NEW ORLEANS – The national law firm of Adams and Reese has announced that 148 of its attorneys have been recognized in the 2026 edition of “Best Lawyers in America®” including 50 from its Louisiana offices. Of those, 45 are based in the firm’s New Orleans office, while the Baton Rouge office accounted for the remaining five.
The New Orleans attorneys make up nearly one-third of Adams and Reese’s nationwide honorees and 90 percent of its Louisiana selections. Their practice areas include admiralty and maritime law, commercial litigation, mass tort and class action defense, product liability litigation, and employment and labor law, among others.
Attorneys listed in Best Lawyers in America are recognized in two categories: “Best Lawyers,” for those with 10 or more years of practice, and “Ones to Watch,” for attorneys with less than a decade of experience. Among the 45 honorees in New Orleans, 40 were named Best Lawyers and five were included in the Ones to Watch category.
“Best Lawyers in America” was first published in 1983 and is recognized as the oldest peer-review legal rankings publication in the U.S. Its annual listings are based on millions of confidential evaluations from attorneys across the country, with honorees representing the top five percent of the profession.
Adams and Reese “Best Lawyers” in New Orleans
- Richard Aguilar – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Banking and Finance; Litigation – Bankruptcy; Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions; Litigation – Real Estate; Litigation – Trusts and Estates
- Gregg Barrios – Admiralty and Maritime Law
- Mark Beebe – Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Antitrust; Litigation – Securities
- Phil Bergeron – Health Care Law
- Charlie Cerise – Admiralty and Maritime Law; Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Environmental; Oil and Gas Law; Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Robin Cheatham – Banking and Finance Law; Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Financial Services Regulation Law
- Chris D’Amour – Insurance Law
- Johnny Domiano – Admiralty and Maritime Law; Commercial Litigation
- John Duck – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; International Mergers and Acquisitions
- Brooke Duncan – Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management
- Richard Eason – Personal Injury Litigation; Product Liability Litigation – Defendants; Workers’ Compensation Law – Claimants; Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers
- Phil Franco – Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Real Estate
- Kirk Gasperecz – Insurance Law
- Charlie Gay – Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation; Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Matt Guy – Admiralty and Maritime Law; Construction Law; Litigation – Insurance; Personal Injury Litigation
- Lisa Hedrick – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Chris Kane – Administrative / Regulatory Law; Economic Development Law
- Ed Laizer – Admiralty and Maritime Law; Commercial Litigation; Personal Injury Litigation; Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Leslie Lanusse – Employment Law – Management; Insurance Law; Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Frank Liantonio – Admiralty and Maritime Law; Energy Law; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants; Oil and Gas Law
- Kellen Mathews – Administrative/Regulatory Law; Commercial Litigation; Government Contracts; Labor Law – Management
- Don McKinney – Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Health Care; Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
- Bob Nolan – Oil and Gas Law; Personal Injury Litigation; Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Lee Reid – Economic Development Law; Education Law
- Jeff Richardson – Appellate Practice; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation
- Jim Rogers – Admiralty and Maritime Law; Litigation – Construction; Litigation – Insurance
- Debbie Rouen – Commercial Litigation; Personal Injury Litigation; Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Liz Roussel – Commercial Litigation; Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management
- Leigh Ann Schell – Appellate Practice; Energy Law
- Paige Sensenbrenner – Government Relations Practice; Health Care Law; Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
- Phil Sherman – Corporate Law; Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law; Real Estate Law
- Tyson Shofstahl – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Ron Sholes – Arbitration; Environmental Law; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation
- Mark Spansel – Admiralty and Maritime Law; Litigation – Environmental
- Martin Stern – Appellate Practice; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
- Mark Surprenant – Commercial Litigation; Environmental Law; Litigation – Environmental; Personal Injury Litigation; Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Lauren Tafaro – Commercial Litigation; Employment Law – Management
- Roland Vandenweghe – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation
- David Wolf – Public Finance Law
- Laurie Young – Admiralty and Maritime Law; Commercial Litigation
Adams and Reese “Ones to Watch” in New Orleans
- Taylor Brett – Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Environmental; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation
- Mark Chaney – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Commercial Litigation
- Alex Lamb – Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Harper Street – Personal Injury Litigation
- Billy Wright – Commercial Litigation; Education Law; Insurance Law; Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation
Adams and Reese “Best Lawyers” in Baton Rouge
- Rob Rieger – Communications Law; Government Relations Practice; Health Care Law; Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
- Bill Shea – Insurance Law
Adams and Reese “Ones to Watch” in Baton Rouge
- Chris Joseph – Construction Law; Litigation – Construction
- Taylor LeDuff – Commercial Litigation; Insurance Law
- Katelin Varnado – Construction Law; Litigation – Construction
About Adams and Reese
Founded in New Orleans in 1951, Adams and Reese is one of the largest law firms in the nation and is included among the AmLaw 200, NLJ 500, and Law360 Top 400 firms. Adams and Reese has more than 320 attorneys and advisors across 10 states (Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas) and Washington, D.C.
