Chair
Mr. Christopher James Sellers Jr Christopher J. (Chris) Sellers Jr. is the 2026–27 chair of the LSBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD). As chair, Sellers represents the YLD on the LSBA Board of Governors and the Louisiana State Law Institute. He has previously served the YLD as chair-elect, secretary, and District 1 representative and represented the YLD on the LSBA Budget Committee and the Louisiana Bar Journal Editorial Board.
His other LSBA involvement includes serving as vice chair of the Health Law Section and a member of the Bar Governance Committee and the Medical/Legal Interprofessional Committee. He is board-certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization (LBLS) as a health law specialist and previously served two terms on and as the 2024–25 chair of the LBLS Health Law Advisory Commission. He was a member of the Leadership LSBA 2017–18 Class and served as co-chair the following year.
Sellers is assistant vice president and associate general counsel for Ochsner Health. He received his bachelor’s degree in 2011 from Louisiana State University (LSU) and his JD in 2014 from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. He was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2014. In his community, he is a member of the Stonewall Sports – New Orleans Board of Directors and a member of the Krewe of Endymion.
1450 Poydras St Ste 2250
New Orleans, LA 70112
Phone: (504) 842-4003
Fax:
Email:
christopher.sellers@ochsner.org
Chair-Elect
Ms. Rachal Cox Cassagne Rachal Cox Cassagne is an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana. She works in the narcotics unit and prosecutes drug trafficking organizations involving international investigations and previously handled complex civil matters in her practice as a commercial litigation associate. She also served as a law clerk to United States District Judge Greg G. Guidry.
Cassagne oversees the law clerk program at the United States Attorney’s Office and serves as an attorney mentor for the Federal Bar Association. She is actively involved in the Louisiana State Bar Association, Jefferson Parish Bar Association, and the Federalist Society.
Cassagne received her undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University-Shreveport and her master’s degree from the Universiteit van Amsterdam on a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. As an Ambassadorial Scholar, Cassagne gave presentations to Rotary Clubs throughout the Netherlands and Louisiana. Cassagne also worked as an intern in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2012 where she helped implement a debate program and taught university students. In 2016, she graduated first in her law school class at Southern University Law Center.
Cassagne and her husband and former law school classmate, Craig Cassagne, Jr., have been married seven years and have two wild little girls. They attend St. Joseph Church in Gretna and are involved with Immaculate Conception School in Marrero.
650 Poydras St Ste 1600
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: (504) 680-3027
Fax:
Email:
rachal.cassagne@usdoj.gov
Secretary
Ms. Christina Kaylen Chazan Christina K. (Cristy) Chazan (formerly Guzman) is an associate attorney with Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith in their New Orleans office. Her practice focuses on civil litigation, including insurance defense and coverage matters, premise liability, and professional liability claims. Prior to joining the firm, she practiced criminal defense across southeast Louisiana, where she handled hearings, motion practice, negotiations with prosecutors, and trials, gaining significant courtroom experience early in her career.
Before entering private practice, Chazan served as a staff attorney with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services in the Veterans and Innovative Projects Unit where she handled matters dealing with the collateral consequences of formerly incarcerated individuals reentering into our community. During law school, she served as a Rule XX student practitioner and worked with the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office. She was also a Gillis Long intern with the Louisiana Civil Justice Center and the Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana.
Chazan received her BA in criminal justice, with a minor in forensic science from Loyola University New Orleans in 2016. She earned her JD from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in December 2019 and was admitted to practice in Louisiana in May 2020.
Active in bar leadership, Chazan previously served as the District 2 Representative on the LSBA YLD and as co-chair of the Young Lawyers Conference. She is also the chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Jefferson Bar Association. In 2024, she received the Jefferson Bar Association Award of Merit.
Originally from the Atlanta area, Chazan has called New Orleans home since 2012. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, completing the NYT crossword puzzle, and spending time with her husband, Blake, and their dog, Nial.
701 Poydras St Ste 4000
New Orleans, LA 70139
Phone: (504) 525-6802
Fax: (504) 525-2456
Email:
cchazan@gallowaylawfirm.com
Immediate Past Chair
Mr. Collin R Melancon Collin R. Melancon is a partner and owner at Mansfield Melancon – Injury Lawyers in Baton Rouge, where he represents injured clients throughout Louisiana. His practice centers on advocating for survivors of sexual abuse, work he approaches with genuine commitment to his clients’ well-being and long-term recovery.
