2024 marked a year of incredible growth at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center.

Along with welcoming 11 new faculty members to the Law Center, we celebrated 11 current faculty who recieved promotions and/or tenure. At the same time, we cheered on 208 graduates in the LSU Law Class of 2024 at commencement this spring, and we admitted one of the largest classes of first-year law students in recent history—228 students, up from 211 a year previous—this fall.

As we look forward to another year of continued growth in 2025, we invite you to take a look at some of the milestones achieved by our students, faculty, and alumni in 2024.

• Tyler Chance and Jason Parker represented LSU Law at the Gabrielli National Family Law Moot Court Competition in Albany, New York, in early March and placed as national semifinalists.

• Alvaro de la Cruz-Correa was honored with the Ginger Berrigan Worker Bee Award from the Public Interest Law Society at LSU Law in recognition of 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.

• Mekkah Husamadeen represented LSU Law and the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) during a weeklong service mission to Ghana in January.

• Alaysia Johnson was honored with a 2024 Louisiana State Bar Association Law Student Pro Bono Award in recognition of her outstanding work in three of LSU Law’s legal clinics at the LSBA 39th Annual Pro Bono Publico & Children’s Law Awards Ceremony in May.

• Tara Roussel secured two federal clerkships with LSU Law alumni following her graduation next spring. Roussel will begin a yearlong clerkship with Judge Darrel Papillion (’94) of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in August 2025, and then clerk for Judge Kurt Engelhardt (’85) of the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2026.

• Philip Young placed second nationally in The College of Labor & Employment Lawyers/ABA Section of Labor & Employment Law Annual Writing Competition for Law Students.

• LSU Law celebrated the Class of 2024 at commencement on May 18. Degrees were conferred to 208 students, with 160 students earning a Juris Doctor and optional Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law; 39 earning a Juris Doctor; and nine earning a Master of Laws.

• Total enrollment stood at 644 students at the start of the fall semester, with the first-year class comprised of 228 students, up from 211 a year earlier. There are 198 second-year students at LSU Law this year, 201 third-year students, and 17 students pursuing their LLM.

• Eleven new faculty members were welcomed to the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 2024, including Assistant Professor of Law Jennifer Cooper; Assistant Professor of Professional Practice Jordan Engelhart, who is teaching and directing the new Russell J. Stutes Small Business and Community Development Clinic; Assistant Dean and Director of the Law Library and Information Technology Services Monique Gonzalez; Professor of Law John Lovett; Assistant Professor of Law John Parsi; Assistant Professor of Professional Practice Richard Pittman, who is serving as Director of Field Placement and Pro Bono Programs; Associate Professor of Law Kenya Smith; Associate Professor of Law Ryan Stoa; Professor of Professional Practice Carlota Toledo, who is serving in the new Director of Academic Success position at LSU Law; Professor of Law Del Wright Jr.; and a new director of the Veterans Legal Clinic.

• Eleven LSU Law faculty members celebrated recieving tenure and/or a promotion in 2024. Tracy L. M. Norton was appointed to the tenure track as an Assistant Professor of Law in the spring. Lisa Avalos and Nick Bryner received tenure and promotion to Professor of Law over the summer, and Summer Chandler was promoted to Associate Professor of Law. This fall, Grace Barry, Jeff Brooks, Marlene Krousel, Kathy Simino, and Heidi Thompson were each promoted to Professor of Professional Practice. Also this fall, Jack Harrison was promoted to Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, and Melissa Strickland recieved tenure and a promotion to Associate Librarian. Strickland also serves as LSU Law Library Associate Director for Public Services.

• Professor Lisa Avalos received a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to conduct research on her forthcoming book, She Must Be Lying to Us! When Reporting Rape Becomes a Crime, in the United Kingdom during the 2024-25 academic year.

• Professor Jeff Brooks was presented with the Pamela Young Award at the 2024 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington D.C. this spring in recognition of his volunteer work with the competition, which he has been involved with for nearly 20 years.

• 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.

• Professor Bill Corbett and Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Research Caprice Roberts were each awarded a 2024 LSU Law Excellence in Legal Scholarship Award.

• Professor Michael J. Malinowski’s groundbreaking book, Personal Genome Medicine: The Legal and Regulatory Transformation of US Medicine, was honored with the 2023 Best in Law award from the American Book Fest.

