Suite 1660 - 601 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 - (504) 525-2141
To our clients and friends:
The health and safety of our lawyers, staff, clients, and colleagues is our top priority during this outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Our office is currently open and our client services are continuing as usual. We are closely monitoring the situation and are following best practices recommended by public health authorities to minimize the risk of exposure, while ensuring that service to our clients remains uninterrupted.
Among the measures we have adopted is a modified staffing of the office to reduce the number of attorneys and staff who will be in the office. We are also canceled and/or rescheduled all non-essential travel and meetings.
We continue to monitor, evaluate and respond to this situation as it evolves, and will take all necessary precautions to safeguard our lawyers, staff, clients and the communities in which we live and work.
If you have any questions or concerns about how we are responding to the outbreak, or how this may impact your business, please reach out to Mike Bagot (mbagot@wb-lalaw.com or 504-722-1998), Tom Rayer (trayer@wb-lalaw.com or 504-615-0965) or any of our lawyers.
Firm Overview
Our Firm has earned a distinguished reputation in the practice of admiralty and maritime law, oil and gas matters, and contract and insurance disputes – including property damage claims and personal injury defense involving catastrophic accidents on land, at sea, and offshore. In addition to litigation, we negotiate and prepare contracts, handle commercial and contract disputes, and counsel our clients regarding environmental laws, liabilities, international treaties and agreements. read more

Firm Publications
The U. S. Maritime Lien For Necessaries In The Wake Of The OW Bunker Financial Collapse, Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute, June 2017
Maritime commerce, by its very nature, depends ...

Useful Links
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana

Recent Developments
Fifth Circuit Streamlines Test for Maritime Contracts.
Sitting en banc, the U.S. Fifth Circuit abandoned its six part Davis test to determine whether providing services for the exploration, drilling and production ...
Our Attorneys

Thomas J. Wagner
CONCENTRATION: Maritime, Employment, Casualty Matters; Commercial and Marine Transactions; Personal Injury Defense; Commercial, Environmental and Energy Litigation, Appeals and Counseling.

Michael H. Bagot, Jr.
CONCENTRATION: Maritime and Casualty Litigation; Salvage; Environmental and Insurance Disputes; Personal Injury Defense; Maritime Contracts.

Thomas A. Rayer, Jr.
CONCENTRATION: Admiralty Law; Maritime Personal Injury Law; Insurance Defense Law; Commercial Law; State and Federal Worker's Compensation Defense.

G. Beauregard Gelpi
CONCENTRATION: Admiralty Law; Carriage of Goods by Sea; Jones Act; Marine Insurance Defense; Maritime Personal Injury; Insurance Defense Law; Personal Injury Law.