LSU Law celebrates Class of 2024 at commencement, awards 208 degrees to graduates | |
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LSU Law celebrated the Class of 2024 at commencement on Saturday, May 18, in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Hon. Dana Douglas, who was sworn in as the first Black female to serve on the bench of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on March 10, 2023, delivered the commencement address.
It marked the first commencement at LSU Law for Dean Alena Allen, who began serving in her role on July 1, 2023. Allen provided opening remarks and presented the annual faculty and staff awards, which were voted on by the LSU Law student body.
Professor Nikolaos Davrados, who joined the faculty at the start of the 2023-24 year, was recognized as Professor of the Year and participated in the ceremonial hooding of the graduates, along with Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Jake Henry. Associate Director of Career Services Melanie Anderson received the Staff Member of the Year award, and Professor Emeritus Alain Levasseur was recognized as Adjunct Professor of the Year. Allen also acknowledged and thanked Professor P. Raymond Lamonica (’70), who is retiring after a 50-year career at LSU Law and LSU.
LSU Law conferred degrees to 208 students who graduated as part of the Class of 2024. Among the graduates, 160 earned a Juris Doctor and optional Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law, while 39 earned a Juris Doctor and nine earned a Master of Laws. Twenty-two graduates also earned an optional Graduate Certificate in Estate Planning and Taxation, and nine earned an optional Graduate Certificate in Energy Law and Policy.
The LSU Law Class of 2024 represents 18 states, two foreign countries, and 32 Louisiana parishes.
See the full listing of LSU Law Class of 2024 graduates.
Watch the LSU Law Class of 2024 Commencement.
View a photo gallery from the LSU Law Class of 2024 Commencement.
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LSU Law signs MOU with the French National Institute for the Training of Notaries | |
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In a move that will strengthen ties between the two organizations and help LSU Law recruit international students for its Master of Laws (LLM) program, LSU Law and French National Institute for the Training of Notaries (INFN) have inked a memorandum of understanding.
The INFN is responsible for coordinating all 16 centers in France that train notaries. In France and many other civil law jurisdictions, notaries are a separate branch of the legal profession, and becoming a notary requires extra training and licensure in addition to obtaining an LLM. Along with LLM recruitment, the MOU will create additional opportunities for future student exchanges and academic activities.
Read the full story.
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Alvaro de la Cruz-Correa honored with PILS Ginger Berrigan Worker Bee Award in recognition of pro bono work | |
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For his dedication to serving the legal needs of the community and his work with the Immigration Legal Services department of the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, LSU Law Class of 2024 graduate Alvaro de la Cruz-Correa has been honored with the Ginger Berrigan Worker Bee Award from the Public Interest Law Society at LSU Law.
“I am proud of the work accomplished here in Louisiana. I look forward to representing LSU Law and PILS in Washington state, where I will start my career as legal counsel for the Unaccompanied Children Program with the Immigrant Justice Corps," said de la Cruz-Correa, center, who is pictured with PILS Faculty Advisor John Devlin and 2023-24 PILS President William "Grey" Fitzgerald.
Read the full story.
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151 LSU Law students earn academic honors for Spring 2024 semester | |
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Fifty-nine LSU Law students have been named Paul M. Hebert Scholars for their academic achievement in the Spring 2024 semester, and 92 have been named Dean’s Scholars.
The Paul M. Hebert Scholar is awarded to the top 10% of LSU Law students earning 12 or more credits during an individual semester, and the Dean’s Scholar is awarded to the remaining top 25% of students who meet the same credit criteria. The awards are noted on students’ transcripts.
See the full listing of students who earned academic honors in the Spring 2024 semester.
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Grab some LSU Law apparel while you can!
We're running a limited apparel sale on t-shirts and baseball caps through Sunday, June 23, with orders to arrive before July 30.
Our next LSU Law merchandise sale won't take place until late September, so check out the sale now and use the access code classof2027 to place your order today!
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Professor Bill Corbett honored with 2024 University Faculty Award | |
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In recognition of his 33 years of teaching and mentoring students at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, LSU selected Professor Bill Corbett as one of just 36 faculty members to receive a 2024 University Faculty Award.
