LSBA Home
LSBA Menu

17th Annual Conclave on Diversity in the Legal Profession



General Information


August 8, 2025
Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans, 2 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA


The LSBA’s inclusion of a program in its CLE programming is not to be deemed a statement or an endorsement of the views expressed therein by the LSBA or any member of the LSBA. Speakers on LSBA programs were carefully selected for their knowledge, but neither the LSBA nor the speaker warrant that the presentations or materials were free of errors, or will continue to be accurate. Statements in the presentations and their materials should be verified before relying on them. Opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect opinions of the LSBA, its sections, or committees. Views expressed are those of the authors and contributors only.

 


Registration:
Registration (BEFORE July 11, 2025) $110
Registration (AFTER July 11, 2025) $135



The LSBA is not responsible for any expenses associated with travel, lodging, or other costs incurred by the registrant. This also applies in the event that the LSBA must cancel the conference for any reason. 

Audio or video recording or transcription of any portion of the conference is prohibited unless express consent is granted by the LSBA. 

ON-SITE REGISTRATION WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE

The LSBA must adhere to facility capacity constraints, so please indicate during the registration process if you will attend the Excellence in Diversity reception. 

Registration Cancellation Policy:
All cancellations must be received in writing and sent to diversity@lsba.org. 

Telephone cancellations will not be accepted. Cancellations received in writing by July 25, 2025, will be fully refunded minus a $30.00 administrative fee. If written confirmation of cancellation is not received by July 25, 2025, no refunds or credits will be issued of any kind. Credits will be processed within two weeks of the cancellation request. 

On-site Registration Policy:  
It is the policy of the LSBA that NO CASH shall be accepted for any transaction. Payment may be made by personal check or via the LSBA registration portal if open on the day of registration. 

 

Speaker Highlights
Plenary Session One
Kira H. Banks, Professor, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO

Navigating Backlash and Going Beyond Best Practices


This session will explore the ways that backlash to DEI has shaped the field. Going beyond best practices, we will discuss frameworks that can help law schools and first address concerns in the current climate. The importance of psychological safety amidst changing dynamics will also be discussed. Reflection questions will encourage participants to more deeply understand their spheres of influence.  

Disability Rights Louisiana
Louisiana Bar Foundation
Maps Mediation & Arbitration
Luncheon
SOUP STARTER

Vegetarian
 

ENTRÉE


Vegetarian

   
DESSERT

Vegetarian
Special Requirements / Questions
Please contact the LSBA if you have a disability, dietary restrictions or a food allergy which may require special accommodations at this conference. The LSBA is committed to ensuring full accessibility for all registrants. 

Lactation Room
A lactation room for breastfeeding individuals to express milk while attending conclave is available. You are responsible for requesting access to the space and following the guidelines for use.

Lactation Room Guidelines:
Attendee must request use of the room via email at diversity@lsba.org.

Please provide name, LSBRN, phone number, time room is needed and length of time that lactation room is needed.

Pumping equipment: Should you choose to leave any items in the room, know that these are not the responsibility of LSBA or host hotel.

Please keep the space neat and orderly. If there is a cleaning issue, please report the issue to LSBA staff at the check-in desk.


If you have any additional comments or questions regarding lactation space or access, please email the Member Outreach and Diversity team at diversity@lsba.org.


Questions?
Contact the Member Outreach and Diversity team members by email at diversity@lsba.org. 
Hotel Information
The LSBA has reserved a block of rooms at the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans at a discounted rate of $250 per night (excluding taxes and fees). You are urged to make reservations early, as there are only a limited number of rooms available at the discounted rate listed above. The LSBA room block is reserved for conference attendees only.

Hotel cancellation policy:
All reservations must be guaranteed with a credit card by July 8, 2025 and the credit card will be charged a deposit of night's room and tax when the reservations are made. Any request received after July 8, 2025 will be handled on a space and rate availability basis only. Please note that if your plans changed and you do not timely cancel your room reservation by 3:00 p.m.on August 4, 2025 you are responsible for the room charge.  


