Reserve Lawyers

Before joining Walters, Papillion, Thomas, Cullens LLC, Andrée Matherne Cullens was a partner for more than fifteen years at Taylor, Porter, Brooks, and Phillips, LLP, one of the largest defense firms in Louisiana. She represented creditors and trustees in bankruptcy proceedings, state agencies and businesses in commercial litigation, banks and financial institutions, and Insurance Receivers in regulatory proceedings. Some of her former clients include Chase Bank, State Street Bank and Trust Company, the Louisiana Office of Economic Development, LSU, and the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Ms. Cullens has considerable courtroom experience in both federal and state courts and has been...

I am a life-long Louisiana native admitted to practice in all Louisiana state and federal courts. For over 40 years I have handled trials and appeals on many different legal issues. Although my representation has involved many other matters, I have concentrated my current practice in the areas of bankruptcy cases (consumer and business, debtor and creditor); business law and litigation (forming, reorganizing, selling, and purchasing small businesses and handling business disputes); storm/hale damage insurance claims and litigation; successions, wills, and estate law; collections, foreclosures, and real estate litigation; and construction claims, arbitration, and litigation. Bar Admissions All Louisiana state courts U.S. District...

The dedicated and experienced criminal defense attorneys of DiGiulio Utley, LLC give personalized, aggressive and effective service to each client. The work ethic of our attorneys is impeccable and their results—a product of trial skills, adeptness at negotiations, and knowledge of the criminal justice system—speak for themselves. The criminal attorneys consult and communicate with their clients at every stage of their proceedings to ensure that they understand the legal process. The firm also ensures that no clients are uninformed or unsure of their situations. Ultimately, we do everything we can to leave our clients satisfied with their resolutions, whether they...

Chelsea Gomez Caswell is an associate in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in 2013 and practices in the labor and employment and litigation groups. She represents employers in a variety of labor and employment matters in state and federal courts and before the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the Louisiana Commission on Human Rights (LCHR), including EEOC charges; discrimination, harassment, and retaliation litigation; litigation of disputes related to non-competition agreements; and wage and hour claims. Chelsea assists clients with employee handbooks, company policies, employment contracts, and in day-to-day counseling. She has...

JOHN R. WALKER is a Partner in SBSB's Houston office. For the past almost twenty-five years, it has been my privilege to represent insurance and employer interests focusing on the defense of claims brought under the Longshore and Harbor Act, the Defense Base (DBA), the Non-Appropriated Funds (NAF) Instrumentalities Act, the Jones Act, and General Maritime and Admiralty Law. Additionally, John also has extensive experience in First Party Insurance Defense matters, representing employers, insurance carriers, and third parties in State, Federal and Appellate courts. Prior to joining the firm, John handled First Party Insurance Defense,...

Angie Adolph is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in 2011, and practices in the tax and municipal finance groups. Angie represents Louisiana, national, and international clients in a variety of tax and corporate matters. In addition to representing clients before the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals, the Louisiana Tax commission, and in the Louisiana courts, she has special experience representing taxpayers in property tax incentive negotiations, including Payments in Lieu of Taxes. Angie is the firm’s representative to the American Property Tax Counsel, an association of property tax firms with members...

Jason was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated Nicholls State University with a BS in Engineering Technology. He played varsity sports, was on the radio and involved in the performing arts. After a career in radio and television, he attended law school in New Orleans. He opened a private practice focusing on corporate, collection and consumer rights. He became a partner in the firm of Naccari, Deas and Pugh in 1992. His personal clients at the time included Benson Automotive World (owned by a well known local family), and most of the major hospitals and clinics in the...

Lauren Rucinski is an associate in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in 2016 and practices in the environmental law and intellectual property group.

Lauren helps clients understand which environmental regulations apply to new facilities and processes. Her practice focuses on permitting, compliance, litigation and transactional issues, as well as rulemaking efforts at both the state and federal level. She advises a wide range of clients including petrochemical facilities, oil refineries, natural gas terminals, glass manufacturers, and commodity processing plants.

