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Young Lawyers Section Council Members

Council members are elected by mail ballot and internet voting of the members of the Louisiana State Bar Association Young Lawyers Section from their respective districts by majority vote. The term for Council Members is two years. The Council nominates at least one person for the positions of Secretary and Chair-Elect and solicits additional nominations from the members of the Young Lawyers Section. These officers are elected by majority vote of all members of the Young Lawyers Section by mail ballot and internet voting.  Every third year, the Secretary and Chair-Elect must be a resident of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, or Plaquemines Parishes.

  Current Council Members

Chair
Melanie Mabile Mulcahy 

Melanie Mabile Mulcahy is an associate with The Derbes Law Firm, L.L.C., in Metairie. She received a BA degree in 1994 from Tulane University’s Newcomb College and her JD degree in 1999 from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center. She was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2000.

She served as the Louisiana State Bar Association’s (LSBA) Young Lawyers Section chair-elect in 2008-09 and secretary in 2007-08. She also has served as a LSBA young lawyer delegate to the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates, as the LSBA Young Lawyers Section delegate to the ABA Young Lawyers Division, and as a member of the Louisiana State Law Institute.

Melanie is a member of the American Bar Association and Jefferson Bar Association.
She received the LSBA President’s Award in 2003, the Young Lawyers Section’s Bat P. Sullivan Chair’s Award in 2002 and 2007, and the ABA YLD Star of the Quarter Award in February 2003.

She and her husband, Randy, have been married for eight years and are the parents of two children.

3027 Ridgelake Dr.
Metairie LA 70002 
Phone: (504)837-1230 
Fax: (504)832-0326   

Chair-Elect
Alainna R. Mire 

Alainna R. Mire is assistant attorney for the city of Alexandria. She received a BA degree in political science in 2000 from Louisiana State University and her JD/BCL degree in 2004 from LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. She was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2004.

Alainna served as the Louisiana State Bar Association’s (LSBA) Young Lawyers Section secretary in 2008-09 and District 6 representative. She also serves as the 2009-2010 Chair of the Alexandria Young Lawyers Council and is a Louisiana Bar Foundation Fellow.

She is a member of the Alexandria Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Council, the American Bar Association and the Crossroads American Inn of Court of Alexandria/Pineville. She also serves as a member of the Central Louisiana Pro Bono Project board and as an attorney member of the city of Alexandria Human Relations Commission.

P.O. Box 71
Alexandria LA 71309 
Phone: (318)449-5046 
Fax: (318)441-6085   

Secretary
Shayna L. Sonnier 

Shayna L. Sonnier is an associate in the Lake Charles firm of Hunter & Blazier, A.P.L.C. She received a bachelor's degree in 2000 from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and her law degree in 2003 from Dedman School of Law, Southern Methodist University. She was admitted to practice in Texas in 2003 and in Louisiana in 2005.

Shayna has served as District 4 representative on the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section Council and was co-chair of the Wills for Heroes Committee.

Shayna serves on the board of the Southwest Louisiana Bar Association and was the 2008-09 president of the Southwest Louisiana Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section. In her community, she serves as a board member of the Greater Lake Charles Rotary Club.

1807 Lake St.
Lake Charles LA 70601 
Phone: (337)436-1600 
Fax: (337)439-2505   

Immediate Past Chair
Valerie Briggs Bargas 

Valerie Briggs Bargas is a senior associate in the Baton Rouge firm of Seale, Smith, Zuber & Barnette. She received a BA degree, cum laude, in 1998 from Smith College and her JD degree in 2001 from Tulane Law School. She was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2001.

Valerie served as the Louisiana State Bar Association’s (LSBA) Young Lawyers Section chair in 2008-09, chair-elect in 2007-08, secretary in 2006-07 and District 5 representative in 2005-06. She serves on the LSBA’s Continuing Legal Education Committee (2004-present) and is a member of the American Bar Association, the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel and the Baton Rouge Bar Association. She is also a Louisiana Bar Foundation Fellow.

In her community, she serves on the board of directors for the Capital Area CASA.
Valerie and her husband, Gordon “Trey” Bargas III, have been married for four years and are the parents of two children.

8550 United Plaza Blvd.
Ste. 200
Baton Rouge LA 70809 
Phone: (225)924-1600 
Fax: (225)924-6100   

District One Representative
Eve M. Sarco 

1819 Barrymore St.
Slidell LA 70461 
Phone: (504)228-7159 
Fax: (504)617-7779   

District One Representative
Justin M. Chopin 

201 St. Charles Ave.
45th Floor
New Orleans LA 70170 
Phone: (504)582-1229 
Fax: (504)582-1233   

District Two Representative
Allison L. Becknell 

3445 North Causeway Blvd.
Ste. 736
Metairie LA 70002 
Phone: (504) 833-7325 
Fax: (504) 833-1160   

District Two Representative
Brad J. Gegenheimer 

238 Huey P. Long Ave.
Gretna LA 70053 
Phone: (504)368-7888 
Fax: (504)368-7263   

District Three Representative
Maggie Trahan Simar 

415 St. Martin St.
St. Martinville LA 70582 
Phone: (337)394-6133 
Fax: (337)394-6166   

District Four Representative
Claude "T-Claude" Devall Jr. 

1111 Ryan St.
Lake Charles LA 70601 
Phone: (337)433-2053 
Fax: (337)433-2055   

District Five Representative
Kyle Ferachi 

301 Main St.
14th Floor
Baton Rouge LA 70825 
Phone: (225)383-9000 
Fax: (225)343-3076   

District Five Representative
Christopher K. Jones 

701 Main St.
Baton Rouge LA 70802-5527 
Phone: (225)383-3796 
Fax: (225)343-9612   

District Six Representative
Barbara Bell Melton 

3709 Masonic Dr.
Alexandria LA 71301 
Phone: (318)442-9533 
Fax: (318)442-9532   

District Seven Representative
Jefferson B. Joyce 

200 Breard St.
Monroe LA 71201 
Phone: (318)325-3200 
Fax: (318)325-3482   

District Eight Representative
Karelia R. Stewart 

501 Texas St.
Shreveport LA 71104 
Phone: (318)226-6832 ext. 3044 
Fax: (318)226-6878   

At-Large Representative
Franchesca L. Hamilton-Acker 

1020 Surrey St.
Lafayette LA 70502-4823 
Phone: (337)237-4320 
Fax: (337)237-8839   

ABA YLD Representative
Maurice Ruffin 

701 Poydras St.
Ste. 4500
New Orleans LA 70139 
Phone: (504)585-0216 
Fax: (504)566-0210   

YLS Representative to the ABA House of Delegates
Lawrence J. Centola 

338 Lafayette St.
New Orleans LA 70130 
Phone: (504)581-9065 
Fax: (504)581-7635   


 

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