Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, L.L.P. is composed of 63 attorneys in New Orleans, Lafayette, Baton Rouge and Houston.

The attorneys at Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan, L.L.P. possess a wide range of backgrounds and legal skills and are drawn from every region of the United States. The firm's attorneys include former law clerks at the state and federal court levels, chairmen and members of numerous bar association committees and governing bodies, teachers at various law schools, authors and lecturers. Most of our lawyers served in editorial positions on law review or were active in Moot Court programs in law school, and a number graduated first in their law school classes.

Members of the firm are active in the community and serve on a wide variety of charitable boards, and the firm has been recognized as a leading supporter of various pro bono projects that provide free civil legal services to the underprivileged.

Statement of Practice

Administrative, Admiralty and Maritime, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Bankruptcy, Banks and Banking, Business, Class Actions, Commercial, Commercial Real Estate, Communications and Media, Construction, Corporate, Criminal, Election, Campaign and Political, Energy, Environmental, Franchises and Franchising, General Practice, Government, Health Care, Hospital, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Litigation Medical Malpractice, Natural Resources, Privacy, Products Liability, Real Estate, Regulatory, Securities, Taxation, Trust and Estates, Toxic Tort, Utility and Wills.

Representative Clients:

AFC Enterprises, Inc.
Apache Corp.
Bank of America
Bayou Steel Corp.
BHP Billiton Petroleum
Capitol One, N.A.
Castex Energy, Inc.
Century Exploration
Charles Schwab & Company
Cobalt International Energy, L.P.
Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co.
ConocoPhillips Co.
Cox Communications
EnCana Corp.
Energy XXI (Bermuda) Limited
ENI Petroleum Co.
Entergy Corp.
EOG Resources, Inc.
ExxonMobil Corp.
GE Capital Corp.
Goodrich Petroleum Co.
Gulf South Pipeline Co. LP
Hilcorp Energy Co.
Hunt Oil Co.
Itochu Corp.
JAS Construction, Inc.
Konica Minolta
Leed Petroleum LLC
Lion Copolymer, LLC
Lockheed Martin Corp.
Lonza Group Ltd.
Lorillard Tobacco Co.
Louisiana Oil and Gas Assn.
National Oilwell Varco
Northrop Grumman Corp.
OMNI Energy Services Corp.
Orleans Levee District
Pan American Life Insurance Co.
Petsec Energy Inc.
Procter & Gamble Co.
Sizeler Co.
Southpark Community Hospital
Spectra Energy Corp.
SpeeDee Oil Change, Inc.
St. James Parish Hospital
Swift Energy Co.
The Shaw Group Inc.
Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS)
Woodside Energy (USA), Inc.

Address

One Riverway
777 South Post Oak Lane, Suite 1300
Houston, TX 77056, (Ft. Bend, Harris & Montgomery Cos.)

Phone

Phone: 713-333-5500
Fax: 713-333-5501

Website

http://www.gordonarata.com

Firm/Affiliate Offices

(For Complete Biographical Data on all Personnel, See Professional Biographies New Orleans, Louisiana)

MEMBERS OF FIRM

Teanna West Neskora (Member) born Harlingen, Texas, August 30, 1944; admitted to bar, 1993, Louisiana; 2003, Texas. Education: Texas Arts & Industries University (B.S., cum laude, 1967); University of Oklahoma (M.S., 1976); Louisiana State University (J.D., 1993). Order of the Coif. Louisiana Law Review, Member, 1991-1993; Managing Editor, 1992-1993. Judicial Clerk, The Honorable James L. Dennis, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1993-1994. Author: "The Constitutional Rights of Putative Fathers Recognized in Louisiana's New Children's Code," 52 La. L. Rev. 1009 (1992); "Living Wills and Health Care Powers of Attorney," Louisiana Bar Journal, Vol. 44, No. 6, p. 512, April, 1997. Member: Louisiana and American (Member, Sections on: Business; Real Property, Probate and Trust Law) Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Contested Trusts and Estates; Estate Planning; Successions; Will Contests; Estate and Gift Taxation; Labor and Employment; Real Estate; Real Estate Finance.Email: Teanna West Neskora

