Partners
Michael McAlpine
Preparatory education: Louisiana State University
Legal education: Tulane University of Louisiana (J.D. 1969). Admitted to Bar 1969, Louisiana and all Federal Courts in the state of Louisiana as well as the United States Supreme Court (1992).
Practiced with New Orleans law firm of Terriberry, Carroll, Yancey & Farrell from June, 1969 to December, 1976. A partner in that firm from January, 1974 until withdrawal. Handled both admiralty and casualty litigation matters with heavy emphasis on trial work involving personal injury and collision.
Memberships: New Orleans Bar Association, Louisiana State Bar Association, American Bar Association, Maritime Law Association of the United States. Chairman of Southeast States Admiralty Law and Marine Transportation Conference
Richard Cozad
Preparatory education: Loyola University (B.A. 1972)
Legal education: Tulane University (J.D. 1976, L.L.M. 1997 in Energy and Environmental Law). Member of the Tulane National Moot Court Team, Southern Regional Moot Court Team and International Law Moot Court Team. Admitted to Bar 1976, Louisiana and all Louisiana Federal Courts. United States Supreme Court, 1992; Texas, 1998. Mr. Cozad has received an AV (highest possible) rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the only nationally recognized attorney rating agency.
Law clerk to the Honorable Nauman S. Scott, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. 1977-78. From 1978 to the present with the McAlpine firm, now McAlpine & Cozad.
Mr. Cozad also completed the Master of Laws Program at Tulane Law School obtaining a degree in Energy and Environmental Law. Mr. Cozad has received special training in Pollution Control Law, Energy Law, Hazardous Waste Law, Marine Pollution, Louisiana Environmental Law, Regulation of Toxic Substances, Toxic Tort Litigation and Marine Insurance. Mr. Cozad is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Tulane Law School teaching Marine Insurance II.
Memberships: Louisiana State Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, American Bar Association and Maritime Law Association. Mr. Cozad is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the New Orleans Mariner's Club.
Franklin Jones, III
Preparatory education: University of Virginia (B.A. 1977)
Legal education: Louisiana State University (J.D. 1980). Admitted to Bar 1980, Louisiana; 1995, Texas; all Louisiana Federal Courts; United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas; and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Memberships: Louisiana State Bar Association; State Bar of Texas; Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel; Maritime Law Association of the United States
Associates
Alina Pagani
Preparatory education: Tulane University (B.A. 1994)
Legal education: Tulane University (J.D., cum laude 1999). Admitted to Bar 1999, Louisiana; 2008 Texas; all Federal District Courts in Louisiana, and the Southern and Eastern District Courts in Texas. Ms. Pagani is fluent in Spanish.
While at Tulane, Ms. Pagani received the Admiralty Law Certificate, which required the completion of a variety of maritime law courses. Ms. Pagani also received the CALI Award for excellence in the study of both Admiralty Procedure and Louisiana Civil Procedure. Ms. Pagani served as an intern to Federal Magistrate Judge Alma Chasez in the Eastern District of Louisiana, and is a regular contributor to the Benedict’s Maritime Bulletin.
Practiced with the New Orleans law firm of Galloway, Johnson, Tompkins, Burr and Smith from 1999 to 2001 handling insurance defense, workers’ compensation, and admiralty and maritime litigation. From 2001 to the present, Ms. Pagani has practiced with McAlpine & Cozad primarily handling maritime and insurance defense.
Memberships: Louisiana State Bar Association, New Orleans Bar Association, The Maritime Association; and The Mariners Club, New Orleans Inn of Court
Emma Mekinda
Preparatory Education: Vassar College (B.A. 1996);
Legal education: Louisiana State University (J.D., 2002). Admitted to Bar 2002, Louisiana; all Federal District Courts in Louisiana; Following undergraduate work and prior to attending law school, Ms Mekinda worked at J.S. Clark Middle School in Shreveport, Louisiana with Teach For America; Ms. Mekinda is conversational in French and German.
Law clerk to Judge Richard Avery in the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Administrative Law Judges in Metairie, Louisiana, primarily researching the Longshore Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act.
Memberships: Louisiana State Bar Association, All Louisiana Federal District Courts, Wex Malone American Inns of Court, and Mariners Club.