Melancon earned his bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Louisiana State University in 2011 and his JD from Loyola University College of Law in 2015, where he was admitted to the Louisiana bar the same year. During law school, he served on the Loyola Law Review and was nominated to its Editorial Board. He graduated with Summa Cum Laude, receiving Loyola’s Spirit of St. Ignatius Award for Outstanding Law Graduate, and the LSBA Civil Code Award for finishing first in his class in the Louisiana civil law division.
He has served in many roles in the LSBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) having served six years as the YLD’s representative on the Louisiana Judicial Council. He has served the YLD in prior roles as chair, chair-elect, secretary, and District 1 representative on the YLD Council. Melancon is a frequent speaker at legal conferences and CLE programs, including the Louisiana Young Lawyers Conference and the LSBA CLE Department seminars.
He is an active member of the Baton Rouge Bar Association and the Louisiana Association for Justice. He has been recognized as a Louisiana Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in personal injury law every year from 2020 to 2026.
Melancon and his wife, Jillian, have been married for seven years and are the proud parents of two children.
404 Europe St
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Phone: (504) 814-1496
Fax: (504) 208-3427
Email:
collin@mmcdlaw.com
District One Representative
Ms. Margaret Louise Manning Margaret L. Manning is an associate attorney with Stanley Reuter Alford Owen Munson & Paul, LLC, in New Orleans.
She received her BA in mass communication, cum laude, with Honors College Distinction, in 2017 from Louisiana State University. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame.
While attending Notre Dame, she competed as a member of the Notre Dame Law School Barrister’s Mock Trial Team and was an active member of the Notre Dame Law Student Bar Association, serving as 1L representative, communications director and Executive Board secretary. Upon graduation, she received the faculty-elected Kyle D. Smith Mock Trial Award and the King Williams Memorial Award.
Following law school, she clerked for Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. She is a former member of the Leadership LSBA Class. She presently serves on the New Orleans Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section Executive Council and the Association of Women Attorneys of New Orleans Board.
She is also a member of the LSBA Committee on the Profession, the New Orleans Bar Association Inn of Court and the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.
In her community, Manning attends Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in New Orleans.
909 Poydras St Ste 2500
New orleans, LA 70112
Phone: (504) 523-1580
Email:
mlm@stanleyreuter.com
District One Representative
Ms. Jennifer Gordon Lampton Jennifer Gordon Lampton is the research attorney for Judge Nakisha Ervin-Knott with the Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeal, Division A, in New Orleans. Previously, she was senior law clerk for Judge Ervin-Knott at Orleans Parish Civil District Court. She received a BS in management in 2009, with a focus on legal studies in business and political science, from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University and her JD (Civil Law Division, Common Law Certificate) in 2012 from Loyola University College of Law. She was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2014.
Lampton is a member of the LSBA Diversity Committee and Outreach Committee and was a member of the 2019-20 Leadership LSBA Class. She is a member of the New Orleans Bar Association (current Young Lawyers Section vice chair; 2022-23 YLS secretary; and 2021-22 YLS treasurer), the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Inc. and the A.P. Tureaud American Inn of Court (current board member). Lampton and her husband Kevin have been married for 10 years and are the parents of one child.
410 Royal St Ste 3130
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: (504) 412-6088
Fax:
Email:
jgl@la4th.org
District Two Representative
Ms. Lauren Taylor Kirichkow Lauren T. Kirichkow is the legal director at the Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana (JAC), where she oversees legal programming and litigates expungement and in forma pauperis matters across the state. Her work focuses on expungement advocacy and access-to-justice initiatives, including designing systems that expand equitable legal services for impacted communities. She regularly speaks on Louisiana expungement law and access to justice issues, providing practical guidance to attorneys, advocates and self-represented litigants.
Kirichkow earned her BS in criminology from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and her JD in 2021 from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.
An active member of the bar, she serves as a member-at-large with the Jefferson Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.
Kirichkow was a recipient of the LSBA Pro Bono Law Student Award.
In her free time, she enjoys working out, painting, spending time with her partner and taking her dog on walks.