J. Lanier Yeates (Member) born Pine Bluff, Arkansas, December 2, 1945; admitted to bar, 1981, Louisiana; 1982, Texas. Education: Louisiana State University (B.S., 1977; J.D., 1981). Order of the Coif. Associate Editor, Louisiana Law Review. Adjunct Faculty, University of Houston Law Center, 1989—. President, L.S.U. Law School Alumni Association, 1993. President, Campanile Charities, Inc., 2001—. Member, Board of Directors, Associated Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, 1993-1999. Member: Houston, Louisiana State and American (Vice Chairman: Energy Policy Committee, 1990-1993; Marine Resources Committee, 1993-1995; Oil & Natural Gas Exploration and Production Committee, 1991-1993; International Resources Committee, 1993-1995; Special Committee on International Energy Resources, 1996-1997) Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; L.S.U. Foundation (Member, Board of Directors, 2000—); L.S.U. Property Foundation (Member, Board of Directors, 2000—); L.S.U. Marine Property Foundation (Member, Board of Directors, 2001—); United States Supreme Court Bar Association; American Law Institute; Mineral Law Institute (Member, Advisory Council). [U.S. Navy, 1968-1975; Navy Reserves, 1975-1979]. Languages: Russian. Practice Areas: Energy.Email: J. Lanier Yeates

Charles L. Stinneford (Member) born Auburn, New York, May 17, 1965; admitted to bar, 1992, Texas; 1994, U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern District of Texas and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.A., 1987); South Texas College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1992). Member: State Bar of Texas; Houston Bar Association; Fort Bend County Bar Association; Maritime Law Association of the United States; Defense Research Institute; Texas Association of Defense Counsel; Houston Mariner's Club, Inc.; Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Jones Act; Marine Cargo; Appellate Practice; Business Law; Business Litigation; Complex and Multi-District Litigation; Energy; Insurance Defense; Insurance Coverage Defense; Litigation; Negligence; Personal Injury; Torts; Toxic Torts; Antitrust and Trade Regulation; Class Action.Email: Charles L. Stinneford

Robert D. Jowers (Member) born Tampa, Florida, December 16, 1946; admitted to bar, 1973, Texas; 1975, Louisiana; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Education: Louisiana College (B.A., 1969); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1973). Phi Alpha Delta. Author: "Recent Legislation & Jurisprudence Concerning Oil & Gas in the State of Texas," Landman, Vol. XXX, No. 11. Member: Houston and Louisiana State Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas (Member, Sections on: Oil, Gas and Mineral Law; Environmental; Real Property Law). Practice Areas: Oil, Gas and Mineral Law; Corporate; General Business; Litigation; Civil Litigation; Real Property.Email: Robert D. Jowers

William A. Sherwood (Member) born New Orleans, Louisiana, December 12, 1950; admitted to bar, 1976, Louisiana; 1977, Texas; U.S. District Court, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Davidson College (B.A., 1972); Tulane University (J.D, 1976). Named, Texas Super Lawyer, Law & Politics Magazine and Texas Monthly Magazine, 2004. Articles Editor, Tulane Law Review, 1975-1976. Speaker and Co-Author: "Accident Reconstruction Experts," Deposition/Expert Program, University of Houston Law Foundation, Houston, Texas 2004; "Accident Reconstruction and Related Issues," Advanced Expert Witness Course II, State Bar of Texas, Houston, Texas, 2002; "Recent Arbitration Developments," , Advanced Business Litigation Program, University of Houston Law Foundation, Dallas and Houston, Texas, 2002; "Joint Defense Privilege and Its Ethical Implications," International Association of Defense Counsel, Toxic and Hazardous Substances Committee, Scottsdale, Arizona, 1999; "Experts Post Daubert-Qualifying and Disqualifying Experts," Eleventh Annual Advanced Personal Injury Law Course, State Bar of Texas, Houston, Texas, 1995; "Punitive Damages/Gross Negligence Update," Tenth Annual Advanced Personal Injury Law Course, State Bar of Texas, Houston, Texas, 1994; "Recovery for Fears," Texas Association of Defense Counsel, 1994; "Sexual Wrongdoing Suits," Ninth Annual Advanced Personal Injury Law Course, State Bar of Texas, 1993. Author: "Professional Rules: Guidelines, Standards or What?" Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Spring Meeting, 1991. Co-Author: "Joint Defense Privilege and Its Ethical Implications," 66 Defense Counsel Journal 366, 1999. Contributor: "Medical Monitoring," International Association of Defense Counsel, Toxic and Hazardous Substances Litigation Committee Newsletter, November 1998. Faculty Member: Advanced Civil Trial Advocacy Institute, University of Houston Law Center, 1990-1996. City Council Member, City of Bunker, Hill Village, Texas, 1999-2003. Member, 1997-2005 and President 2003-2004, Kiwanis Club of Houston. Member, 1998-2004 and Chairman, 2005, Advisory Board, Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, Houston. Life Fellow: Texas Bar Foundation; Houston Bar Foundation. Member: Houston and Louisiana State Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; International Association of Defense Counsel; Texas Association of Defense Counsel (Editor Evidence Newsletter, 2002; Commercial Litigation Newsletter, 1996-1998; Professional Liability Newsletter, Non-Medical, 1990-1995; Chairman, 1999 and 2003, Trial Academy); American Board of Trial Advocates (Associate); Defense Research Institute; American Judicature Society. (Board Certified, Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Products Liability; Construction Litigation; Professional Liability; Energy.Email: William A. Sherwood

