Marianna Knister Downer 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.

languages

English

• Louisiana
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of LA
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of LA
• U.S. District Court, Western District of LA
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit

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

• 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.

• Federal Bar Association
• Louisiana State Bar Association
• New Orleans Bar Association
• Women’s Energy Network - Southeast Louisiana Chapter Board of Directors - Public & Industry Relations Director (2022–2023) (2023-2024)
• American Cancer Society's Shuck Cancer – Junior Executive Board Member (2022 - Present), Silent Auction Co-Chair (2022 - Present)
• Professional Landman's Association of New Orleans – Member (2022 - Present)
• Boys Hope Girls Hope Garden Gala – Committee Member (2022 - Present)
• Pro Bono Project’s Justice for All Ball Committee – Committee Member (2020), Silent Auction Chair (2021, 2022)

• John P. Laborde Endowed Scholarship Recipient

NEWS

• Gone with the Wind: Louisiana’s Legislative Foray into Wind Energy Projects in the Gulf of Mexico
• BOEM Resumes Oil and Gas Lease Sale for the Gulf of Mexico
• Balancing the SCALE: What the Passage of The SCALE Act Could Mean for Louisiana’s Energy Future
• A Short-Lived Legacy: Redefining Damage Awards in Oilfield Legacy Litigation
• Gordon Arata Welcomes Associate Attorney Marianna Knister

PUBLICATIONS

• Gone with the Wind: Louisiana’s Legislative Foray into Wind Energy Projects in the Gulf of Mexico, Drill Deeper Blog, June 23, 2022
• BOEM Resumes Oil and Gas Lease Sale for the Gulf of Mexico, Drill Deeper, October 1, 2021.
• 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).