Los Angeles
13274 Fiji Way Suite 250
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
855-781-7774
New Orleans
650 Poydras Street, Suite 1130
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-265-9955
Locations
Chais Sweat
Partner
650 Poydras St. Suite 1130
New Orleans, LA 70130
csweat@carastone.com
504-265-9955
Areas of focus
- Commercial Litigation
- Emerging & Mature Companies / General Corporate
- Energy and Environmental
- Hospitality and Restaurants
- Regulatory Compliance Counseling
Chais Sweat represents clients in regulatory compliance and litigation matters. He has obtained numerous positive results for his clients in cases involving breach of contract, trade secret violations, non-compete agreements, fraud, data breaches, Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), vendor/supplier disputes, lien foreclosures, commercial evictions, and matters pending in bankruptcy courts. He has also successfully defeated multiple class actions and has represented companies facing inquiries and enforcement actions from state and federal regulators. Chais has extensive experience advising public and private companies on creating and maintaining regulatory compliance programs and navigating complex state and federal regulatory regimes, particularly in the area of consumer protection and finance. His clients have ranged from large multi-national banks to sole proprietorships.
Prior to joining the firm, Chais spent two years as the Compliance Director of a solar energy company that had in-house consumer loan and leasing operations. He handled regulatory compliance matters and commercial litigation for the organization’s multi-state operations. Before that time, Chais was an attorney at a national firm in Dallas where he focused his practice on financial services regulations and commercial litigation. Chais also has significant experience in the hospitality industry, having represented restaurants, festivals, hotels, and trade associations in matters including ADAAA compliance, building code issues, licensing and permitting, liability for criminal activity of guests, data breaches, unfair trade practices, landlord/tenant disputes, construction defects and lien disputes, and creditor representation in bankruptcies.
Chais also has experience representing private equity investors, commercial lenders, borrowers, and startups in the regulatory due diligence process and creating effective compliance programs. He has acted as outside general counsel to small and mid-sized businesses, providing advice on the numerous areas of legal concerns that affect day-to-day operations and risk management.
Adam Vickers
Partner
650 Poydras Street, Suite 1130
New Orleans, LA 70130
avickers@carastone.com
504-265-9955
Areas of focus
- Emerging & Mature Companies / General Corporate
- Intellectual Property
- Private Equity & Hedge Funds
- Start Ups
- Tax Credits Transactions
Mr. Vickers represent clients in intellectual property matters and litigation throughout State and Federal courts across the U.S. He has represented global companies as general counsel, and provided the same level of expertise to small businesses and individuals. Before law school, Mr. Vickers worked as an engineer for a large multi-national energy company.
Mr. Vickers’ practice focuses on multiple areas of intellectual property, including patent and trademark applications, related USPTO proceedings, enforcement of intellectual property rights, litigation and consultation. His background as an engineer provides unique insight into the often complicated and highly technical issues in intellectual property matters.
Mr. Vickers also handles a variety of construction and general litigation matters. Mr. Vickers was named a “Rising Star” by the SuperLawyers rating list in 2012 and 2014 through 2017, an honor earned by no more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in each state.
Mr. Vickers holds an engineering degree from Auburn University and a Juris Doctorate from Tulane University Law School. He served as the Senior Articles Editor of the Tulane Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property and as a judicial extern to the Honorable T. Michael Putnam in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, and to the Honorable Pascal F. Calogero, Former Chief Justice of the Louisiana State Supreme Court.
Representative Matters
- Represented global corporations on trademark matters and in patent litigation.
- Represented big and small companies in mechanical, electrical, and software-related inventions.
- Represented restaurant groups, startups, and small business in trademark and patent matters.
Education
- J.D., Tulane University Law School, 2006
- B.S., Auburn University, 2000
Admissions
- Louisiana
- Alabama
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
- U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
Memberships
- Louisiana Bar Association
- Alabama Bar Association
- Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans
- GNO Elite Chapter of BNI International
Mark Graffagnini
Managing Partner
650 Poydras Street, Suite 1130
New Orleans, LA 70130
mg@carastone.com
504-265-9955
Areas of focus
- Emerging & Mature Companies / General Corporate
- Intellectual Property
- Private Equity & Hedge Funds
- Start Ups
- Tax Credits Transactions
Mark is the founder of the firm. Mark has experience representing public and private companies in merger and acquisition transactions, equity and debt securities offerings, venture capital transactions, and corporate governance matters. Mark is also an experienced litigator and has represented individuals in personal injury actions (including workers’ compensation), consumer protection claims and large businesses in multi-national litigation.
Mark is an active member of the Louisiana Economic Development Department’s Working Group on Capital Availability and the founder of the Louisiana Venture and Angel Capital Report, the only statistical analysis of venture and angel capital in the state of Louisiana. Mark is a mentor of the Law Without Walls (http://www.lawwithoutwalls.org/), a member of the Advisory Board of the LSBA’s Justice Entrepreneur’s Program, mentor for the Transactional Boot Camp program at Tulane Law School, and a 2014 Super Lawyer in the field of Corporate/Securities Law.
Following law school, Mark served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ivan L.R. Lemelle, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Mark has worked at one of the nation’s premier securities and corporate law firms in Silicon Valley prior to starting his own firm.