4640 S Carrollton Ave Ste 280
New Orleans, LA 70119
Phone: (504) 322-4050
Email:
lauren@jaclouisiana.org
District Two Representative
Mr. Andrew Ash Maberry Andrew A. (Andy) Maberry is an attorney with Winston Bergeron, LLP, where he focuses on appellate advocacy and complex motion practice. His practice includes matters in all Louisiana state courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He concentrates on legal research, brief writing and issue development at the appellate level, while also supporting trial-court litigation with an emphasis on preserving the record and framing legal issues. His background in district court litigation informs his appellate work by grounding legal arguments in practical trial experience.
Maberry earned his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and his JD, with a certificate in social justice, from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2019. He was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2019.
His additional professional affiliations include membership in the Louisiana Association for Justice, the Bar Association for the Federal Fifth Circuit and the National Police Accountability Project. He has also volunteered with the LSBA Young Lawyers Division’s Wills for Heroes program. In 2019, he was honored as a Gillis Long Social Justice Fellow.
A native of Shreveport, Maberry enjoys attending festivals and live music and spending time with his family. He and his spouse, Brett Stephenson, are the proud parents of one son.
8120 Oak St
New Orleans, LA 70118
Phone: (504) 577-2500
Fax: (504) 577-2562
Email:
andy@winstonbergeron.com
District Three Representative
Mr. Jared Elijah-Akeem Nelson Jared E. Nelson is an Associate Attorney in the Lafayette office of Galloway, Johnson, Tompkins, Burr & Smith, LLP, where he represents clients throughout Louisiana in workers’ compensation, medical malpractice, commercial litigation, and personal injury defense matters from pre-suit strategy through trial.
Nelson earned his BA in Government from the University of Virginia in 2008, his Master of Public Administration from Southern University and A&M College in 2010, and his JD, cum laude, from Southern University Law Center in 2018, where he also served as a Junior Editor for the Journal of Race, Gender and Poverty and became a certified mediator. He was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2018.
Prior to joining Galloway, Johnson, Tompkins, Burr & Smith, LLP, Nelson practiced at Liskow & Lewis, APLC, where he focused on energy and environmental litigation and personal injury defense, including representing major corporate clients in complex, high-stakes matters. He also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Louisiana Department of Justice, where he handled tort, general liability, and civil rights litigation on behalf of the State of Louisiana. Before entering the legal profession, he served for seven years as a Probation and Parole Officer with the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
Nelson is deeply involved in professional leadership and bar service. He currently serves as an Assistant Examiner for the Louisiana Supreme Court Committee on Bar Admissions. He is an active leader within the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, where he has served as a Leadership Academy Scholar, Assembly Assistant, Men of Color Project Chair, Assembly Parliamentarian, and currently serves as Vice Director of the Leadership Academy.
Nelson is also actively involved in the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, where he serves on the Board of Directors and as Secretary of the Young Lawyers Committee, and maintains leadership roles with the Institute for Energy Law, the American Inn of Court of Acadiana, and the Lafayette Bar Association.
Nelson has received numerous professional honors, including recognition as a Louisiana Super Lawyers “Rising Star” 2023–25, Best Lawyers® “One to Watch” 2024–25, and Acadiana Profile “Top Lawyer” in multiple practice areas. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a recipient of the American Bar Association YLD “On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyer” Award, as well as multiple ABA and Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel awards recognizing his advocacy, leadership, and service.
In his community, Nelson is actively engaged in civic and service organizations, including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and serves as a lector at St. Benedict De Moor Catholic Church.
3861 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy Ste 300
Lafayette, LA 70503
Phone: (337) 735-1760
Fax: (337) 993-0933
Email:
jnelson@gallowaylawfirm.com
District Four Representative
Mr. Micah Owens Clemons Micah O. Clemons was born and raised in Lake Charles. He is an associate attorney at Todd Clemons and Associates, APLC where he has had the pleasure of working alongside his father, Todd Clemons, who founded the firm. Clemons’ primary area of practice is criminal defense, domestic cases, personal injury, and other general civil litigation.
Clemons has successfully tried numerous cases, including violent felonies, intrafamily adoptions, contract disputes, protective orders and more. Practicing law is his ultimate passion because he represents the citizens of Louisiana and supports them during their most difficult times.
