Mr. J. Neale Neale deGravelles
Walters, Thomas, Cullens, LLC
J. Neale deGravelles is Special Counsel at the Baton Rouge firm of Walters, Thomas, Cullens LLP. Neale’s practice exclusively involves representing plaintiffs and small businesses in civil litigation. He graduated from Louisiana State University Law School with honors (Order of the Coif/Tullis-Herget Scholarship). He has previously served as the chair of the American Association for Justice’s Maritime Practice Section.
Neale has spoken and written extensively in the area of maritime law including: “The Deepwater Horizon Rig Disaster: Issues of Personal Injury and Death” Tulane Law Review Deepwater Horizon Symposium (2011) and “Uncertainty in Vessel Status After Lozman v. Riviera Beach, Florida: An Analysis and Review of Recent Developments” Loyola University New Orleans Maritime Law Journal, Volume 15; Fall 2014.
J. Neale deGravelles is Special Counsel at the Baton Rouge firm of Walters, Thomas, Cullens LLP. Neale’s practice exclusively involves representing plaintiffs and small businesses in civil litigation. He graduated from Louisiana State University Law School with honors (Order of the Coif/Tullis-Herget Scholarship). He has previously served as the chair of the American Association for Justice’s Maritime Practice Section.
Neale has spoken and written extensively in the area of maritime law including: “The Deepwater Horizon Rig Disaster: Issues of Personal Injury and Death” Tulane Law Review Deepwater Horizon Symposium (2011) and “Uncertainty in Vessel Status After Lozman v. Riviera Beach, Florida: An Analysis and Review of Recent Developments” Loyola University New Orleans Maritime Law Journal, Volume 15; Fall 2014.
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 47 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, Sixth Edition, © 2024, the chapter “Concurrent Jurisdiction” in The Longshore Textbook, Seventh Edition, and the monthly Longshore/Maritime Update, summarizing all of the maritime decisions issued throughout the United States.
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. Daniel E. Knowles III
Retired Magistrate Judge
US District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
Judge Daniel E. Knowles III served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana from January 2003 to January 2019. He was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1978.
His involvement in the legal community extends beyond his judicial role. For instance, he has been a member of the Mariners Club of the Port of New Orleans since 1982 and served as a board member from 1992-1994, including a term as President in 1993. Judge Knowles also contributed to the legal education field, serving on the Planning Committee for the Fifth Circuit Judicial Conference in 1996 and attending the conference from 2002-2019. He is an active member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and the Federal Bench-Bar Liaison Committee. Moreover, he has been a faculty member of the LSU Trial Advocacy Training Program since August 2004.
Sara B. Kuebel
Jones Walker LLP
Sara B. Kuebel advises clients in a broad range of disputes, with a concentration in maritime litigation, including allisions and collisions and claims under General Maritime Law, the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.
Sara has experience litigating various matters, having assisted with numerous bench and jury trials in both federal and state court. She has also handled multiple appeals to Louisiana appellate courts as well as the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Sara has assisted in the drafting of amicus briefs to the US Supreme Court. Additionally, Sara advises clients on various commercial matters, such as the drafting of charter party agreements, master service agreements, and other transportation-related contracts.
Sara frequently authors publications on a variety of maritime law issues that range from personal injury to offshore wind to maritime liens. Moreover, she is the co-author of two maritime law books, Admiralty in a Nutshell and Cases and Materials on Maritime Law, both published by West Academic.
In recognition of her work, several industry and legal publications and rating agencies have listed Sara as “One to Watch,” including The Legal 500 United States and Best Lawyers®.
She earned her juris doctor degree, summa cum laude, from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University, graduating in the top 2% of her class and earning the Order of the Coif distinction. Sara received nine CALI awards for earning the highest grade in various classes throughout law school. While at LSU Law, she served as the student body president, as an associate on the Louisiana Law Review, and as a member of the Moot Court Board.
Mr. James A. Lochridge Jr.
