Lafayette Parish Lawyers

I was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, living there until I was 21 years old, when I moved to New Orleans for law school. I have vivid memories of being a child and arguing with my father – who is a lawyer – about something, and after I had made my point, he would stare at me silently, then look down, shake his head, and say “gosh you’d be a good lawyer.” And because of that, I just always knew I was going to go to law school. I tried to stray from that path a few times – my...

I bring a unique business perspective to our clients, drawing from my background as a former in-house attorney. My areas of focus include corporate and transactional opportunities, employment issues, licensing challenges, workers' compensation claims, wage and hour concerns, local permitting, and general corporate governance. I concentrate my practice on business and transactional matters, with a wealth of experience in labor and employment, entity formation, business licensing, commercial and restaurant leases, vendor contracts, lease extensions and disputes, purchase agreements, title curative work, landlord and tenant issues, and special event permitting. My nearly 20 years as an in-house counsel have equipped me with...

Dually-licensed Attorney-CPA serving the tax planning & compliance, business law & planning, and accounting needs of domestic and foreign businesses, including their entrepreneurial owners. Currently owns and operates a multidisciplinary practice since 2012. Prior to 2012, spent over 10 years' professional experience within the "Big 4" global firms, including the Washington National Tax Office of one "Big 4" firm and the New York M&A-Transactions practice of another "Big 4" firm, having significant Director/Senior Manager-level experience. Licensed as both an Attorney (DC) and CPA (DC, FL, LA).

Paul Simoneaux is a Partner at Steeg Law Firm in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the transactional practice. His practice focuses on commercial real estate sales, development, leasing, and financing. Paul has developed a reputation for handling complex financial closings and understanding how various funding sources can be combined to his clients’ advantage. He regularly advises developers and property owners on real estate projects and the use of various public real estate incentives, including historic tax credits, low-income housing tax credits and tax-exempt bonds, new markets tax credits, state and local gap financing programs, restoration tax abatements, and payment in lieu...

Beginning his career in insurance defense, coverage analysis and litigation, Alan soon became general counsel to a New Orleans-based insurance consulting firm, where he assisted clients with specifications for coverage, captive formation, claims handling and loss mitigation. He was instrumental in the passing of the Louisiana Oilfield Anti-Indemnity Act and for many years represented the London market in CGL, marine and contractual liability claims, largely in the context of the “oil patch”. In 2005, Alan relocated his primary residence to New York, and continues to practice there as well as in Louisiana, focusing on construction, contract, and insurance...

Charles L. Stern, Jr., a partner at Steeg Law and the head of the litigation section. Chuck handles commercial and business litigation for clients in a variety of industries, including title insurance, commercial real estate, and banking. He is highly respected for his vast experience in title disputes and title insurance coverage. His other areas of practice include: construction and development disputes; bankruptcy and workouts (creditor representation) with a concentration on disputes affecting or involving commercial real estate; litigation involving disputes among shareholders of closely-held corporations; and bet-the-company litigation. Chuck is an extremely skilled litigation attorney, who maintains the highest standards...

Founding partner of Immigration Law Group, P.C., a Washington, D.C. based law firm practicing exclusively in immigration law. I specialize in E-2 Investor Visas, L-1 visas, H-1B visas, PERM/Labor Certification applications, federal litigation and complex consular processing issues such as waivers of inadmissibility. I worked for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific during the 103rd Congress (1994-1995). While at the subcommittee, I specialized in international trade and immigration. In 2000, I spoke before the 10th annual United Nations Convention on Crime in Vienna, Austria on the issue of human trafficking. I...

Ethan Zubic focuses his practice on commercial litigation in a wide range of practice areas, from cooperative purchasing enterprises to property damage to legacy litigation, as well as environmental law, admiralty and maritime law, insurance coverage and defense, real estate litigation and commercial transactions. He has handled cases involving property insurance, ocean marine insurance coverage disputes, subrogation claims, marine pollution insurance defense, commercial transactions and general litigation in Louisiana state and federal courts. Ethan is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Environmental and Litigation - Real Estate, as well as the Louisiana Super Lawyers Rising Stars...

Robert Killeen was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1962. He attended Tulane University in New Orleans where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1984, and a Juris Doctor in 1987. Mr. Killeen was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1987, and the Texas Bar in 1990. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, United States Court of Federal Claims, United States District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, Northern and Western Districts of Texas, and United States District Courts for the Western, Middle and Eastern Districts...

