Federal Judges Reception

The New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association is proud to host this annual event with our area law firm sponsors and guests. It is the perfect time to mix and mingle with the bench and the bar all while celebrating the judiciary.

Pricing:

• Individual — $75

• Judicial Law Clerk — $35

• FBA Member Law Students — $35

Sponsorships Available:

• Platinum — $1,500 (Allows 10 guests to attend)

• Gold — $900 (Allows 5 guests to attend)

• Silver — $750 (Allows 3 guests to attend)

• Sponsorships may be paid for on Eventbrite or by check. Sponsors should email their logo to nofbarsvp@gmail.com

  • To pay by check, mail it to: New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, 500 Poydras St., B-245, New Orleans, LA 70130

• Sponsors are no longer asked to submit a list of attendees. Guests will check in using the name of the firm they are a guest of.

• Sponsors will be featured on social media, on our website, and in our quarterly newsletter.

• Sponsorship pledges and payments must be received by October 26, 2026, to be listed on the sponsor board.

Thank you for your support!

FBA CLE: What a Way to Make a Living

There are many ways to make a living with a law degree. As a result, the best career advice can’t be one size fits all. “Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder,” Sheryl Sandberg wrote in Lean In. And Dolly Parton once famously said, “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”

These tips are true for all lawyers, but especially for women who more often balance practice with caregiving, career pivots, and other everyday plot twists. Three generations of attorneys will share ways, at every age and stage, to climb this jungle gym—from the long hours of building a practice and your reputation, to the mid-career stretch of proving yourself, to the perspective that comes with finally being the boss. At each stop, our panelists share practical, real-world strategies for checking in with yourself, adjusting course, and getting ready for whatever's next — planned or not. Whether you're just clocking in or you've been climbing for decades, this session offers honest, stage-specific guidance for building a legal career you’re proud of. And can live with.

Panel 1: “Pour Myself a Cup of Ambition”: Setting the Foundation & Climbing (30 min.)

• Moderator: Sascha Leidecker, Tulane Law School (3L)

• Monette Davis; Stone Pigman (Associate)

• Eliza Gottfried; Promise of Justice Initiative (Senior Attorney)

• Carly McCleskey, Loyola University College of Law (Westerfield Fellow)

• Rachel Naquin, JJC Law (Attorney)

Panel 2: “Blood Starts Pumpin’”: Rising to the Top & Branching Out (30 min.)

• Moderator: Chloé Chetta; Barrasso Usdin (Member)

• Camille Bryant; Ochsner Health (Assistant General Counsel)

• Stephanie Graf Gamble; Sessions Fishman (Partner)

• Kathryn Munson; Stanley Reuter Alford Owen Munson & Paul (Managing Partner)

• Kathlyn Perez; Perez Law (Founding Member)

Panel 3: “Service & Devotion”: View from the Top & Still Growing (30 min.)

• Moderator: Hon. Janis van Meerveld; Chief Magistrate Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana

• Judy Y. Barrasso, Barrasso Usdin (Founding Member)

• Charline Gipson, City of New Orleans (City Attorney)

• Alanah Odoms, ACLU of Louisiana (Executive Director)

Co-sponsored by: New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, Association for Women Attorneys (New Orleans), Martinet Society, Tulane Women in Law, and Loyola Women in Law Student Association.

• CLE, including 1 hour of Professionalism, has been approved in Louisiana

• This CLE is offered at no charge, but advance registration is required.

• This CLE is offered in person or by Zoom.

Cocktails & Career Conversations

In our fast-paced world of work obligations, family commitments, and finding time for yourself, where is the time to build your brand and market yourself as an attorney?

How can you stand out in the saturated legal market?

As this is often a topic of conversation, we have invited Elizabeth Brick to join us to give some tips and suggestions.

Elizabeth owns Coterie Strategies and is a legal marketing and business development professional with more than a decade of experience helping lawyers build their brands and maximize their revenue potential. She will give advice on advocating for yourself, raising your profile, and building the relationships that drive revenue. Elizabeth will have time for questions, so be sure to bring yours.

This program is open to members and non-members, so grab your friends and colleagues and join us for an evening of interesting conversation and fellowship! To ensure meaningful conversation, seating at this event is limited.

Drink tickets (2) and light bites included.

Career Speed Dating

To Our Law Student Members:

Join us for our second annual Career Speed Dating Event. Come visit in a roundtable fashion with attorneys in the practice areas of Admiralty, Commercial Litigation, Criminal, Personal Injury, and Transactional. We will have representatives on both the Plaintiff/Prosecution and Defense sides. Listen to what they do every day. Bring your questions. Attendees will have time to visit with each of the practice areas. The roundtables will be followed by a reception.

To promote open conversation between our attorneys and participants, space is very limited. It is ONLY open to FBA Student Chapter members. This event is presented at no charge to our members.

If the event is sold out, please join the waitlist by emailing nofbarsvp@gmail.com. We will do our best to accommodate the waitlist.

Peek Behind the Curtain of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of LA featuring EDLA and State-Court Judges

Please join our Federal and State Court Judges and Officials as we bring our Introduction to Federal Court CLE to the Bayou Parishes. This CLE and reception are offered complimentary to all area attorneys. We look forward to sharing valuable and insightful information about practicing in the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Agenda for the Afternoon:

12:55pm — Welcome and Opening Remarks: Honorable Jane Triche Milazzo

1:00-2:00pm — Bankruptcy 101 with the Honorable Meredith Grabill

• Judge Grabill will give a comprehensive overview of the USDC EDLA Bankruptcy Court, including best practices and procedures. This session is designed to demystify the Bankruptcy Court, give a practical understanding of how it operates, and provide valuable insight and tips for practitioners who need to bring a case before the Court. Judge Grabill will also cover important local rules and procedural considerations practitioners need to know.

