Since opening the firm's Washington, DC office in 1990 and being admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 1991, Chris has built a strong team of government relations professionals who represent clients in the maritime, energy, and defense industries; numerous institutions of higher learning; and several state and local government entities. He provides his clients with a broad range of government relations assistance, including providing advice on a wide variety of legislative and regulatory matters facing the maritime industry and other business interests.

Chris has developed strong relationships with the key committees on Capitol Hill with general jurisdiction over transportation and maritime issues, including the Senate Commerce Committee, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as well as tax writing committees with jurisdiction over maritime tax and trade matters, including the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.

Over the years, Chris has been deeply involved in numerous legislative matters affecting the maritime industry, including the Maritime Security Acts of 1996 and 2003, numerous Coast Guard Authorization Acts, the landmark tonnage tax legislation, the repeal of Subpart F shipping income provisions, the Jones Act, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the Water Resources Development Acts of 2007, 2014, 2016 and 2018 and legislation to implement numerous Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). In addition to his work on Capitol Hill, Chris has developed close ties with the principal federal agencies involved with the promotion and/or regulation of the US maritime industry: the Department of Transportation, the Maritime Administration (MarAd), the United States Coast Guard, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the US Department of Agriculture, the United States Trade Representative, and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Chris is the past president of the Propeller Club of Washington and currently serves as a member of the executive committee and the board of directors of the Coast Guard Foundation. He also served for many years as vice-chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Maritime Congress, a research and educational organization dedicated to informing the public, the media, and legislators in Washington on the issues and policies affecting the US flag merchant marine and maritime industry. Additionally, he sits on the advisory board of the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.

In 2010, and again in 2017, he received the prestigious President's Award from the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) for his efforts to secure funding in Congress for legal representation of underserved communities in Louisiana.

Marc represents businesses and trade groups before US federal and state agencies, the US Congress, and foreign governments on a broad range of regulatory, administrative, and legislative matters. He also represents clients in maritime and commercial litigation and arbitration matters. Marc has published numerous articles on international trade, maritime, and environmental law, and has written and spoken at dozens of seminars and conferences focused on these topics.

Throughout his career, Marc has been active and held leadership roles in a variety of professional associations, including serving as chair of the Greater New Orleans Port Safety Council (2011, 2016, 2017, and 2018) and co-moderator and member of the Seminar Steering Committee for the Greater New Orleans Barge Fleeting Association, River and Marine Industry Seminar (2013 to present). In 2008, he was appointed by US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Susan Schwab to serve on the Industry Trade Advisory Committee 14, where he served until 2010.

Marc practiced law with Bracewell & Patterson in Washington, DC, from 1996 to 2002. Before that, he worked for the US House of Representatives Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on National Economic Growth, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs. From 2002 to 2005, he was an adjunct professor at the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.

John has handled senior executive assignments in the Department of the Army and been a senior member of the staff in the US House of Representatives. Among other leadership positions, he served as the chief of staff for the Committee on Public Works and Transportation (now the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee) and as the acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works). He was minority counsel for water for the Committee on Public Works and Transportation and, prior to that, of its Subcommittee on Water Resources.

John's strengths include tremendous experience with Army Corps of Engineers issues and the relevant congressional committees that oversee the Corps' work. He understands the workings of government, development and implementation of strategic initiatives, and management of everyday agency relations, with particular experience in regard to infrastructure issues.

A former surface warfare officer, John is a captain (retired) in the US Naval Reserve and leads the firm's representation of a national coalition of carriers and shippers formed to support modernization, operation, and maintenance of the inland waterways system.

Palmer has held senior posts within several administrations and has actively represented clients in Congress for four decades, with a particular focus on finance and government affairs. Palmer currently serves as head the firm's Washington, DC office.

