law and insurance law, and in Louisiana Super Lawyers® in the field of insurance coverage.

In 1987, he was inducted in the LSU Hebert Law Center Hall of Fame. The LSU Hebert Law Center honored him with the 2015 Distinguished Achievement Award.

Dean is a co-author of Cases and Materials on Maritime Law, Maraist, Galligan, Maraist & Sutherland, (WEST Academic Publishing - Third Edition, 2016) and Admiralty in a Nutshell, Maraist, Galligan, Maraist & Sutherland, (West Academic - 7th Edition, 2017). His article on Louisiana insurance “bad faith” law received the 2007 Stephen T. Victory Award for the best feature article in the Louisiana Bar Journal.

Since 2006, Dean has coached the LSU Hebert Law Center teams which compete in the national Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court competition. The admiralty moot court teams have won numerous brief and oral advocacy awards, cumulating in the 2015, 2016 and 2018 National Championships and the Most Outstanding Law School in 2019 and 2020.

Dean is an Adjunct Professor at the LSU Hebert Law Center, where he has taught Admiralty and Maritime Law, Maritime Personal Injury Law, Advanced Tort Litigation Seminar, Admiralty - Torts and Admiralty - Maritime Commerce. (1991, 2001-Present).

He currently serves as the President of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel.

Mr. Joshua K. Trahan
Preis, PLC
https://www.preisplc.com/
Joshua K. Trahan is a Partner with Preis PLC in Louisiana. Mr. Trahan has almost 20 years of experience in the business and legal fields. He handles a wide range of matters including general casualty and insurance, professional liability, premises liability, maritime and energy disputes, financial services, franchise law, construction law, and general business disputes in Louisiana and Texas.

Mr. Trahan obtained a B.S. degree in Microbiology, from Louisiana State University in 1999, and a Juris Doctor degree, from the Dedman School of Law, Southern Methodist University in 2004. While in law school, Mr. Trahan was a member of the SMU International Law Review Association and Phi Delta Phi. He also participated in the SMU Legal Civil Clinic, the Jackson Walker Moot Court, the Dallas Kids Project and was named to the Dean's List. He is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Louisiana, as well as all state courts in Texas and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Mr. Trahan is a member of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel; American Bar Association; ABA Forum on Franchising; Louisiana State Bar Association; and Lafayette Bar Association. He also co-founded the International Franchise Association Franchise Business Network Steering Committee for Louisiana.

Mr. Trahan has repeatedly been named by his peers as a "Rising Star" in Louisiana Super Lawyer magazine, which recognizes the top up-and-coming attorneys in the state. He served as the Louisiana Editor for the Third Edition of the ABA Forum on Franchising's publication entitled Covenants Against Competition in Franchising. He has also served as a presenter for the Louisiana Claims Association’s Annual Conference. Prior to entering law school, Mr. Trahan worked in the financial services field as an investment advisor. He now serves as an arbitrator for FINRA, an organization that oversees legal disputes in the financial services sector. Finally, he has provided pro bono legal services through the Lafayette Volunteer Lawyer Protective Order Program, which assists individuals in obtaining court issued protective orders to help curtail the effects of domestic violence and abuse.