William B. "Bill" Schwartz

Bill Schwartz moved down from St. Louis to New Orleans in 1972 to attend Tulane University. After graduating cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in history, he attended Tulane School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor in 1979. Since then, Bill has practiced law with the same firm for more than 35 years.

Bill’s practice consists primarily of litigation with a focus on admiralty and maritime matters. These range from personal injury defense, collision, charter parties, offshore energy matters, inland towing and insurance/indemnity issues. Bill authors the firm’s Maritime Updates, and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America for his work in Personal Injury Litigation – Defense, Louisiana Super Lawyers for his work in Transportation/Marine and by New Orleans Magazine as one of their “Top Lawyers of New Orleans” for Admiralty and Maritime Law. New Orleans CityBusiness selected him for their Leadership in Law classes of 2010 and 2015, which “identifies and honors 50 outstanding legal professionals whose successes in law and contributions to the community have set the pace for the legal community.”

Bill has trained with the American Arbitration Association and received certification as a mediator. This has expanded Bill’s practice to include alternative dispute resolution, with a focus on serving as a mediator to assist other attorneys and their clients with bringing closure to their litigation matters.

Bill is involved with several professional and community outreach organizations including Tour de Lis – an organization he co-found to fund support and services for the local cancer community; A Child’s Wish of Greater New Orleans – which grants wishes to terminally ill children in Louisiana; HELP – which was organized by federal Judge Jay Zainey to provide legal services to the homeless; and SOLACE – which was formed to assist legal professionals in need. Outside of volunteering in the community, he also enjoys spending time with his wife Elaine and their two sons Jeff and Brian, listening to live music, road biking and playing golf.