Whether she’s teaching in the classroom, serving as an expert witness in the courtroom, sharing her scholarship at legal symposia around the world—or appearing in a new Netflix documentary—LSU Law Professor Lisa Avalos is driven by an unwavering commitment to the survivors of sexual assault and trafficking.

“Anything to get the message out,” said Avalos. “This is all about the survivors.”

In “Victim/Suspect,” which premiered on May 23, Avalos shares her expertise with investigative journalist and co-producer Rachel de Leon, who travels across the country exploring cases in which young women were charged with falsely filing a police report, arrested, and even imprisoned after going to police to report being a victim of sexual assault.

“Nobody who is sexually assaulted should have to go through something like this,” said Avalos, noting the documentary appearance was a unique opportunity to share her scholarship with an audience who may not have otherwise heard it.

As the national winner of the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial & Insurance Practice-Admiralty and Maritime Law Writing Competition, rising third-year LSU Law student Joseph Kaiser will travel to New York City in August to participate in the “A Day in Marine Insurance with Gard Inc.” and present his paper to the firm’s North American headquarters office.

“I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity,” said Kaiser, a native of Pensacola, Florida. “It was an indescribable feeling to find out I had won.”

Kaiser penned the first draft of what would become his award-winning paper, “Righting the Ship: Analyzing the Fifth Circuit’s Wrong Turn in Grand Famous v. China Navigation,” to submit for inclusion as a comment in Louisiana Law Review, for which he served as a junior associate last year and will serve as a senior editor in the coming academic year.

“It was originally in the ballpark of 30 to 40 pages,” Kaiser said, noting the ABA competition restricted papers to no more than 20 pages. “It took me a few weeks to shorten it, but focusing on brevity helped me rethink the frame of the paper and condense it to main points.”

After working under the guidance of Professors Tom Galligan and Caprice Roberts to research, write, and edit the paper throughout the entirety of the past academic year, Kaiser said he was beyond thrilled to have all his hard work pay off.

“It means so much to be recognized for everything I put into this paper,” said Kaiser, who hopes to practice in maritime civil litigation in southeast Louisiana after he graduates next spring.

Seventeen graduates in the LSU Law Class of 2023 have been selected for induction into The Order of the Coif, the highest honor a law student can receive.

Membership into the honorary law fraternity is strictly limited to the top 10% of each graduating class of law students. Of the nearly 200 American Bar Association accredited law schools in the country, LSU Law is one of just 86 with a chapter in The Order of the Coif. The LSU Law chapter of The Order of the Coif was established in 1942, with a purpose of stimulating scholarly work of the highest order and fostering a high standard of professional conduct.

The 2023 LSU Law inductees of The Order of the Coif, with their hometowns, are listed below. Click on their names to learn more about their accomplishments and experiences at LSU Law.

Twelve LSU Law students in the Class of 2023 have been selected for induction into The Order of the Barristers, a national honorary organization whose purpose is the encouragement of oral advocacy and brief writing skills through effective law school oral advocacy programs.

The inductees, in alphabetical order by last name and with their hometowns noted, are listed below. Click on their names to learn more about their accomplishments and experiences at LSU Law.

Each year, graduating LSU Law students who have excelled in moot court, mock trial, brief writing, oral advocacy, and other advocacy programs throughout their time at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center are invited to apply for membership in the LSU Law chapter of The Order of the Barristers. Applications are reviewed by a committee of faculty members, who then recommend the candidates for induction into the LSU Law chapter to the dean.

Over 100 law schools have chapters of the Order of the Barristers. LSU Law is allocated a very limited number of The Order of the Barristers inductees each year, with the number corresponding to the number of students who participate annually in LSU Law intramural and interscholastic advocacy competitions and advocacy-related coursework.

LSU Law held commencement exercises for the Class of 2023 on Saturday, May 20, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on the LSU campus. See a full listing of LSU Law Class of 2023 graduates.

Brittina Johnson has joined the LSU Law staff as the embedded clinical mental health counselor at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where students have access to free on-site individual counseling sessions, mental health workshops, and additional services tailored to their needs.

“Students can expect to have a welcoming experience that is professional, confidential, and discreet,” said Johnson, a licensed professional counselor in Louisiana and Texas with more than 10 years of experience working with college students, both as a mental health and academic counselor. “The Law Center understands how essential it is for its students to be mentally healthy, and having a mental health professional on staff aids in promoting and sustaining mental wellness.”

Johnson most recently served as a licensed professional counselor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and she previously served as an academic advisor at the University of Houston as well as the University of Texas at Arlington.

Johnson will be located in Room 205 of the Law Center. LSU Law students can schedule an appointment with her by calling LSU Mental Health Service at 225-578-8774. After-hours and virtual services are also available to all LSU students through the LSU Student Health Center.

The LSU Law online merchandise store will reopen for a limited sale beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 1, featuring a mix of items from the inaugural sale in May as well as several new items.

Including everything from baseball caps, polos, and long-sleeved denim shirts to clear vinyl stadium bags, travel tumblers, and a new T-shirt featuring an exclusive “Fierce for Justice” design, the sale will be open through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18. Items may be shipped as early as Sept. 1 and all items are expected to be delivered by Sept. 30.

Keep an eye on your email and the LSU Law website for additional details on the sale that opens Aug. 1, as well as forthcoming announcements about new merchandise planned for our October sale.

