Karen Waters Shipman is a partner in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller. She joined the firm in January 2006 and practices in the Admiralty and Maritime, Energy Law and Construction Law groups. Her specific areas of practice are oil, gas and pipelines, admiralty and maritime and construction. She has particular experience in admiralty issues involving a wide variety of admiralty and oil & gas issues, including Jones Act, personal injury, oil and gas exploration, well blowouts, cargo damage, vessel collisions, and barge damage. She also has experience in construction law, consumer credit reporting, and general personal injury litigation. Following law school, she worked as a contract attorney in New York City. Upon her return to New Orleans, she served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Fredericka H. Wicker of the Twenty-Fourth Judicial District Court for the Parish of Jefferson.

Representative Experience

• Representation of the second largest natural gas producer in the United States in case arising from blowout of one of its land wells in Louisiana, including successful prosecution of breach of contract and gross negligence claims against the wellhead contractor.
  
• Representation of Louisiana-based towboat operators and barge owners in defense of property damage claims and personal injury claims under the Jones Act and the General Maritime Law.
  
• Representation of offshore oil and gas platform owners and operators in defense of personal injury claims and in prosecution of property damage claims associated with well blowouts, vessel allisions, personnel basket transfers and other issues, including analysis of defense and indemnity issues under relevant contracts.
  
• Representation of sub-contractors in both residential and commercial construction defect litigation.
• Representation of Consumer Credit Reporting Agency in defense of Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA") litigation by consumers.
  

Education

Karen received her J.D., cum laude, from the Tulane University School of Law in 1998 with a Certificate of Specialization in Admiralty Law. She earned her B.A. in Anthropology and Human and Natural Ecology from Emory University in 1993.

Admissions

• Admitted to bar, 2001, Louisiana; 1999, New York; 1998, New Jersey
• Admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court

Memberships

• Louisiana State, New York, New Jersey, American and Federal Bar Associations

Reported Cases

• Kennedy v. Chase Manhattan Bank USA, NA, 369 F 3d 833 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 543 U.S. 995 (2004)
• Quality Marine Services, Inc., Limitation Proceedings, M/V Mr. Jason, 2005 AMC 1438 (2005).
• Sekco Operating Co. v. Aspect Energy, L.L.C., 2006 WL 1328824, (E.D. La., 5/9/06) (NO. CIV. A. 04-3149).
  

Community Service

• Board of Directors, Lighthouse for the Blind of New Orleans