Wi-Fi Access

Wireless access will be available in the conference area and main lobby. Please note, electrical outlets will be limited. 

Excellence in Diversity Reception

The Excellence in Diversity Reception honoring Sponsors will be held on Friday, August 8, 2025, at the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans at 8:00 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.  Speakers, sponsors, and registrants are invited to attend. 

 

We hope you can join us and look forward to your continued support of the LSBA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.

 

 

 

Agenda
5.00 CLE Credit Hour(s) (including Professionalism)

Time:Details:
8:00 a.m. Registrant Check-in
Plimsoll Ballroom Foyer, 3rd Floor
8:00 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.
Excellence in Diversity Reception honoring Sponsors and Co-hosts
Plimsoll Ballroom Foyer, 3rd Floor

Open to speakers, sponsors, co-hosts, and registrants 



8:40 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Acknowledgments
Sponsor Recognition/Sponsor Representative Photos

Plimsoll Ballroom, 3rd Floor

  • Demarcus J. Gordon, Partner, Kelly Hart Pitre, New Orleans, LA, Conclave Chair
  • Kellen J. Mathews, Partner, Adams and Reese, L.L.P., New Orleans, LA 
  • Monica M. Vela-Vick, The Dugan Law Firm, APLC, New Orleans, LA, Conclave Co-Chair

  • Co-chairs, LSBA Diversity Committee
  • Chair and Co-chairs, Conclave 
9:00 a.m. - 9:05 a.m. Recognition and Introduction of Chief Justice John L. Weimer III, Louisiana Supreme Court
Plimsoll Ballroom, 3rd Floor

  • Demarcus J. Gordon, Partner, Kelly Hart & Pitre, New Orleans, LA, Conclave Chair
9:05 a.m. - 9:10 a.m.                         Welcoming Remarks 

  • Chief Justice John L. Weimer III, Louisiana Supreme Court, New Orleans, LA
9:10 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.
Welcoming Remarks 
Introduction of Plenary Session One Speaker

Plimsoll Ballroom, 3rd Floor

  • Demarcus J. Gordon, Partner, Kelly Hart & Pitre, New Orleans, LA, Conclave Chair
9:20 a.m. - 10:20 a.m.
Plenary Session One - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
1.00 Professionalism Credit Hour 
Plimsoll Ballroom, 3rd Floor


Navigating Backlash and Going Beyond Best Practices 

This session will explore the ways that backlash to DEI has shaped the field. Going beyond best practices, we will discuss frameworks that can help law schools and firms address concerns in the current climate. The importance of psychological safety amidst changing dynamics will also be discussed. Reflection questions will encourage participants to more deeply understand their spheres of influence.

  • Dr. Kira H. Banks, Professor, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO
10:20 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Networking Break
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Plenary Session Two -  Immigration
1.00 Credit Hour
Plimsoll Ballroom, 3rd Floor


  • Paul H. Scott, Moderator, The Scott Law firm, Baton Rouge, LA
  • Danielle V. Hernadez, DVH Law Group, Tampa, Fl
  • Erin C. Herbert, Ware | Immigration, Metairie, LA
  • Mich P. González, Co-founder, Sanctuary of the South (SOS), New Orleans, LA 
11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Transition Break
11:45 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Luncheon, Presentations, Committee on Diversity in the Legal Profession Award
River Ballroom, 3rd Floor

11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Introduction of Recipient of Committee on Diversity in the Legal Profession Award

  • Demarcus J. Gordon, Partner, Kelly Hart & Pitre, New Orleans, LA, Conclave Chair

12:00 p.m. - 12:10 p.m.
Introduction of Keynote Speaker

  • Demarcus J. Gordon, Partner, Kelly Hart & Pitre, New Orleans, LA, Conclave Chair
12:10 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.
Keynote Session
1.00 Credit Hour
River Ballroom, 3rd Floor

"Equity-Focused Leadership As a Form of Resistance"

We are facing what appears to be unprecedented challenges as citizens and lawyers. Professor Angela A. Allen-Bell discourages episodic outrage and retreat as a response.  During her keynote, she will situate today’s headlines in their historical context, and she will explain the necessity of participants leading in equity-centered ways at this moment of reflection and responsibility. She will demonstrate how participants, in so doing, can become impactful and empowering forces in the profession and beyond.