Charlotte Viener practices exclusively in the area of U.S. immigration law. Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, she represents Immigrants and Employers throughout the United States and the World in areas such as Family Based Immigration, Employment Based Immigration, Student Visas, Deferred Action, Permanent Residence/Temporary Visas, Naturalization, Removal/Deportation Litigation and Criminal Defense, and General Immigration Matters.

Christopher H. Carbine is a New Orleans lawyer who practices criminal defense and civil litigation at the highest level in both state and federal courts.
Mr. Carbine provides an aggressive criminal defense with a focus on achieving his clients’ goals and maintaining a personal, informed relationship with his clients through each stage of the process. Mr. Carbine is experienced in handling all types of cases on both the state and federal levels, and his attention to detail has been extremely beneficial for clients faced with complex criminal matters involving unconstitutional and illegal police actions such as 4th Amendment Violations, Illegal Searches...

Maro Petkovich, Jr. is a founding member of Bowes, Petkovich & Palmer, LLC and serves as the firm’s managing member. He operated Petkovich Law Firm for 6 years before merging his practice into the firm. Prior to going into business for himself, he already had years of experience representing some of the nation’s largest companies. His time representing various Fortune 500 companies as a creditors’ rights attorney and a former insurance defense attorney gives him the insight to effectively navigate cases and stay ahead of the curve. His practice continues to center on representing regional and...

Mitchell A. Palmer has over 20 years of legal experience as a Louisiana attorney to the firm. He offers his clients a full range of services and knowledge in Louisiana civil law, with a particular focus on all areas of family law, including divorce, custody, support issues, property partition, protective orders, successions, interdictions, adoptions, and more. He also routinely practices in the areas of appellate work, personal injury, insurance issues, business law, and commercial litigation. Mr. Palmer has tried numerous cases over his years of practice, with positive results. He has practiced, and argued, in front...

Former elected District Attorney of Caddo Parish, La. Served as DA for 30 years and prior to election Paul served as chief counsel of the Caddo Public Defender's Office. I have over 40 years experience in Criminal Court. My practice now is criminal defense in State, Federal and City Courts in Louisiana.

Joseph R. Marriott focuses his practice on business and real estate transactions exclusively. He is a graduate of Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. At Loyola, he served as the Real Estate Law Society president for two years and as a VITA volunteer for two years while he held law clerkships with Babovich and Speadle, NAI Latter & Blum, Spera Law Group, and Quality Title Services. Mr. Marriott is an active member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, New Orleans Bar Association, Jefferson Bar Association, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, Jefferson Chamber of...

Ms. Clark attended Louisiana State University Law school and graduated in 1996. Having handled criminal appeals as a law clerk for the East Baton Rouge Parish Public Defender's office, Ms. Clark immediately passed the bar exam and went to work as an assistant public defender in that office. Ms. Clark, in her 22+ years of experience, has represented thousands of clients in criminal court in both misdemeanor and felony cases. She has practiced extensively in the parishes of East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Tangipahoa and St. Tammany. Ms. Clark is dedicated to protecting the rights of...

Paul focuses on helping clients to probate estates, resolve construction disputes, and protect property and investments involved in the tax sale process. When Paul isn't busy helping his clients he enjoys photography, kayaking, engineering projects, and learning about Louisiana history.

Ronald “Chip” Morrison, Jr. is a Board Certified Estate Planning Law Specialist as certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization.

Chip has litigated and administered many complex successions and business buy-outs and disputes, and has given numerous presentations to attorneys, CPAs, financial advisors, certified financial planners, insurance agents, the National Business Institute, the Louisiana CPA Society, and individual CPA firms and insurance agencies throughout the State of Louisiana.

He has been qualified by the Louisiana Bar Association, Louisiana Department of Insurance, and the Louisiana Society of CPA’s to present continuing education programs discussing various Elder Law, Medicaid, Business and Estate Planning...

Marlin Gusman, Jr. was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. Marlin Gusman, Jr. earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Texas Christian University. Marlin earned his Master of Business Administration from Loyola University Chicago.

Marlin Gusman, Jr. completed In-Service Training in South Africa with DaimlerChrysler Financials Services. Marlin earned his Juris Doctorate and a Certificate in Taxation from Loyola University New Orleans.

Marlin Gusman, Jr. is married to Varsha with whom he has two children: Priscilla and Marlin III.

John Menszer has been practicing civil law in New Orleans since 1993. He has helped hundreds achieve greater financial security through filing Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. He also handles real estate issues and probate and estate problems. In 1995, he was the recipient of the Special Humanitarian Award of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities for his word preserving the stories of Holocaust survivors.