• See the complete 2024 LSU Law faculty scholarship highlights.

• Dean Alena Allen participated in a roundtable discussion with third-year law students Brock McKinness and William “Grey” Fitzgerald as well as 19th Judicial District Court Judge Fred Crifasi (’92), Leo C. Hamilton (’77), and Christine Lipsey (’82)—all of whom are past presidents of the Baton Rouge Bar Association—about the confluence of leadership and law school. Their discussion was the subject of an article in the March/April issue of The Baton Rouge Lawyer. 

• Brandon Black (’96), Maci Frazier (’20), David Fleshman (’11), and Joy Monahan ('97) volunteered to serve as LSU Giving Day ambassadors for the annual day of philanthropy in March, during which more than 90 alumni and friends from across the country donated over $185,000 to LSU Law.

• The sons of John T. Cox (’68) made a gift to establish the John and Tracey Cox Scholarship, a non-endowed scholarship that will cover roughly half of one LSU Law student’s tuition for an academic year.

• Former Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (’99) and Retired Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson (’69) were honored at the 2024 Louisiana Legends Gala and Auction in April.

• Randall “Randy” Davidson ('76) was posthumously honored with the LSU Mineral Law Institute Distinguished Service Award during the 71st Mineral Law Institute in March.

• The Hon. Elizabeth Erny Foote (’78), Harry J. “Skip” Philips (’83), and Bernard “Bernie” E. Boudreaux Jr. (’61) were among the Louisiana Bar Foundation 2023 Distinguished Honorees recognized at the 38th Annual Fellows Gala in April.

• Robert Kallam ('90), a partner at Kean Miller LLP in Lafayette, was appointed chair of the LSU Law Alumni Board of Trustees for the 2024-26 term.

• Ragan Richard ('93), managing partner of Phelps Dunbar LLC in Baton Rouge, became chair of the LSU Law Dean's Council and participated in a Dean's Council Spotlight Q&A in September.

• G. Alan Teague (’97) began serving as Magistrate Judge in the Division of St. Thomas/St. John of the District Court of the Virgin Islands in August. 

• 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 in June.

• 10 LSU Law alumni were included on the 2024 LSU100 list of fastest-growing Tiger-led businesses, including Stephen Babcock (’00), Robert “Bubby” Burns Jr. (’91), Brad Cranmer (’15), Robert Dampf (’79), Steve Hicks (’73), Glen Scott Love (’84), Scott Mansfield (’15), John Perry, Jr. (’78), Chase Trichell (’14), and Erik Vigen (’08).

• As part of a new initiative by Dean Alena Allen to increase alumni-to-student mentoring, 12 alumni volunteered to meet with LSU Law students to discuss their career goals and advise them on course scheduling prior to the start of the fall semester, including Clint Bowers (’09), Phyllis Cancienne (’89), Larry Centola (’01), Micah Fincher (’11), Matt Jones (’89), Geoffrey Kay (’98), Tom Lenz (’88), Sonny Marks (’07), Pat Ottinger (’73), Mike Remondet (’91), Scott Sternberg (’10), and Dean Sutherland (’75).

• Hundreds of alumni from across the country met with Dean Alena Allen at special receptions held in Washington D.C., Dallas, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge in 2024. Charlie Kearns (’04) hosted the reception in Washington D.C.; Mark Chevallier (’88) hosted in Dallas; Robert Kallam (’90) hosted in Lafayette; and the Baton Rouge event was hosted by a committee that included Jason DeCuir (’02), Christopher Jones (’02), Kevin Ainsworth (’00), Tam Bourgeois (’06), Kecia Campbell (’02), Rob Campbell (’02), Will Coenen (’01), Winston DeCuir (’98), Michael Durham (’02), Joseph Gendron (’03), Jennifer Hataway (’99), Wes Hataway (’99), Eric Helm (’02), Jesse James (’02), Tanner Johnson (’01), Tara Johnston (’02), Scott Kirkpatrick (’02), Andrew Kolb (’02), Parker Layrisson (’02), Larry McAlpine, Jr. (’02), Rep. Dixon McMakin (’13), Russell Mosely (’02), Adrian Nadeau (’02), Ryan Ours (’01), Drew Talbot (’07), and Todd Wimberley (’02).

• See the complete December Class Notes.

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