Hon. Carl J. Barbier
United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
The Honorable Carl J. Barbier currently serves as a senior judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans. Judge Barbier took the oath of office as an active district judge on October 12, 1998. As of January 1, 2023, he assumed senior status on the court.
Prior to taking the bench, Judge Barbier was a practicing attorney in New Orleans since 1971, primarily representing plaintiffs, consumers and small businesses in civil litigation. He earned his law degree with honors in 1970 from Loyola College of Law, where he was associate
editor of the Loyola Law Review. He served as law clerk to Judge William Redmann, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, and to Judge Fred Cassibry, U. S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana.
Judge Barbier is a past president of the New Orleans Bar Association and formerly served as president of the Thomas More Inn of Court. He previously served for over twenty years on the Board of the Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter. Judge Barbier is a past
president of the Louisiana Association for Justice (formerly Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association), a past member of the House of Delegates of the Louisiana State Bar Association, and a fellow of the Louisiana Bar Foundation.
Judge Barbier has served on the board of the Loyola Law Alumni Association for the past twenty years. Judge Barbier has served as an adjunct faculty member for Loyola’s law school, teaching for several years a course in Trial Advocacy in his courtroom. More recently, he taught
courses in Comparative Maritime Law for Loyola’s summer law school programs. In addition, Judge Barbier has taught hundreds of legal educational programs, including skills courses at the law school.
In 2010, Judge Barbier was appointed to handle the multi-district litigation arising out of the BP-Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It has been described as the largest accidental oil spill in history and the largest environmental multi-district litigation, ultimately involving hundreds of thousands of claims for damages by individuals and businesses, as well as federal, state and local governments.
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.
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. 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.
