Law firm Jones Walker elected five new partners in New Orleans: special counsel attorneys Meghan E. Smith and Christopher M. Wappel and associates Luke Falgoust, Tyler J. Rench and Graham H. Ryan.

Smith is a member of the Litigation Practice Group and has worked in defense of numerous major corporations, including oil and gas companies, chemical manufacturers, and engineering/construction firms in state and federal litigation and private arbitration. She has extensive experience managing expert witnesses and consultants in connection with litigation matters and regulatory compliance issues.

Christopher M. Wappel is a member of the Corporate Practice Group and focuses on commercial lending and finance. He represents borrowers, agents and lenders in structuring, negotiating and documenting senior and subordinated, secured and unsecured and bilateral and syndicated credit facilities, including acquisition, asset-based, oil and gas, real estate, receivables, vessel and working capital financings.

Luke Falgoust is a member of the Corporate Practice Group and focuses on the areas of commercial lending and finance, commercial transactions, and corporate governance. He has experience representing borrowers and financial institutions in connection with secured and unsecured syndicated credit facilities, asset-based finance transactions, acquisition and working capital facilities.

Tyler J. Rench is a member of the Litigation Practice Group and focuses on defending class actions and civil RICO cases, along with oil and gas and banking disputes. He has broad-based experience representing clients in federal and state courts, as well as in alternative dispute resolution.

Graham H. Ryan is a member of the Litigation Practice Group and concentrates his practice on commercial civil litigation and appeals in federal and state courts and in dispute resolution. Ryan represents a broad regional and national client base that spans banking, healthcare, construction, and energy. His cross-industry litigation experience includes business and contact disputes, banking litigation, real estate disputes, torts, First Amendment, ethics, and other areas of complex litigation.