Corbett was on hand to receive the award at the annual University Faculty Awards Ceremony, which was held on April 23 at the Manship Gallery in downtown Baton Rouge. Presented by the LSU Office of Academic Affairs, the awards program celebrates faculty excellence in research, teaching, and service. The honorees are nominated and selected by their peers through a highly competitive process.
“Receiving this award means a great deal to me because I’ve been an educator for most of my professional career and I consider it to be the greatest job in the world,” said Corbett, who received $3,000 as an award recipient.
Read the full story.
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Professor Jeff Brooks receives award for volunteer work with Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition | |
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Just before the winner of the 2024 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition was announced in Washington D.C. this spring, LSU Law Professor Jeff Brooks unexpectedly received an honor of his own.
“I was completely surprised and very honored,” said Brooks, who co-authored this year’s competition problem and has been involved with organizing and facilitating the competition—the largest of its kind in the world, with participants from roughly 700 law schools in over 100 countries—for nearly two decades. “This year of working with Jessup has been incredibly transformative and very special.”
In recognition of his volunteer work to help make the Jessup Competition a success, Brooks was presented with the Pamela Young Award. For years, Brooks has served as a U.S. National Administrator and volunteered as a judge, but his history with Jessup stems from his time as a student at Tulane University Law School.
Read the full story.
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Professor Kenya Smith to join LSU Law faculty at the start of the Fall 2024 semester | |
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With 25 years of experience as an educator, executive, and attorney, Professor Kenya Smith will join the LSU Law faculty at the start of the Fall 2024 semester.
Since 2018, Smith has been a faculty member of the Southern University Law Center, teaching Business Entities, Contracts, Obligations, and Special Problems in Business Law, among other courses. He previously taught at the University of Idaho College of Law, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Arizona Summit Law School, and St. Thomas University School of Law.
After earning his law degree at the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1999, Smith returned to his native Louisiana to launch his legal career with Adams and Reese in New Orleans. From 2003 to 2010, he served in several senior executive positions for the City of New Orleans, including Executive Counsel to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor for Intergovernmental Relations, and Deputy Mayor for Community Development. Immediately following his time in city government, Smith leveraged his crisis management and disaster recovery experience to serve as an advisor to the BP’s Gulf Coast Recovery Leadership team in the two years following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.
Read the full story.
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Richard Pittman joins faculty as Professor of Professional Practice, Director of Field Placement and Pro Bono Programs | |
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After serving as Deputy Public Defender-Director of Juvenile Defender Services for the Office of the State Public Defender (formerly known as the Louisiana Public Defender Board) for the past 11 years, Richard Pittman has joined the LSU Law faculty as a Professor of Professional Practice and Director of Field Placement and Pro Bono Programs, effective June 1.
Prior to his time with the Office of the State Public Defender, Pittman was an attorney with Downs & Associates LLC in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for nearly seven years, with his practice heavily focused on public and juvenile defense. He served as Interim State Public Defender in 2019-20 and was honored with the Catherine LaFleur Legal Advocacy for Children Award in 2018 and the Juvenile Justice Award in 2023 in recognition of his work on behalf of juvenile justice.
Read the full story.
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Monique Gonzalez named Associate Dean, Director of the Law Library and Information Technology Services | |
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Monique Gonzalez has been named LSU Law Associate Dean and Director of the Law Library and Information Technology Services, effective June 1. In her role, Gonzalez will be responsible for all Law Library and information technology management and operations, including collection development and maintenance, personnel management, and budgeting.
Gonzalez brings a wealth of academic, administrative, and legal experience to the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center and Law Library. Since 2021, she has served as Senior Research Librarian at Norton Rose Fulbright, a global business law firm. She previously served as Associate Director of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law Library at Texas Southern University, where she began her law librarian career as Learning Resources Librarian.
Gonzalez has worked as an attorney and program administrator for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Judicial & Court Personnel Training; as a managing attorney for Texas Legal Services Center; and as an attorney for The Cusic Law Firm in Houston. She has also served as an adjunct faculty member at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and the University of Texas School of Law while Head of Access Services at the Tarton Law Library.