Voorhies & Labbe
Jim Lochridge is a shareholder and president of Voorhies & Labbé in Lafayette, Louisiana. He has been practicing law for 33 years. He has tried jury and bench trials in both State and Federal Court, as well as argued before numerous Appellate Courts. Mr. Lochridge’s background includes insurance, professional liability and land-based casualty defense. He’s worked with public entities, trucking companies, oil refineries and a major fast-food chain restaurant.
Mr. Lochridge also has taught Business Law as an adjunct professor at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette).
Mr. Lochridge was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1990, as well as the U.S. District Court – Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. He is a member of Louisiana State Bar Association, Lafayette Bar Association, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, American Bar Association, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (“FDCC”).
Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mr. Lochridge is a Jesuit High School alum. He now resides in Lafayette, Louisiana with his wife, Jan. He routinely travels statewide to conduct mediations.
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.
Hon. Robert R. Summerhays
United States District Judge
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
Judge Robert Summerhays was appointed to the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana by President Trump in September 2018. Prior to this appointment, Judge Summerhays served as the Chief Bankruptcy Judge of the Western District of Louisiana. Judge Summerhays was previously a partner in the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where his primary practice area was federal court litigation. Judge Summerhays served as a law clerk for Judge W. Eugene Davis (U.S. Court of Appeals) in Lafayette from 1994 to 1995. Judge Summerhays received his law degree in 1994 from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was an Associate Editor of the Texas Law Review.
Hon. Wendy B. Vitter
US District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
Wendy Vitter was sworn in as a United States District Judge for Eastern District of Louisiana on May 30, 2019. Immediately prior to her appointment to the Bench, Judge Vitter was General Counsel for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the first General Counsel in the history of the Archdiocese. In that role, she provided counsel to the Archdiocese as well as various associated entities such as Catholic Charities, Second Harvest Food Bank, the Clarion Herald, Notre Dame Seminary, and over 100 elementary and high schools. Judge Vitter previously worked as an associate at Abbott & Meeks Law Firm which specialized in Maritime litigation. Prior to that role, she served as an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans, trying over 100 jury trials with a specialty in homicide prosecutions. At the time she left the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, she was Chief of the Trials Division, overseeing the trial attorneys in ten sections of Criminal District Court. Judge Vitter received her BA degree from Sam Houston State University, earning her degree in 3 ½ years and Law Degree from Tulane University Law School. She and her husband David, both New Orleans natives, are the very proud parents of four young adults.
Hon. Erin Wilder-Doomes
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
Judge Erin Wilder-Doomes has been serving as a magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana since January 2016. Prior to her appointment, Judge Wilder-Doomes was a member of Stewart Robbins & Brown, LLC law firm in Baton Rouge where she specialized in civil litigation. As a practitioner, she litigated a wide variety of civil matters, including insurance coverage, bankruptcy, contract disputes, workers’ compensation, and professional liability.
A 1999 graduate of Paul M. Hebert Law Center (LSU), Judge Wilder-Doomes also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Iowa. Throughout her legal career she has been an active participant in professional organizations at a federal, state and local level. She is the Past President and Past National Delegate for the Baton Rouge Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and a former member of the Louisiana State Law Institute Council, which was established by the Louisiana Legislature in 1933 as an institute dedicated to law revision, law reform and legal research. Judge Wilder-Doomes is also a frequent speaker on ethics and professionalism, removal and remand, evidentiary issues and general matters related to federal court practice, and she has served on the faculty of LSU Law Center’s trial advocacy program and Apprenticeship Week. Judge Wilder-Doomes is currently co-presiding judge over the Middle District of Louisiana’s Rehabilitating Individuals through Strategic Encounters (“RISE”) program, which was designed to increase opportunities for successful re-entry of individuals on supervised release by addressing criminogenic factors that lead to recidivism. From 2019 through 2022, she also served as the Fifth Circuit Director on the national board of the Federal Magistrate Judge’s Association.