Clemons graduated from Louisiana State University with a BS in Business Management in 2018. He earned his JD from Southern University Law Center in 2021, cum laude. While attending Southern University Law Center, Clemons served as a member of the Moot Court Board, the Board of Student Advisors as a teaching assistant for both criminal and family law, and the National Black Law Students Association. He also interned for Hon. Brian A. Jackson at the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Louisiana, and for Adam P. Johnson at the Johnson Firm in Lake Charles. After law school, he clerked for Hon. Derrick D. Kee at the 14th JDC in Lake Charles.
Clemons is a diehard New Orleans Saints and LSU fan, and likes to attend as many Saints home games as possible during each season. When he is not cheering on the Saints or the Tigers, he enjoys reading, exercising, and spending time with his beloved family.
1740 Ryan St
Lake Charles, LA 70601
Phone: (337) 477-0000
Email:
micah@toddclemons.com
District Five Representative
Mr. Manning Prentist Greene Manning P. Greene is an associate with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea LLC in Baton Rouge.
Greene received his BA in political science in 2020 from Louisiana State University. He earned his JD/DCL degree and a graduate certificate in Energy Law and Policy in 2023 from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center and was admitted to practice in Louisiana in October 2023.
An active member of the LSBA, Greene serves as the YLD District 5 representative. He is a member of the Young Lawyers Division Conference Planning Committee. He is also a member of the Baton Rouge Bar Association.
His honors include receiving the LSU University Medalist distinction and CALI Awards in Sports Law and Louisiana Civil Law of Torts. While at LSU, he also served as Analytical Manager for the 2023 LSU Baseball National Championship team.
In his community, Greene is a parishioner, Eucharistic minister and member of the Men’s Club at St. Aloysius Catholic Church. He enjoys golf, tennis, LSU sports, cooking and spending time with his dogs. He and his wife, Emma Antilley Greene, were married in 2025.
301 Main St Ste 2100
Baton Rouge, LA 70825
Phone: (225) 490-5000
Email:
mgreene@bradleyfirm.com
District Five Representative
Ms. Mary Catherine Joiner Mary Catherine Joiner is an associate with the Baton Rouge office of Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea LLC. She primarily practices in the area of energy and natural resources.
She received her undergraduate degree in business administration, international business and legal studies from Loyola University New Orleans and her JD, cum laude, from Southern University Law Center in 2018. She was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2019.
Joiner is a member of the Baton Rouge Bar Association, the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, and Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel. She has been recognized as a Louisiana Rising Star Honoree in 2025, Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Energy Law (2025) and was a speaker at the 2025 Louisiana Mineral Law Institute.
In her community, she volunteers with Live after Five; Power Pump Girls, Inc.; and the Baton Rouge Bar Association Holiday Star project. Joiner recently married John Rogillio and they are the parents of two children. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, Pilates and calligraphy.
301 Main St Ste 2100
Baton Rouge, LA 70825
Phone: (225) 490-5000
Fax: (225) 490-5001
Email:
mjoiner@bradleyfirm.com
District Six Representative
Ms. Ashley Unique Johnson Ashley U. Firven is a Partner at Hammonds, Sills, Adkins, Guice, Noah & Perkins, LLP. In this role, she has specialized in Civil Litigation, Employment Law, Insurance Defense, and Workers’ Compensation. She works personally to ensure strong client relationships, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to securing justice for her clients.
Firven’s dedication to education and social justice is further exemplified by her tenure as a Teach for America Corps Member from August 2014 to May 2016. She served as an 8th and 9th Grade ELA/Reading Teacher at Northeast High School in Pride, LA, where she maintained classroom discipline, developed lesson plans aligned with curriculum objectives, and supported students in their examination preparations.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Firven is actively involved in organizations that serve her community. She contributes to the LSBA as a member of the House of Delegates and supports hurricane relief efforts through the LSBA Hurricane Relief Hotline. She also dedicates her time to the Baton Rouge Bar Association’s Pro Bono Clinic. Her commitment to community service extends to her involvement with the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society – Baton Rouge Chapter, where she contributes as a member of the Events Committee. Firven is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Firven continues to share her knowledge and leadership skills, and her hard work is a testament to her dedication to both the education and legal fields. In June 2023, Firven was installed as the district 6 Representative on the 2023-24 Young Lawyers Division Council. She was also a graduate of the LSBA Leadership 2022-23 class. She has previously been a speaker and has shared her legal expertise with law students at both LSU and Southern University.