Read the full story.
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Professor Carlota Toledo joins faculty as Professor of Professional Practice and Director of Academic Success | |
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With broad experience leading law students in the development of their academic and professional practice skills, as well as their preparation for the bar exam, Professor Carlota Toledo has joined the LSU Law faculty as a Professor of Professional Practice, effective May 1. She also serves as Director of Academic Success, a new position at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
Toledo came to LSU Law from Nova Southern University (NSU) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she served as a Professor of Practice in the Academic Success and Professionalism Program. Teaching legal skills and professional courses, Toledo worked closely with law students to self-assess and develop essential skills such as critical reading, logical reasoning, and professional identity. She also served as a coach in the NSU Law Raising the Bar Program, wherein she mentored and advised recent graduates throughout their preparation for the bar exam.
“I was drawn to LSU Law because of the strong commitment to law student success demonstrated by the administration, faculty, and staff as well as the innovative curriculum and diverse co-curricular and extracurricular activities," Toledo said.
Read the full story.
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Professor Jennifer Cooper returning home to Louisiana to join faculty | |
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Professor Jennifer Cooper will bring her legal writing expertise to LSU Law when she returns home to Louisiana to join the faculty at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center at the start of the Fall 2024 semester.
Since 2018, Cooper has served as Associate Professor of the Practice of Law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where she also chairs the Lawyering Process Program, which provides students with an introduction to the essential lawyering skills, including research, writing, analytical thinking, and oral advocacy. She previously served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Lawyering Skills at the Seattle University School of Law, and an Adjunct Professor in the online Master of Jurisprudence Programs at Tulane University Law School.
“After teaching legal writing in two nationally ranked programs, I am thrilled to return to Louisiana and join LSU Law’s thriving community of scholars, faculty, librarians, and students,” said Cooper, who earned her undergraduate degree at LSU, where she was a staff writer and editor for The Reveille student newspaper and a DJ for KLSU.
Read the full story.
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Professor John Parsi to join faculty in fall semester | |
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Professor John Parsi, who has extensive experience as an attorney in the private sector and as a nonprofit leader, will join the faculty at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center at the start of the Fall 2024 semester.
Parsi has taught at the University of Nebraska College of Law since 2022 and was previously on the faculty of Arizona State University. Parsi earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, where he graduated cum laude and served as Notes Editor on the Editorial Board of the Michigan Law Review.
Parsi teaches criminal law, administration of criminal justice, family law, and remedies, as well as health law and science and technology law. His research and writing focuses on bodily autonomy at the intersection of health, science, and technology law, particularly in the ways bodily autonomy is regulated and criminalized, and its impact on civil rights.
Read the full story.
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Professor Tracy Norton appointed to tenure track as Assistant Professor of Law | |
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LSU Law Professor Tracy L. M. Norton, a national and international leader in the fields of legal writing and legal education, has been appointed to the tenure track as an Assistant Professor of Law at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
“I am deeply honored by the faculty’s recognition of my potential contributions to LSU Law’s scholarly community. Even more than that, after many years focused on teaching and service, I am honored to be part of an institution committed to fostering faculty excellence by allowing faculty members to align our efforts with our individual strengths and interests,” Norton said.
Norton joined the LSU Law faculty as an Associate Professor of Professional Practice at the start of the 2022-23 Fall semester. She had previously taught at the Touro Law Center in Long Island, New York, since 2007. Perhaps best known for her research and presentations on cross-generational competence in legal education and the legal profession, Norton’s recent scholarship and research has also focused on making legal education more accessible through digital platforms as well as the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal education and the practice of law.
Read the full story.
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Dean Allen appears on 'Talk Louisiana' with Jim Engster to highlight recent successes at LSU Law | |
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LSU Law Dean Alena Allen was the featured guest on the "Talk Louisiana" radio show with Jim Engster on Monday, June 17.
With July 1 marking one year since Allen began serving as dean, the roughly 20-minute interview touched on some of the successes she has overseen during her first year leading the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Among them, LSU Law has hired nine new faculty members and created several new clinics, while our Class of 2023 graduates once again achieved the highest passage rate on the Louisiana Bar Exam.