Lauren helps clients protect and maximize the value of their businesses' intellectual property by advising them on...

I am an experienced felony criminal defense trial attorney – bringing more than 40 felony jury trials to verdict in the last nine years. Call me now if you have a serious legal matter and you need immediate assistance. I was born in Ascension Parish and grew up in Baton Rouge. After moving around the south, I settled back home in 1999 where I started back a LSU, concluding with a Law Degree from the Paul Hebert Law Center at LSU in 2008. I began further studies at the University of Florida, School of Pharmacy, where I am...

Danny Russell is an experienced and aggressive attorney representing clients who face DWI charges in Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston, St. Tammany, Covington, Mandeville, Gonzales, Tangipahoa, West Baton Rouge, Prairieville, Jefferson, St. John the Baptist, Slidell, and throughout Louisiana.

Blair Schilling represents clients in a wide range of commercial matters in federal and state court, with a concentration in environmental law. Her environmental practice includes representing landowners throughout Louisiana against some of the oil and gas industry's largest operators in matters involving coastal restoration, land contamination, land use, clean water, getting brownfield sites safely back into commerce, regulatory and permitting, and expropriation issues. In doing this work, Blair represents state government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private companies and individuals, including the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), the Environmental Defense Fund, the National Wildlife Federation, Restore the Mississippi River...

Melanie Lockett is an experienced litigator in diverse areas of law including insurance coverage and defense, education, commercial litigation, employment law, professional liability, and family law. She has litigated a vast array of legal issues in Louisiana state and federal courts. She has also successfully appealed cases to Louisiana Courts of Appeal and Louisiana Supreme Court. Melanie’s innovative and diligent approach to representing clients has led to notable successes for insurance companies, insurance agents, tenured professors, university students, and victims of discrimination. Melanie is an involved member of several professional organizations. She is an active member...

Kirk Reasonover works primarily in the area of commercial litigation and arbitration. His experience includes cases involving securities law and investment disputes, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, racketeering, mismanagement, and corporate voting rights. He represents clients in arbitration proceedings before the NASD and American Arbitration Association. Mr. Reasonover has represented creditors, debtors and equity interest holders in bankruptcy and lien foreclosure proceedings. He has also been active in disputes involving franchises and intellectual property, including trademarks, copyrights, and computer software. He is a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of Citizens National Bank of Meridian, a federally...

Mr. Kingsdorf graduated from Tulane University in 1971 and from Tulane University School of Law in 1974. He clerked at the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal for Judges Peter Beer and Ernest N. Morial and then clerked at the Louisiana Supreme Court for Justice Albert Tate, Jr. In 1980, he became a partner in the firm of Cleveland, Barrios, Kingsdorf & Casteix where he remained until 1995 when he co-founded the firm of Barrios, Kingsdorf & Casteix, LLP. In addition to serving as faculty member at numerous seminars, he has lectured at the Tulane University School of Law...

New Orleans personal injury attorney Brent Cueria, skillfully represents clients who have suffered due to the negligence of others. He advocates for victims of trucking accidents, car accidents, Maritime accidents and any type of accident involving loss and trauma throughout New Orleans and Nationwide.

Max Cohen brings extensive experience and insight in insurance defense litigation, with an emphasis on personal injury, premises liability, and professional liability construction and coverage. He received his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he was the Brief Editor of the Moot Court Board. Mr. Cohen joined one of the largest law firms in New Orleans shortly after graduating. He became a lawyer at Lowe Stein in 1988 and became a partner in 1994. Due to his commitment to his clients, Mr. Cohen has received the AV® Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell®. Mr. Cohen is very active in...

Ms. Casteix is Managing Partner of Barrios Kingsdorf & Casteix LLP. Her practice primarily focuses on business and real estate transactions as well as estate planning and administration (successions). She is a native and lifelong resident of New Orleans. After receiving her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law, Ms. Casteix began her legal career as a law clerk for the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans. In 1980 she became a partner in the firm of Cleveland, Barrios, Kingsdorf & Casteix where she remained a partner until 1995 when Barrios, Kingsdorf & Casteix was founded....

