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Zoë W. Vermeulen

Partner

"Zoë is a business-minded advisor who advocates and safeguards her clients’ interest behind the scenes and before the courts."

Zoë Vermeulen brings proven skill to advising businesses regarding labor and employment, commercial litigation, offshore energy, and admiralty/maritime law matters. She is mindful of her clients’ business needs without losing sight of the evolving legal framework in which they must operate.

Zoë is a trusted employment law advisor and strategic HR partner. She delivers a highly personal and focused approach to guiding organizations through the challenges and opportunities of managing today’s workforce. Her employment law practice includes litigating wage and hour disputes under the FLSA, Davis-Bacon Act, and various state laws, as well as defending employers against claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation under Title VII, the FMLA, ADA, ADEA, and other state and federal laws. She also advises clients on employment contracts, non-compete agreements, and high-level executive compensation. 

In addition, Zoë represents energy industry businesses in contract negotiation and litigation, including matters involving defense and indemnity obligations, master service agreements, operating agreements, production handling agreements, offshore decommissioning operations, IBLA appeals, property-damage, and high-exposure personal injury disputes. She has extensive knowledge of rights and obligations under General Maritime Law, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and the Jones Act.  

Representative Experience

Labor and Employment

  • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of national retail chain in response to claim of age discrimination under the ADEA. 
  • Defense of large entertainment company against claims of sexual harassment and discrimination. 
  • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of national utility company dismissing plaintiff’s claim of race discrimination. 
  • Representation of employers in industrial, utility, and restaurant industries in collective action litigation under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Davis-Bacon Act, and state wage-and-hour laws. 
  • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of oil and gas services company dismissing plaintiff’s claim of race discrimination. 
  • Obtained no-cause determinations from EEOC in response to employee claims of employment discrimination.  
  • Representation and defense of employers against employee claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation under Title VII, ADEA, and ADA in EEOC proceedings and federal-court lawsuits.
  • Representation and defense of claims asserted under the Fair Housing Act and related civil rights statutes, including § 1981 and § 1982. 
  • Counsel employers on employee complaints, investigations, leave requests, and other ongoing HR matters. 
  • Draft non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.  
  • Representation of employers in post-employment shareholder disputes.

Commercial and Energy Litigation

  • Representation of oil and gas companies in demands for and litigation regarding defense and indemnity obligations.
  • Representation of companies in vessel limitation of liability actions.
  • Representation of oil and gas companies regarding decommissioning liabilities, including responses to decommissioning orders by BSEE and negotiation of cost sharing for decommissioning obligations.
  • Representation of oil and gas companies in disputes involving operating agreements, production handling agreements, and master service contracts.
  • Representation lessors and lessees in commercial lease disputes.
  • Obtained summary judgment holding drilling company was entitled to defense and indemnity from contractor in response to claims by contractor’s employee.
  • Obtained summary judgment in favor of offshore services company dismissing claim by offshore contractor.
  • Representation of oil and gas companies and platform owners/operators lawsuits filed by offshore workers involving claims under General Maritime Law, the Jones Act, and Louisiana and Texas state law.
  • Representation and defense of maritime property damage claims, including claims involving vessel allisions and barge breakaways.
  • Representation of drilling companies and oil companies in lawsuits filed by offshore workers based on the Jones Act, General Maritime Law, Louisiana state law, and the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act.
  • Representation and defense of oil and gas exploration companies in claims by non-operating investors, including claims for breach of exploration agreements, breach of joint operating agreements, conversion, and breach of duties owed as a reasonably prudent operator.
  • Prepared and filed oil and gas liens under the Louisiana Oil Well Lien Act.
Education
  • Tulane Law School, J.D., magna cum laude, 2012 
    • Member, Order of the Coif
    • Member, Moot Court Board
  • LSU, B.A., 2008  
Admissions
  • Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Memberships
  • Member, New Orleans Bar Association
  • Member, Louisiana State Bar Association
  • Member, American Bar Association
  • Member, Federal Bar Association
  • Member, Association for Women Attorneys
  • Member, Mariners Club
  • Member, Women's Energy Network
  • Member, Women's International Shipping & Trading Association (New Orleans Chapter Marketing Committee Representative)
  • 2022 Fellow, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity
Articles, Publications, Presentations
Recognition
  • "Best Lawyers," The Best Lawyers in America, 2024-2025
  • "Top Lawyers," New Orleans Magazine, 2023
Community Service
  • Past Member, Board of Directors, New Orleans American Cancer Society
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