Listen to the full interview.
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Walters (’75) receives 2024 LBF Boisfontaine Trial Advocacy Award | |
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Ed Walters Jr. (’75) of Walters, Thomas, Cullens was presented with the 2024 Louisiana Bar Foundation’s Curtis R. Boisfontaine Trial Advocacy Award at the Louisiana State Bar Association General Assembly in Destin, Florida on June 6.
Walters was honored with the award in recognition of his long-standing devotion to and excellence in trial practice, and for upholding the standards of ethics and consideration for the court, litigants, and all counsel.
As this year’s award recipient, Walters was able to direct a $1,000 stipend to any nonprofit legal program serving Louisiana. He selected the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program, Inc., which was established by the LSBA in 1985 to provide confidential assistance to members of the bar and their families who were experiencing problems with alcohol or drug abuse.
Read the full story.
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Greensboro, North Carolina, native and rising third-year law student Morgan Pilcher decided to pursue her law degree at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center because she knew a comprehensive education in civil and common law would best prepare her to one day practice outside the United States.
“I chose LSU Law because of the unique legal education offered, which I cannot get from any other law school in the country,” she said. “I know that the civil law education I receive from LSU Law will give me a firm foundation to achieve my aspirations of practicing internationally.”
Read the full Your Gifts at Work profile to learn more about Pilcher, and find out how you can support outstanding students like her through LSU Law scholarships.
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Mark your calendars and join us for our annual Reunion Weekend and All-Alumni Tailgate on September 20-21!
Events will kick off on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 20, with two hours of free CLE at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center for all reunion classes and Dean’s Council members, with a Reunion Reception celebrating the classes of 1974, 1984, 1994, 1999, 2004, and 2014 to follow in the evening. On Saturday, Sept. 21, all LSU Law alumni and their families are invited to join us for the All-Alumni Tailgate and Hats ‘n Canes Toast prior to the UCLA vs. LSU game.
Haven’t received one of our emails or letters regarding reunion? Update your contact information so we can keep you in the loop!
Questions? Email Associate Director of Alumni Relations Hayley Westphal.
Interested in seeing all the fun our alumni had during 2023 Reunion Weekend? Check out the Reunion photo gallery and a collection of shots from the All-Alumni Tailgate.
Watch your emails for additional information on registration, which will open soon!
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Professor Jeff Brooks presented on several panels at the Educating Advocacy Teachers Conference (EATS), which was held at Stetson College of Law in Gulfport, Florida on June 10-12. | | |
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Professor Caprice Roberts served as an Adviser to the American Law Institute’s Restatement of Torts: Remedies project and attended ALI’s Annual Conference, held May 20-22, to offer suggestions for the reform effort. The American Law Institute is the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law. | | |
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Professor Nick Bryner served as a panelist for “Big Wins in the Climate Litigation: From the Urgenda Case to the Shell Case,” a webinar hosted by the Supreme Court of Mexico on May 28. He presented on climate change cases in the United States and the recent advisory opinion on climate change by the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea. | | |
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Patrick A. Talley Jr. (’82), a partner in the New Orleans office of the law firm Phelps Dunbar, LLP, was installed on June 6 as the 84th Louisiana State Bar Association president during a ceremony at the LSBA’s Annual Meeting in Destin, Florida. Administering his oath of office was Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice John L. Weimer (’80). | | |
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Michael Durham (’02) has joined Fishman Haygood as special counsel in the transactional section. He will focus his practice on energy, finance and construction. | | |
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Jennifer D. Le Carpentier ('04) has joined Mouledoux, Bland, Legrand & Brackett in New Orleans as an of counsel. Her practice focuses on the defense of employers and insurance carriers for claims arising under the Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Act, Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, Defense Base Act and War Hazards Compensation Act. | | |
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Ally Byrd (’14) has joined Jones Walker as a partner in the Litigation Practice Group and member of the personal injury and environmental litigation teams in the New Orleans office. | | | | |