I started Mitchell & Associates because I wanted to be able to do more for my clients. Up until that point I worked at a prestigious law firm representing big, corporate and insurance industry type clients. My job was to defend them at all cost, even when they were wrong. I did my job, and I did my job well. In 1999 I walked out of the Firm with one file, a case where my client was seriously hurt in a car accident, determined to practice law the way I wanted to and for the clients I wanted...

Tyler Kostal is an associate attorney in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. She practices in the energy and environmental litigation group, defending energy companies in lawsuits involving oil and gas, environmental, toxic tort exposure, wetlands loss, pipeline, and commercial litigation and appeals. She also assists clients with Medicare reporting and compliance obligations for toxic tort exposure claims.

Tyler is listed as a Rising Star by Louisiana Super Lawyers for 2019.

Tyler earned her B.B.A., cum laude, in economics and marketing in 2005 from the University of Mississippi. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Loyola University New Orleans College of...

I attended law school at Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1978. I completed law school and was admitted to the State Bar in 1981. I have worked in the personal injury field and defended criminal cases throughout the State of Louisiana. I have worked as legal counsel for the State of Louisiana in children in need of care matters.

I have served as a college professor and taught in the paralegal programs, and criminal justice. I am comfortable in the small towns and in the big cities. Nothing satisfies me more...

André Bélanger, a graduate of Loyola University, is a highly-respected criminal defense attorney serving the people of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and surrounding areas of Ascension Parish and New Orleans, for one of Baton Rouge's top-25 law firms. In his 15 years of practicing law, Mr. Bélanger has handled thousands of criminal cases at both the pre-trial and trial stage, including approximately 200 trials. This trial experience includes homicide defense and prosecution, large drug conspiracies and fraud cases making Belanger one of the few attorneys capable of handling even the largest, most complex federal cases. Having spent...

Rob was born in Traverse City, MI and raised in El Paso, TX. He is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans and Loyola University of Chicago School of Law. Rob enjoys fishing, reading, golf and automobile racing. He loves to cook with his family and is an avid Major League Baseball and NFL fan.

EDUCATION
Tulane University – B.A. English
Loyola University Chicago School of Law – J.D.
Frankfurt International School
ROB’S LEGAL ASSISTANTS
Magdalene Bedi
Eyona Nelson

MEMBER
Colorado Bar Association
Louisiana Bar Association
New Orleans Bar Association
Mississippi Bar Association

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE LAW IN
Colorado
Louisiana
Mississippi

Trippe Hawthorne is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2004 and practices in the construction, ADR and business litigation groups. Trippe has experience in all phases of the construction industry and in a wide variety of commercial litigation, and general litigation matters, including design and construction contracting and dispute resolution across all sectors, including industrial, commercial, public, and residential; public bidding and procurement challenges; and public and private works lien laws. Trippe has experience with administrative law and occupational licensing law, having served as General Counsel for the Louisiana State Licensing...

Chelsea Brener Cusimano has a substantial litigation practice and client base after a decade of work with her family firm and public officials. Chelsea is the daughter of the late Lisa Brener who began her trailblazing civil rights and employment practice in New Orleans in the 1980s. Chelsea is a fourth-generation New Orleans lawyer. Chelsea has successfully litigated Collective Actions under the FederalFair Labor Standards Act, including managing a Collective Action with over 90 Plaintiffs from 2018-2020. Chelsea is a member of both the Louisiana and Georgia bars, and holds an LL.M. from George Washington University in National Security and International Affairs. She...

Beau Bourgeois is an associate in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He joined the firm in 2016 and practices in the commercial litigation and construction litigation groups. Beau has represented and counseled owners, general contractors, and subcontractors in the industrial and commercial markets and in both the private and public sectors. He has drafted construction contracts for owners, drafted and filed numerous Private Works Act liens, assisted clients with obtaining contractor’s licenses in multiple states, and represented clients in Public Bid Law disputes.