SPECIAL COUNSEL

Cathy Chessin (Special Counsel) born Erie, Pennsylvania, April 24, 1955; admitted to bar, 1980, North Carolina; 1982, Louisiana; 2007, Texas. Education: University of North Carolina (B.A., 1977); Tulane University School of Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 1980). Phi Beta Kappa; Order of the Coif. Managing Editor, Tulane Law Review, 1979-1980. Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Sam D. Johnson, Judge U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, 1980-1981. Member: Louisiana Bar Association; State Bar of Texas. Practice Areas: Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Contracts; Corporate Governance; Directors and Officers Liability.Email: Cathy Chessin

ASSOCIATES

David V. Bryce (Associate) born Royal Oak, Michigan, January 10, 1970; admitted to bar, 2006, Texas. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., with distinction, 1992); University of Minnesota (J.D., cum laude, 2005). Note and Comment Editor, Minnesota Law Review. Author, "Pipeline Gathering in an Unbundled World: How FERC's Response to Spin Down Threatens Competition in the Natural Gas Industry," 89 Minnesota Law Review. Briefing Attorney to the Honorable Evelyn V. Keyes, Texas Court of Appeals, First Circuit. Member: State Bar of Texas. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Admiralty and Maritime Law; Oil and Gas Regulation; Oil and Gas Contracts.Email: David V. Bryce

Richard R. McKenzie (Associate) admitted to bar, 2005, Texas. Education: University of Arkansas (B.B.A., 2002); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 2005). Member: Houston Association of Professional Landmen; West Houston Association of Professional Landmen. Member: State Bar of Texas; American Bar Association; Houston Young Lawyers Association.Email: Richard R. McKenzie

John Daniel Metzger (Associate) born Baton Rouge, Louisiana, June 14, 1969; admitted to bar, 1995, Texas; 2003, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.S., 1991; J.D., 1995). Chi Epsilon; Board of Advocates. Assistant District Attorney, Harris County, Texas, 1997-2003. Member: State Bar of Texas (Member, Sections on: Oil and Gas Law; Mineral Law); American Association of Professional Landmen. Practice Areas: Energy; Oil and Gas Law.Email: John Daniel Metzger

Matthew J. Siegel (Associate) born Baltimore, Maryland, May 24, 1978; admitted to bar, 2003, Texas. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., with honors, 2000); University of Texas School of Law (J.D., with honors, 2003). Member: Texas Environmental Law Journal, 2001-2002; Legal Research Board, University of Texas School of Law, 2001-2003. Member: State Bar of Texas. Practice Areas: Business Transactions; Oil and Gas Law; Probate.Email: Matthew J. Siegel

Melissa A. Lovell (Associate) born Houston, Texas, September 15, 1978; admitted to bar, 2005, Texas. Education: University of Houston (B.S., summa cum laude, 2001); University of Houston Law Center (J.D., cum laude, 2005). Member, Order of the Barons Honor Society. Member: State Bar of Texas (Member, Business Section). Practice Areas: Business Organization; Real Estate; Energy.Email: Melissa A. Lovell

Andrew M. Abrameit (Associate) born Goliad, Texas, June 21, 1979; admitted to bar, 2006, Texas. Education: Texas A & M University (B.S., 2001); University of Texas at Austin School of Law (J.D., 2006). Editor-In-Chief Texas Environmental Law Journal, 2005-2006. Certified and Licensed Texas Real Estate Salesperson. Practice Areas: Energy(75%); Real Estate Finance(25%).Email: Andrew M. Abrameit

Jonathan C. Worbington (Associate) born McAllen, Texas, January 8, 1979; admitted to bar, 2006, Texas. Education: University of Texas (B.A., 2001); University of Texas School of Law (J.D., 2005). Member, American Association of Professional Landmen; Houston Association of Professional Landmen. Member: Houston Bar Association; State Bar of Texas; Houston Young Lawyers Association; Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law Section. Languages: Spanish.Email: Jonathan C. Worbington