Sixty-one LSU Law students have been awarded the Paul M. Hebert Scholar honor for academic achievement in the Fall 2021 semester and 91 have been selected to be Dean’s Scholars.

The Paul M. Hebert Scholar is awarded to the top 10% of LSU Law students earning 12 or more hours of credit in courses taken during a semester, and the Dean’s Scholar is awarded to the top 25% of students who earn at least 12 hours of credit during a semester. The awards are noted on students’ transcripts.

A pair of LSU Law student-edited journals will present their annual symposiums in February, with both virtual events to feature a distinguished panel of speakers from across the country and offer the opportunity to earn CLE credit hours.

On Friday, Feb. 4, the LSU Journal of Energy Law and Resources will discuss the transformation of the global energy sector from traditional processes to new technologies. The “Energy Transitions” symposium will address topics including solar power developments, decarbonization, and regulations on new energy infrastructure and resources. The event will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m., and attendees can earn up to 5.3 CLE credit hours.

Get complete details and register to attend the LSU Journal of Energy Law and Resources Symposium.

On Friday, Feb. 11, the Louisiana Law Review will explore the history, impact, and future of Title IX largely with respect to American universities. The “On the Basis of Sex: 50 Years of Title IX” symposium will feature legal practitioners and scholars from across the country who will discuss and analyze a variety of issues relating to the Title IX with a focus on its treatment in the media over time, its intersection with a variety of issues in college athletics, and the impact that it has on sexual violence protection on campuses. The event will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 2:30 p.m., and attendees can earn up to 4 CLE credit hours.

Get complete details and register to attend the Louisiana Law Review Symposium.

Eight LSU Law students completed their studies and earned degrees at the conclusion of the Fall 2021 semester. Three of the December 2021 graduates earned a J.D. and a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law (C.L.), while five graduates earned a Master of Laws (L.L.M.) degree.

The LSU Law December 2021 graduates are: Hunter Devillier, J.D./C.L.; Justin H. Miller, J.D./C.L.; Allison M. Powell, J.D./C.L.; Felipe Jorquera Lara, L.L.M.; Leo Bernard, L.L.M.; Yelena Matheus, L.L.M.; Marin Ploix, L.L.M.; and Lila Tahidousti, L.L.M.

Two new staff members joined LSU Law in January. McKinzie Hall is now serving as Assistant Director of Career Services, and Ferris Peters has been named Coordinator for the Center of Civil Law Studies.

Hall comes to LSU Law from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she gained extensive experience in academic advising and and career counseling. She served for several years as the prelaw advisor to students seeking to apply to law school, in addition to serving as an academic advisor for the Department of Political Science at UL-Lafayette.

“I have worked with undergraduate students as an academic and prelaw advisor for some time, so I am looking forward to the opportunity to expand my experience to include work with post-graduate students,” said Hall. “I am passionate about the journey of self-discovery education provides and how that journey can translate into different career paths.”

In her new role at LSU Law, Hall will provide career counseling to students and alumni; assist with developing and implementing programs and events that support professional networking; manage job fairs; and assist with developing and implementing strategic initiatives for the Office of Career Services.

Peters was an LSU employee prior to joining the LSU Law staff. She most recently provided support for the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool at the LSU Laboratory School, and prior to that was front office coordinator at the LSU College of College & Dramatic Arts.

As the Coordinator for the Center for Civil Law Studies, Peters will work closely with Professor Olivier Moréteau to help administer the LL.M. program and other activities offered by the center. She will also serve as the international visa advisor, managing editor of the Journal of Civil Law Studies, and international program manager for the Law Center.

“I am honored to have been recently appointed as the Coordinator for the Center of Civil Law Studies. I look forward to being of service to students, faculty, and staff and I hope to contribute to the continued success and prestigiousness of LSU Law,” said Peters.

Led by its 1L Class Officers, the LSU Law Student Bar Association has raised $4,155 for Woman’s Hospital, which will use the donated funds to support breast cancer outreach and education programs. The SBA raised the funds during a Halloween event.

“Thanks to your contribution, Woman’s can ensure that every woman, everywhere, has access to a screening mammogram,” reads a letter the SBA recently received from the Foundation for Woman’s, which raises funds and manages private support for Woman's Hospital. “With breast cancer, early detection is key, and because of your generous support, Woman’s is able to screen more women, travel more miles and save more lives.”

