Marianna Knister Downer

Marianna Knister is a civil litigator and trial attorney representing clients in a wide range of industries including construction and energy. Her practice extends to complex litigation, appeals, civil procedure, commercial litigation and risk management.

Before joining Gordon Arata Montgomery Barnett, Marianna was an associate attorney at Lobman Carnahan Batt Angelle & Nader. Prior to obtaining her law degree, Marianna served as the Executive Assistant to the Honorable Mary L. Landrieu, and as a Director of Governmental Issues at Van Ness Feldman in Washington, D.C.

Marianna obtained both her Juris Doctor and Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University. While at the Law Center, Marianna was a Senior Associate on the Journal of Energy Law and Resources and served as the Executive Director of Programming on the LSU Student Bar Association. She also earned her undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University in Mass Communication, with a concentration in Political Communication. While at LSU, Marianna was a member of Phi Sigma Theta honor society.      

Experience:

While at Lobman Carnahan, Marianna second-chaired a five-day jury trial, successfully defending the firm's clients against personal injury claims, resulting in a favorable 12-0 verdict.

Admissions:

• Louisiana

Education:

• Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, J.D./D.C.L., 2019
• Louisiana State University, B.A., 2012

Practices:

• Commercial Litigation
• Construction
• Environmental and Toxic Torts
• Insurance
• Oil, Gas and Energy Litigation and Arbitration
• Oil, Gas and Energy Regulatory

Industries:

• Construction
• Energy and Natural Resources
• Insurance

Affiliations:

• Federal Bar Association
• Louisiana State Bar Association
• New Orleans Bar Association

Recognition:

• John P. Laborde Endowed Scholarship Recipient

News & Insights:

• Knister, Marianna. Below C-Level: Louisiana’s Failure to Regulate Industrial Groundwater Withdrawal-Driven Subsidence. Journal of Energy Law and Resources, Volume VII, Issue No. 1(2019).