  • Angela Allen-Bell, B. K. Agnihotri Endowed Professor, Southern University Law Center, Baton Rouge, LA
1:10 p.m. - 1:20 p.m. Transition Break
1:20 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.            
Plenary Session Three – AI and Access
1.00 Ethics Credit Hour 
Plimsoll Ballroom, 3rd Floor


Beyond the Buzz: Practical, Ethical AI for Lawyers

Generative AI has dominated headlines, but what does it actually mean for your legal practice—and your ethical obligations? In this session, Greg Siskind, a practicing attorney and legal AI platform founder, cuts through the hype to explore real-world applications of AI in law firms today. The program will focus on the intersection of AI use and professional responsibility, covering key concerns such as competence, confidentiality, supervision, and unauthorized practice of law. With practical examples from daily law practice, this presentation will demystify AI tools, explain how lawyers are already using them ethically, and explore how these technologies can enhance—not undermine—access to justice.

  • Greg Siskind, Siskind Susser, PC, Memphis, TN 

2:20 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Networking Break 
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.  Plenary Session Four - DEIA: Increasing Access with Technology 
1.00 General Credit Hour
Plimsoll Ballroom, 3rd Floor


  • Kirra Jarratt, DC Bar Foundation, Washington, DC
  • Scheree Gilchrist, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC
  • Susan Vincent, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 

Materials


The LSBA is working on ways to reduce the amount of paper we use at conferences and symposia.  This is an effort both to be responsible toward our environment and to increase the quality and timeliness of the resources provided through this learning experience. 

To view the course materials for this year's Conclave, please click the download link beside a session title below to obtain the materials available for that session.  We recommend that you do so PRIOR to the conference. 

If you choose to review the materials from an electronic device, we strongly suggest that you charge the device's battery, as electrical outlets are limited. 

9:20 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. – Plenary Session One 
   
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Plenary Session Two 
   

12:10 p.m.- 1:10 p.m. – Keynote Speaker
   
1:20 p.m. - 2:20 p.m. – Plenary Session Three 
   
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Plenary Session Four

   

 Speaker Biographies


Dignitaries
   
   
   
      
      
      
Plenary Session One
   
 

 

 


 

 

Plenary Session Two 
   
     
 Keynote Speaker
   
   
Plenary Session Three 
   
   
   
Plenary Session Four 
   
   
   

Thank You to Our Sponsors...


The LSBA Diversity Committee and Conclave Subcommittee would like to take the time to thank all of our generous sponsors and co-hosts who support the Conclave on Diversity in the Legal Profession. 


Corporate Breakfast Level

Jones Walker, LLP


Platinum Plus Level

Deutsch Kerrigan, LLP


Platinum Level

Phelps Dunbar, LLP

Kelly Hart & Pitre

LSBA Civil Law & Litigation Section

Kean Miller LLP


Gold Level

Fishman Haygood

Louisiana District Judges Association

McCranie, Sistrunk, Anzelmo, Hardy, McDaniel & Welch, LLC

Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann LLC

Trusts, Estate, Probate and Immovable Property Law Section


Silver Level

Barrasso, Usdin, Kupperman, Freeman & Sarver, LLC

Laborde Siegel, LLC

Mediation Arbitration Professional Systems, Inc.

Irwin Fritchie Urquhart Moore & Daniels, LLC


Conclave Coffee Service Sponsor Only Two (2) Available *No longer available*

LSBA Inclusive Practice Section

Blue Williams, LLC


Bronze Level

Manning Gross & Massenburg LLP

Taylor Porter Brooks & Philips, LLP

Courington Kiefer Sommers Marullo & Matherne, LLC

 

Louisiana State Bar Association
601 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70130
(800) 421-LSBA(5722) / (504) 566-1600