Christy Johnson grew up in Alaska and worked on commercial fishing vessels in the Bering Sea, Pacific Ocean, and South Pacific. After ten years at sea, Ms. Johnson retired her fishing boots and obtained her Bachelors and Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga and Gonzaga Law School. Ms. Johnson then became licensed to practice law in Alaska where she practiced family law for a brief period. Not happy with the practice of family law and wanting to stay true to her roots, Ms. Johnson moved to New Orleans and obtained her Legal Masters in Maritime/Admiralty Law from Tulane Law School. Following the completion of her Legal Masters program, Ms. Johnson became licensed in Louisiana and spent ten years working as a defense attorney handling personal injury cases under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA), the Defense Base Act (DBA), and the Jones Act. In January 2019, Ms. Johnson left the defense bar and formed Mainstay Law LLC where she focusses her practice on representing injured workers’ under the LHWCA and the DBA.
Because of her extensive offshore experiences and her maritime defense work, Ms. Johnson brings a unique perspective to her practice. She understands the hardships faced by those who work, and are injured, in austere environments. Furthermore, Ms. Johnson has personal knowledge as to how insurance carriers view workers’ compensation cases such as yours and how they develop their defense strategies against you. This gives Ms. Johnson an ability to help you navigate through your workers’ compensation case and best preserve your rights to medical and indemnity benefits under the LHWCA and the DBA. Ms. Johnson’s DBA practice takes her across the nation and around the world so wherever you reside, Ms. Johnson is ready to stand up for you.
Studies
- Bachelors Degree from Gonzaga University in 2002
- Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga School of Law in 2005
- LL.M (Legal Masters) in Maritime/Admiralty Law from Tulane Law School in 2009
Admitted to practice in the following:
- All state courts of Alaska and Louisiana
- United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
- United States District Court, Middle District of Louisiana
- United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana
- United States District Court, Southern District of Texas
Professional Memberships:
- American Bar Association
- Louisiana Bar Association
- Department of Labor Joint Bar Association
- Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group
- National Association of Certified Mediators
- Association for Conflict Resolution
- Port of New Orleans Mariners’ Club – President 2019