Jason Waguespack has served as Galloway’s Managing Director since 2009. His time-tested strategy for leading and growing the firm is to gather highly talented, dedicated attorneys and business professionals and provide them with autonomy and the resources they need to thrive and provide unparalleled client service. At the same time, Jason maintains an active maritime and international law practice, providing each client with excellent service, sound business advice, great results, and value.
Jason focuses his practice on litigation and arbitration related to all aspects of maritime and international law. He represents owners, charterers, operators, P&I clubs, and other marine insurers in all types of marine casualty losses and contract disputes, including collisions, cargo claims, charter party disputes, regulatory and environmental matters, and personal injuries. With over 30 years of experience, he understands that many maritime claims start with an emergency – a vessel arrest, a collision, a personal injury, an oil discharge – that requires immediate attention. Jason and his team are adept at rapid response to these emergencies and are experienced with the handling of such matters from the rapid on-scene investigation through the trial.
In addition to maritime and international law, Jason has extensive experience in corporate law and insurance defense. He serves as national counsel to several clients with ongoing international interests, advising them not only on arbitration and litigation matters, but also on transactional matters related to business organization, operation, formation, and acquisition, as well as sales, supply, service, and carriage arrangements.
Jason is an associate professor of law at Tulane University School of Law. There, he teaches the course on maritime charter parties to upperclassmen and graduate students. He is also a member of the adjunct faculty at the Tulane University A.B. Freeman School of Business, where he teaches a course on international business law, with a focus on international transactions and transportation. He has served as President of the New Orleans Bar Association and has been honored by his peers with an AV rating in Martindale Hubbell for his preeminence in the law. Jason has received many professional awards and distinctions, including being named a “New Orleans Top Lawyer” multiple times by New Orleans Magazine, and has twice received the Leadership in the Law medal from New Orleans CityBusiness.
Outside his law practice and firm management, Jason is dedicated to historic preservation and the support of the arts in New Orleans, holding leadership positions in many local and regional arts organizations and associations, including as a board member of the Ogden Museum and the New Orleans Film Society. He is also actively involved with the New Orleans Police Department, serving on the board of New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, which supports police officers and their service horses and canines and also facilitates outreach between the NOPD and New Orleans’ minority communities.
Representative Matters
- Successfully represented a client in a claim related to two totally damaged generators carried aboard the client’s vessel. The cargo interests in the matter asserted multi-million dollar damages. We successfully argued that the COGSA limitation applied, and received a ruling from the federal district court limiting liability to $1,000, which was affirmed by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Successfully represented a client in a casualty and personal injury claims related to a tugboat sinking in the Mississippi River. On-scene investigation on the night of the accident was able to establish that the use of narcotics was the cause of the incident, and the case was subsequently won on summary judgment.
- On behalf of a VOCC carrier, successfully pierced the corporate veil of an NVOCC and obtained a judgment against the NVOCC’s owners personally after they had received freight from the cargo owner, but had not paid the VOCC. The decision issued by the federal trial court was later affirmed by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