Firven earned her BA in Political Science from the University of California in 2014, where she concentrated in American Politics and got a minor in Black Studies. Ashley actively contributed to her community during her time at UC Santa Barbara, serving as the President of Akanke, a Women of Color Support Group, and taking on the role of Education Chair for the Black Student Union.
Firven pursued her JD at the Southern University Law Center, where she graduated cum laude in 2019. During her time at law school, she excelled as the Senior Editor of the Journal of Race, Gender, and Poverty, showcasing her dedication to addressing important societal issues. Firven also served as a Teaching Assistant for the Board of Student Advisors and received the prestigious Cali Award for achieving the highest grade in her Basic Civil Procedure class.
2431 S Acadian Thrwy Ste 600
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Phone: (225) 923-3462
Fax: (225) 923-0315
Email:
ajohnson@hamsil.com
District Seven Representative
Ms. Jana L Robinson Jana L. Robinson is the Senior Legal Counsel of U.S. Operations at Drax, based in Monroe. She received a BA in 2014 from the University of Louisiana-Monroe and her JD in 2017 from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center. She was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2017.
Robinson has been on the YLD since 2024. She has served on Wills for Heroes, Barristers for Boards, and the Awards Committee.
Robinson is currently serving as a member of the LSBA MCLE Committee and LSBA Budget Committee.
She and her husband Scott have been married for six years and are the parents of two children. In her spare time, she enjoys doing ceramics and spending time with her family.
1500 N 19th St
Monroe, LA 71201
Phone: (318) 372-0382
Fax:
Email:
jana.robinson@drax.com
District Eight Representative
Ms. Jasmine Carlette Cooper Jasmine C. Cooper is an assistant district attorney for the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office in Shreveport. She received her BA in political science in 2017 from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge and her JD in 2020 from Southern University Law Center. She was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2021.
Cooper was a member of the Leadership LSBA 2022-23 Class. She is a member of the Shreveport Bar Association and the Harry V. Booth/
Judge Henry A. Politz American Inn of Court. She was recognized in the Top Lawyers 2026 Shreveport/Bossier list by SB Magazine.
In her community, she is a member of the League of Women Voters, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the NAACP. Cooper also serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisiana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
501 Texas St Fl 6
Shreveport, LA 71101
Phone: (318) 226-6829
Fax: (318) 841-5532
Email:
jcooper@caddoda.com
At-Large Representative
Mr. Joseph T D Tran Joseph T.D. Tran, CIPP/US, AIGP, is an associate general counsel for LAMMICO, where he provides support in corporate legal affairs with a focus in health and insurance law, intellectual property, cybersecurity, privacy and artificial intelligence. He received a BS in mechanical engineering from Louisiana State University and his JD from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. He was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2016 and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Tran is a current member of the Louisiana Bar Journal’s Editorial Board and chair of the LSBA Inclusive Practice Section. He serves as the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Representative for Louisiana. He served as co-chair of the Leadership LSBA 2022-23 Class and was a member of the Leadership LSBA 2021-22 Class.
He is chair-elect for the Jefferson Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division and serves on the executive boards of the Louisiana Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Vietnamese American Bar Association. In the community, Tran served as a board member of the Algiers Economic Development Foundation. In 2025, he received the LSBA Young Lawyers Division’s Bat P. Sullivan, Jr. Chair’s Award and was selected as a NAPABA Leadership Advancement Program fellow.
1 Galleria Blvd Ste 700
Metairie, LA 70001
Phone: (985) 255-6988
Fax:
Email:
jtran@lammico.com
At-Large Representative
Mr. Josef Philip Miranda Ventulan Josef P. Ventulan is a staff attorney with the Louisiana State Law Institute (LSLI). Prior to joining the LSLI, he clerked for Judge Lisa M. Woodruff-White (Ret.). He also served as a board attorney for the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals and as an adjunct professor at Southern University Law Center. His professional interests include the synergies of technology and law, economic and tax policy, and local economic development.
