James A. Crouch, Jr. is a partner at Staines, Eppling & Kenney, LLC and focuses his practice on defending Jones Act claims, general maritime law claims, admiralty claims, insurance coverage disputes, energy claims, benzene exposure, and catastrophic personal injuries in complex litigation.  He also works with his clients to draft, review, edit, and modify contracts including Master Service Agreements, Charters, Defense and Indemnity Contracts, subcontractor agreements, and other contracts pertaining primarily to businesses in the marine, energy, and construction sectors.  He represents a wide variety of clients in these fields as well as their insurers.  He has tried multiple cases in both state and federal courts of Louisiana and federal courts in Texas.  

When clients partner with James for their legal representation, they get counsel who understands the big picture goals while not missing out on any small details.  James’ representation focuses on providing timely and responsive representation that concentrates on identifying the most efficient and sensible solutions to satisfy his clients’ desires.  James strives to develop strong working relationships with his clients that foster the ability to provide them with superior results.

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Representative Matters

• Representation of numerous tug and barge related to Jones Act claims, maintenance and cure disputes, and other associated issues.  

• Representation of various offshore contractors, energy companies, and offshore vessel owners in relation to offshore personal injuries and property damages.

• Representation of numerous insurance companies in relation to coverage disputes. 

• Representation of various energy and marine companies in relation to contractual defense and indemnity obligations. 

• Representation of various marinas and shipyards for personal injuries and property damages including trials in Louisiana state courts. 

• Representation of various towboat companies and their insurers in benzene exposure cases including trials in Louisiana state court.    

• Represented multiple different clients in personal basket transfer cases which have been tried in Louisiana state and federal Courts

• Represented an oil field service contractor in a collections/contract dispute regarding work in the Permian Basin.  The matter was tried in the Southern District of Texas.

• Representation of maritime and energy companies in handling contracts and master service agreements, as well as operational issues and employment law matters.

• Regularly acts as emergency response in catastrophic maritime accidents to facilitate the investigation, and ensure the preservation of evidence and testimony.  Also becomes involved in any USCG or NTSB investigation, including facilitating the completion of the required USCG paperwork, monitoring the USCG/NTSB investigation, and attending USCG/NTSB interview​​​