Prior to joining Kean Miller, Beau served as an Issue Editor for the Louisiana Law Review...

David Sharpe focuses on marine insurance coverage; marine finance and vessel documentation; bankruptcy, restructuring, and creditors’ rights; admiralty and maritime; and international and cross-border law. He represents clients that own, operate, charter, or employ vessels, and helps them understand and manage their risks in the United States, Gulf of Mexico, and worldwide offshore maritime oilfield and alternative-energy markets. Mr. Sharpe services clients in the area of concentration on maritime contracts (time and bareboat charter parties, master service contracts, insurance and indemnity agreements, marine-insurance coverage, and ship sale and finance) and related commercial litigation (maritime liens, vessel arrest and attachment,...

Karen Waters Shields is a partner in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. Karen is an experienced litigator with particular experience in a wide variety of admiralty and oil & gas casualty issues, including Jones Act, personal injury, oil and gas exploration, well blowouts, cargo damage, vessel collisions, vessel damage, platform damage and barge damage. Her experience with oil and gas casualties is both offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and on land. Karen also has experience in construction law, consumer credit reporting, products liability, and general personal injury litigation. Following law school, she served for one year as...

Peyton Murphy is a lifelong resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After completing his undergraduate study at Louisiana State University in 1988, Peyton P. Murphy was immediately admitted to law school. He received his Juris Doctorate from Tulane Law School in 1991. Peyton P. Murphy was admitted to the Connecticut State Bar and the Louisiana State Bar in 1992 and 1993, respectively. Mr. Murphy is also licensed in the Western, Middle and Eastern District of the Federal U.S. District Courts in Louisiana as well as the United States Supreme Court. Peyton P. Murphy is an active member of the Baton Rouge Bar Association...

After practicing for several years at one of the most respected and top rated defense firms in Louisiana, Collin and three other experienced lawyers formed Mansfield Melancon with the goal of providing his clients the personal attention that they deserve and expect from their attorney.

Collin has experience advocating for clients in both Louisiana federal and state courts. He has handled cases ranging from complex business disputes to individual disagreements. Collin is admitted to practice in all Louisiana state courts, in the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana, and the United States...

Shane Sandefer is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. He practices in the business transactions and environmental law groups and is a Registered Professional Engineer. Shane represents local, regional, and national clients in a variety of real estate, finance, and environmental matters including, industrial and commercial real estate transactions, title insurance matters, general preparation and negotiation, regulatory proceedings, wetlands permitting, wetlands mitigation, and state and federal environmental advice. Prior to law school, Shane was a project engineer for Turner Environmental and a senior staff engineer for URS. He also served as an assistant project manager for...

Mr. Sterbcow’s practice focuses on consumer financial services and real estate regulatory compliance and litigation including: Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Truth In Lending Act (TILA), Fair Housing Act, Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Dodd-Frank Act, Sherman Anti-Trust Act, Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act involving federal and state mortgage lending and consumer credit compliance issues, title insurance compliance, real estate brokerage programs and operational compliance, affiliated business arrangement compliance, financial services marketing and promotional programs, state and federal licensing compliance, multiple listing service compliance, Best Practices compliance, and consumer fair financing practices....

Jeffrey P. Berniard received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance at McNeese State University, in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 2001 and received his Juris Doctorate degree at Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 2004. Jeffrey opted to study in the state of Louisiana, his home, in order to stay close and stay connected to the state he loves and the state he grew up in.

Immediately following his graduation, Jeffrey Berniard was admitted to practice law in the state of Louisiana, including being able to practice in the Eastern, Western, and Middle Districts of Louisianaís U.S. District...

Attorney Martin Regan believes in the law and the right to the best defense. Any case, for all clients anywhere in the world: Homicide or Drug, Medical Malpractice, Federal Habeas Corpus and more. As the senior managing partner of Regan Law PLC who brings more than 40 years of success and experience to each case, Attorney Martin Regan is not only esteemed by judges and colleagues in any court of law, he is respected and revered, known as the attorney to watch and flanked by the strongest team of six professional attorneys prepared to support you....