Ventulan received his undergraduate in accounting from Louisiana State University and his JD from Southern University Law Center, where he graduated first in his class and received a certification in tax law. He also served as the editor-in-chief of the Southern University Law Review. He was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2020.
Ventulan is an active member of the American Bar Association (ABA) Young Lawyers Division, previously serving as a council member. He is a member of both the Affiliates and Membership Committees and the Long-Range Planning Board. He is a member of the ABA’s Standing Committee on Gavel Awards.
He is a member of the LSBA Access to Justice Committee and the Baton Rouge Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section Council, Publications Committee and Pro Bono Committee. He formerly served as a junior council member of the LSLI, and as YLD District 5 representative.
In his community, he serves on the board of directors of Forum 225, a Baton Rouge nonprofit focused on creating opportunities for young professionals to grow philanthropically, professionally and civically, and Power Pump Girls, Inc., a nonprofit aiming to serve and empower women. He is a Future Leaders Council member of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana.
1 E Campus Dr Ste W127
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Phone: (225) 578-0200
Fax: (225) 527-0211
Email:
ventulanj@lsli.org
At-Large Representative
Ms. Taylor Brooke Ashworth Taylor B. Ashworth is an associate in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller, LLP. She practices in the offshore energy and marine litigation and the casualty and mass tort groups. She received a BS in mass communication, cum laude, in 2017 from McNeese State University and her JD/DCL degree, cum laude, in 2020 from LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. She was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 2020.
Ashworth was a member of the Leadership LSBA 2022-23 Class and is a member of the LSBA Outreach Committee. She has volunteered as a mock trial competition judge for the LSBA Young Lawyers Division’s Mock Trial Competition.
She is a member of the Lafayette Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section and a former chair of the Membership and Mentor Committee. She also is a member of the Baton Rouge Bar Association, the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel and the Women’s Energy Network South Louisiana Chapter (former Lafayette Program Director).
In law school, she was a junior and senior associate on the Louisiana Law Review. She was the Robert Lee Tullis Moot Court Competition finalist, winning best brief and an oralist award. She was a member of four external advocacy teams and won a best oralist award at the National Pretrial Competition. She won the LSU Law Opening Statement Competition during her 1L year.
Ashworth was selected as an academic tutor to her peers in torts and obligations and served as a research assistant to Professor William R. Corbett. She also served as an extern for Judge Shelly D. Dick, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
She is a member of the recruiting committee and is a summer associate mentor at her firm. In her community, she regularly volunteers her time as a judge for the various LSU Law advocacy program competitions and external team practices.
She is married to Baton Rouge attorney Peyton Gascon.
400 Convention St Ste 700
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Phone: (225) 387-0999
Fax:
Email:
taylor.ashworth@keanmiller.com
At-Large Representative
Ms. Malika Lanae Howard Malika L. Howard is the Judicial Law Clerk for Hon. Robin D. Pittman of Section F at Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. Since 2020, she has provided high level legal and procedural support to the Court in complex criminal matters. She received a BA in Criminal Justice with a minor in Communications from Loyola University New Orleans in 2015 and earned her JD from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2020. Howard was admitted to practice in Louisiana in October 2020.
During law school, she competed in the American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition as a member of Loyola’s Advocacy Center’s Trial Advocacy Program. She also served on the Executive Board as Intramural & Selections Chair of the Trial Advocacy Board. Additionally, she held a position as Social Chair for Loyola’s Black Law Student Association and served as a Gillis Long intern at Disability Rights Louisiana, formerly known as Advocacy Center of Louisiana (2019).
Howard is a member of the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Society and currently sits as co-chair of the Gala Committee. She also serves as a board member of Loyola University’s Young Alumni Pack Board and is the Immediate Past President and is a member of the New Orleans Independent Women Organization. She is also a member of the Mardi Gras krewe, Krewe of Cleopatra.
Outside of work, she participates in trivia nights with friends, explores new places and spends time with her dog. She also proudly serves as President of NolaBookBabes, a New Orleans based book club founded in July 2021.
2700 Tulane Ave Fl 2 Sec F
New Orleans, LA 70119
Phone: (504) 658-9184
Fax: (504) 658-9181
Email:
mhoward@criminalcourt.org