Wayne G.

Zeringue, Jr.

Position: Partner
Office: New Orleans

Wayne Zeringue, a partner in the Maritime Practice Group and Energy, Environmental, and Natural Resources Industry Team, represents marine and energy clients in a broad range of litigation and transactions.

Wayne has more than 30 years of experience in admiralty and maritime, oil and gas, construction, products liability, and environmental litigation. He represents oil companies, exploration and production companies, builders, owners, barge lines, towing companies, marine fabricators, shipyards, construction companies, product manufacturers, blue-water shipping interests, offshore service companies, and underwriters and insurers. Wayne handles a wide variety of admiralty and maritime litigation, including vessel collisions and allisions, contract and charter party disputes, and property and economic damage cases involving construction and repair of fixed offshore platforms, marine terminals, docks, ships, towboats, barges, and offshore service vessels. He litigates all types of personal injury matters relating to operations on vessels, offshore platforms, and marine facilities, including Jones Act claims, asbestos, silicosis, and toxic tort matters.

His practice includes drafting, negotiating, and interpreting vessel construction contracts, charter parties, master service agreements, work orders, indemnity agreements, and labor agreements, as well as interpretation and construction of insurance policies, including general liability, builder’s risk, hull and machinery, protection and indemnity, charterer's liability, and maritime employer's liability coverages.

In his construction practice, Wayne has represented builders and owners in trials involving change orders, liens, plans, specifications and scope of work, design issues, unpaid retainage, cost overruns, delays, liquidated damages, surety bonds, constructive total loss, and maritime arrest.

Wayne has engaged in energy litigation involving oil, gas, and mineral leases, drilling contracts, mineral servitudes, and joint venture agreements. He has defended legacy suits involving claims of environmental contamination exploration and production sites, and crude oil storage properties.

He has defended tire manufacturers in the United States and abroad, and has litigated a variety of land-based and maritime products liability suits. Wayne was one of the lead attorneys on Jones Walker’s trial team that obtained dismissal of an oil field tool manufacturer in the multi-district litigation that arose out of the blowout of the Macondo Well in the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Prior to law school, Wayne obtained a business degree in petroleum land management and worked as a landman. Wayne has lectured at seminars directed to industry and insurance groups and in continuing education courses. He has assisted as a practitioner in trial advocacy courses at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and has taught maritime law as an adjunct professor in Tulane University's paralegal studies program.