Legal writing and creative writing are often on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to style and substance, and LSU Law alumnus Jim Lambert (’76) believes they even require using different parts of the brain.

“Law is very pragmatic while creative writing is not constrained by the facts,” said Lambert. “It’s a whole different process that uses a completely different part of the brain.”

Lambert speaks from firsthand experience. After 40 years of practicing trial law, he retired in 2019 and began writing short stories in earnest. Lambert said his turn to creative writing was unexpected, considering his focus prior to retirement was on his law practice in Lafayette and volunteer work with Kairos Prison Ministry group.

And yet, just a year after retiring, Lambert published his first work of fiction, “Sub Rosa and Other Stories.” Since then, his collection of short stories has garnered many positive reviews, perhaps most notably from respected literary agency Kirkus Reviews, which called his debut “a moving, skillfully written set of tales.”

Set largely in Louisiana, “Sub Rosa and Other Stories” contains tales ranging from an investigation into the murder of Black troops in the Jim Crow South to a story called “Lee and Me,” which centers around a young Lee Harvey Oswald and his childhood best friend. Lambert said his extensive experience as a trial lawyer and his work with the Kairos Prison Ministry inspired some of the stories in his book and aided in his writing process.

A towering live oak on the north side of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, just outside the Law Library, has been endowed in honor the late LSU Law alumnus Gene W. Lafitte, Sr.

Lafitte’s family endowed the oak to honor the 1952 graduate, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 89. A marker placed near the trunk of the live oak in late January notes Lafitte was named the Law Center Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2010.

As a law student, Lafitte served as associate editor of the Louisiana Law Review and graduated as a member of Order of the Coif. Lafitte joined Liskow & Lewis in 1956, where he founded the litigation department, and served for 20 years as the firm’s president and managing partner before being named chairman.

Established in 1993, the Endow an Oak program is managed by the LSU Foundation, and proceeds are used to care for the roughly 1,200 oak trees spread across the LSU campus. For more information about the program, contact Bobbi Zaunbrecher at 225-578-8705 or bobbiz@lsu.edu.

LSU Law graduates working in eligible public service positions can apply for two separate loan repayment assistance programs, each of which provide for upwards of $5,000 in student loan forgiveness.

The LSU Law Loan Repayment Assistance Program encourages recent law school graduates’ placement and retention in public sector careers. LSU Law anticipates offering up to $5,000 to ten or more alumni. Eligible alumni must have graduated within the past five years and be employed full time in eligible public service positions in Louisiana. The deadline to apply is April 1. See the complete eligibility requirements and apply online. For more information, contact Gigi Gauthier at ggauthier@lsu.edu or 225-578-0733.

LSU Law alumni can also apply for a Loan Repayment Assistance Program administered by the Louisiana Bar Foundation. The program provides forgivable loans of up to $5,000 to attorneys working in public interest positions. To be eligible, LSU Law alumni of any graduating year must be in full-time public interest positions in Louisiana providing direct civil representation of clients. The deadline to apply is Feb. 11. See the complete eligibility requirements and apply online. For more information, contact Renee B. LeBoeuf at renee@raisingthebar.org or 504-561-1046.

After earning her master’s degree in labor relations and human resources from Michigan State University in 2008, Casey Thibodeaux worked for 11 years in human resources for an oil company.

“I took a couple of law classes as part of my master’s program, and I really enjoyed the topics that we covered and the challenge of working through legal issues,” said the Jefferson City, Missouri native. “When I worked in human resources, I would occasionally work with our employment attorneys or outside counsel when there were terminations or employment-related litigation. I really enjoyed those experiences, too, so when I felt like it was time for a career change I decided to go to law school.”

Thibodeaux chose LSU Law because her husband is from Louisiana and the couple wanted to make the Pelican State their permanent home as they raised a family. Their son is now three years old, and Thibodeaux is preparing to graduate this spring. As you can imagine, it’s a stressful time.

“Being a student and a mom is already stressful enough on its own,” she said. “Having scholarships has removed the additional stress of worrying about how to pay for school fees and books. I can concentrate on doing my schoolwork during the days and being with my family in the evenings, instead of worrying about how to pay for all of the expenses associated with going back to school.”

Learn more about Thibodeaux and find out how you can support outstanding students like her through scholarships at LSU Law. »

Find out about the latest news and accomplishments of your classmates.

To submit an item for Class Notes, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations.

Copyright © 2022 | Provide Feedback | Accessibility Statement | Privacy Policy