Get a sneak peek at the merchandise before it goes on sale by clicking HERE and using the password: lsulawfall2023

Legal experts from across the nation—including 43 LSU Law alumni—are converging at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center on Aug. 7-9 to lead rising third-year law students in intensive training sessions as part of the annual Trial Advocacy Program.

Held each year just before the start of the fall semester, the Trial Advocacy Program covers every aspect of trial practice, from jury selection through closing arguments. It regularly features some of America’s top trial lawyers and judges who work in small groups with students, and it was established with a major gift from Vinson & Elkins in 1987.

Section leaders and faculty will lead approximately 70 LSU Law students in small groups, providing one-on-one skills development opportunities. In a simulated courtroom setting, students will perform direct and cross examinations, implement openings and closings, lay foundations, make objections, argue motions, conduct depositions, and engage in case negotiation. This year’s program includes an all-new criminal law section, in addition to transactional and civil law sections.

Ten graduates in the LSU Law Class of 2023 have been selected for highly competitive positions in the U.S. military JAG Corps and will launch their legal careers in the U.S. Army, Marines, and Louisiana Army National Guard.

“Typically, we have one or two Law Center graduates who will commission on any given year, so to have 10 is a record for us,” said LSU Law Director of Career Services Gwendolyn Ferrell. “It’s an honor to have so many of our graduates commission with JAG, and this year’s number is an indication of what our students are capable of and how well they compete with graduates from other nationally recognized schools.”

The following LSU Law Class of 2023 graduates have commissioned with JAG branches:

Several LSU Law alumni were honored with awards from the Louisiana State Bar Association at its 2023 Annual Meeting in Destin, Florida, while others were installed into LSBA leadership positions.

Judge Jay C. Zainey (’75) and Judge Darrel J. Papillion (’94) each received President’s Awards for their ongoing commitment to the legal profession, and Judge Marilyn C. Castle (’76) received the Catherine D. Kimball Award for her work to advance the administration of justice.

For his contributions to education, Judge Roger P. Hamilton, Jr. (’01) received the Judge Benjamin Jones Judges in the Classroom Award. Henry C. Perret, Jr. (’77) received the Louisiana Bar Foundation’s Curtis R. Boisfontaine Trial Advocacy Award in recognition of his trial law service.

LSU Law Professor Emeritus Alain A. Levasseur was also honored with John A. “T-Jean” Hernandez III Memorial Award for his achievement in Francophone leadership.

Please take a minute to update your information online with the activities you participated in while you were at LSU Law.

One of LSU Law’s three student-edited journals is seeking article submissions from LSU Law alumni who practice in energy and environmental law.

The Journal of Energy Law and Resources publishes a variety of energy-related topics, ranging from oil and gas regulation and nuclear plant licensing to shale hydro-fracking legislation and climate change impacts across the United States. The deadline to submit articles for publication consideration is Friday, Aug. 18.

JELR is also seeking alumni who are interested in volunteering to participate in the symposium that is currently under development and will take place in February 2024.

You can learn more about JELR by checking out its website or Facebook page. Questions about article submissions and symposium participation can be sent to Vol. XII Editor-in-Chief Erin Alpandinar at [email protected].

Along with providing LSU Law students with direct scholarship support, tuition waivers, and funding for public interest field placements and advocacy competition travel throughout each academic year, the Dean’s Council is generously providing funds for 10 Public Interest Law Society (PILS) Fellowships this summer.

The fellowships are designed to provide a modest financial incentive to students who are pursuing unpaid or low-paid summer positions that serve the public, such as legal service providers or nonprofit organizations. Students benefitting from this summer’s fellowships will practice across the United States in a variety of positions, from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta to the Colorado Springs Public Defender’s Office. Those selected for fellowships this summer are (learn more about each student by clicking on their name):

The LSU Law chapter of PILS was established in 1974, and at least six PILS Fellowships have been available to students since the 2004-05 academic year. This year marks the first time the Dean’s Council is providing funding for all the fellowships.

Rising 3L and 2023-24 PILS President William “Grey” Fitzgerald said he wouldn’t have been able to work with the public defender’s office in Sarasota, Florida last summer were it not for the funding provided through his PILS Fellowship.

Registration is now open for our annual Reunion Weekend and All-Alumni Tailgate, which will take place Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20-21.

Reunion Weekend events kick off on Friday with a free CLE on ethics and professionalism at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center from 1 to 3 p.m. for all LSU Law alumni. We will celebrate the LSU Law Classes of 1973, 1983, 1993, 1998, 2003, and 2013 at our Reunion Reception on Friday evening at De La Ronde Hall in downtown Baton Rouge. A special private reception for the Class of 1973 will be held from 6 to 7 p.m., with the full reunion for all classes to follow from 7 to 10 p.m.

The All-Alumni Tailgate will take place Saturday on the front lawn of the Old Law Building, across from the Parade Grounds. Sponsored by NeunerPate, the tailgate is open to all alumni, current students, and families. It will feature complimentary jambalaya and beverages, as well as our traditional Hats ‘n Canes Toast to the third-year law students who will graduate next spring. The start time of the All-Alumni Tailgate will take place in the hours leading up to the kickoff of the LSU vs. Army football game, which will be announced closer to the event.

Get more details, register to attend events, and purchase your Reunion Reception tickets online at 2023lawreunion.givesmart.com.

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.

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