Palmer's prior governmental experience includes service as an Assistant to the Comptroller of the Currency and as Chief of New Bank Chartering of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Palmer has also served on various federal, state, and city boards. He has been active in the political realm in support of various candidacies, including serving as Chairman of the Reelection Committee for US Senator Richard Shelby, former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and current Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Over the years, Palmer has acted as Washington counsel for the Midsize Bank Coalition of America, JPMorgan Chase & Co., former Secretary of the Treasury William E. Simon, former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Preston Martin, Prudential, Sears, the Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Association of Realtors, the National ATM Council, Bayerische Landesbank, Israel Discount Bank, Regions Bank, BBVA Compass Bank, as well as special counsel for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Resolution Trust Corporation, and the Federal Home Loan Bank system.

He has also served as an adviser to numerous public officials, including mayors, county commissioners, university presidents, senators, congressmen, attorneys general, and governors, and has experience leading a gubernatorial transition team. While practicing law, Palmer has also been a regular newspaper columnist, concentrating on public affairs and financial issues.

In addition, Palmer has served as Washington counsel to various non-US entities such as the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, for which he assisted the foundation, founded by Rory Stewart, in obtaining congressional legislative language supportive of the foundation's efforts to restore the historic commercial district of Kabul.

In the civic arena, Palmer has headed revolving funds that have restored dozens of historic properties with a value in the tens of millions of dollars. These restoration projects have been documented on the website ovrf.org. Additionally, Mr. Hamilton served as a reporter for Business Alabama and as a regular weekly columnist for The Mobile Press-Register from 1979 to 2005.

Prior to joining Jones Walker, Paul worked for Congressman Bob Livingston for more than 20 years, serving as legislative director and associate appropriations committee staffer. In this capacity, Paul was a primary advisor on all federal appropriations and related congressional authorization committees as well as federal agency and executive branch policy matters. Through this involvement, Paul has developed a vast network of contacts in the federal, congressional, and private sectors. He also has acquired extensive experience in the development and implementation of the 12 annual appropriations measures, related authorization bills, and federal agency and executive branch programmatic, jurisdictional, and policy issues.

Paul is a founding partner of the Livingston Group, which has had a strategic alliance with Jones Walker since 1999. Drawing on his knowledge and experience, he has helped a variety of clients attain policy, regulatory, and legislative goals with key members of various congressional committees, the White House, and executive branch agencies.

Paul has advocated issues, prepared appropriations and authorization bills, and developed report language for clients in a variety of industries, including financial services, national security, information technology, education, corps of engineers, transportation and infrastructure, maritime, energy, social services, and other sectors.

Since early 1999, Paul has provided ongoing volunteer services and support to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Jim has extensive experience helping businesses and trade associations achieve their strategic objectives. Prior to joining Jones Walker, Jim was president and CEO of the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA), representing the owners and operators of US-flagged vessels that supply, support, and construct the subsea infrastructure necessary for offshore energy development. Under his leadership, the trade association confronted the challenges posed by the moratorium on drilling activity imposed following the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Before his tenure at OMSA, Jim was vice president of government affairs for American Commercial Lines, Inc. (ACL), where he advanced ACL's legislative and regulatory affairs programs to improve the nation's waterways transportation infrastructure. He also worked to implement positive changes on inland waterway tax policy and the US Coast Guard's regulation of the inland barge industry.

Jim also has experience in railroads and highway infrastructure development. As resident vice president for CSX Transportation, he represented CSX in government and community forums in Kentucky. In the public sector, Jim served in senior leadership positions in Kentucky's Transportation Cabinet and Kentucky's Department of Public Protection.

Jim began his career as a commissioned Coast Guard officer. At sea, he served as a deck watch officer and department head with responsibilities for vessel operations, navigation, and maritime law enforcement. Later he was named congressional fellow to the Coast Guard and Navigation Subcommittee in the House of Representatives. Following his Coast Guard service, Jim joined the subcommittee's professional staff, advancing legislation supporting the US Coast Guard and improving the safety and efficiency of regulatory programs affecting the offshore maritime industry, fishing industry, and inland barge industry.