2:00-3:00pm — Filings 101: A Hands-On Session with EDLA Clerk of Court Carol Michel and Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court Annette Fontana

• Our Clerks will compare and contrast filing in federal versus state court. They will share best practices along with dos and don’ts while highlighting key procedural similarities and differences. Attendees will gain valuable insight into how each court system operates from the clerk’s perspective, and receive a wealth of information to make the filing process easier.

3:00-4:00pm —Welcome to Federal Court: A Panel Discussion of Best Practices and Procedures

• This session brings together a distinguished panel of three federal judges to provide an inside look at navigating the federal judicial system. Designed for civil and criminal litigators alike, this session pulls back the curtain on rules, evolving district policies, and effective advocacy. Attendees will gain practical strategies to streamline their federal practice and avoid common procedural pitfalls

  • Panelists include Eastern District of Louisiana judges:

    • Honorable Barry Ashe

    • Honorable Susie Morgan

    • Honorable Darrel Papillion

  • Moderated by Kathryn Munson, Esq.—Stanley Reuter

4:00–5:00pm —Professionalism in State and Federal Court

• This discussion will highlight the contrast between the two jurisdictions while focusing on the core tenets of the Louisiana lawyer's oath and Rules of Professional Conduct, highlighting the requirements of honesty, civility, and fairness. Our panelists will share their observations from the bench.

  • Panelists include:

    • Chief Judge Wendy Vitter, Eastern District of Louisiana

    • Judge Marla Abel, Louisiana 17th Judicial District Court

  • Moderated by Danny Cavell, Esq.—Morvant & Cavell

5:00-6:00pm — Reception in the Greenhouse

CLE Pending Approval
* Pre-Registration Requested *

Member Appreciation Event for NOFBA Law School Members

The New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association invites all of our law student members from Loyola University College of Law and Tulane University School of Law to join us for an evening of networking, celebration, and thanks.

Our FBA and YLD Boards of Directors, as well as representatives from New Orleans area law firms, look forward to coming together to visit with our law school members and thank them for being a part of our organization.

This event is complimentary to all FBA Law School members. Only FBA Law Student members are welcome to attend. If you are not a member, check with your school's FBA chapter, which can give you the link to join. FBA membership for law students is free of charge for your 3 years of Law School and your first year of practice.

Cocktails and light bites provided.

Sponsorship Information

The FBA would like to celebrate and thank the students who are members of our Tulane and Loyola law school chapters. To do this, we are hosting a member appreciation event. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, 2026, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm at Monkey Hill Bar (6100 Magazine St, New Orleans). The event is open to attorneys from our sponsoring law firms as well as our FBA and YLD Boards of Directors. No other practicing attorneys are invited.

This is a unique opportunity for area law firms to interact with our law student members in a casual setting. To help law firms gain exposure and recognition with the students who attend, the FBA is offering law firms an opportunity to sponsor the event and send representatives to attend.

Sponsorships are $250 and will include the following recognition and benefits:

1. Firms will receive recognition on the NOFBA social media accounts (LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram) as well as in our weekly email blast and on our website.

2. The FBA will make a flyer for our law school chapters to send to their members after the event. It will recognize each sponsoring firm. The sponsoring firm will have the opportunity to provide a short description of their firm, if desired, for the flyer. The FBA will also send this flyer directly to all registered attendees.

3. Firms will receive a list of all registered attendees after the event.

Firms may send up to four (4) representatives to the event, in addition to any FBA and YLD Board Members from their firm. Attorneys are encouraged to bring their business cards. One of our law schools will be rewarding attendees who speak to the most attorneys.

Payment Options

• Tp pay by check:

  • Check should be made payable to the Federal Bar Association and mailed to 500 Poydras St, B-245, New Orleans, LA 70130.

  • Please email nofbarsvp@gmail.com to let us know of your plans to sponsor.

• To pay by credit card, use this link.

Lunch with the Court with Judge Karen Wells Roby

Lunch with the Court with U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.

The lunch, which is arranged by the Younger Lawyers Division of the Federal Bar Association, is open to FBA members at no cost. Guests are welcome for a small fee. The Lunch with the Court program is an excellent opportunity to meet federal practitioners, socialize with other attorneys, and gain valuable insights and perspectives from a member of the federal bench.

Judge Roby is retiring at the end of the year, and this will be her last Lunch with the Court. Please join us to celebrate her time on the Bench.

This event is designed to be small to promote open conversation between our guest judge and participants. Space is limited. If the event is sold out, you can join the waitlist by emailing nofbarsvp@gmail.com.

2026 POWER ACT Event: Helping Survivors of Domestic Violence

Please join the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on Thursday, September 24, 2026, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. for our 2026 POWER ACT Event - Helping Survivors of Domestic Violence.

Survivors of domestic and family violence frequently encounter complex challenges that extend across multiple practice areas, including medical and legal. This panel features attorneys and advisers who provide direct services to adults and children impacted by domestic and family violence. Panelists will discuss the importance of immediate and appropriate medical care and the participation in the prosecution to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions against vulnerable victims and increase safety in our communities by working together to help prevent future assaults. Attendees will gain an understanding of the critical role of legal advocacy in promoting safety, stability, and justice for survivors, and will leave with ideas on how they can contribute much needed pro bono services. Those already practicing in this field will gain practical insights to inform and enhance their own practice.

Panelists

• Mary Glass

  • Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Division Chief, Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office

• Heidi Martin (BSN, RN, SANE-A)

  • Forensic Clinical Supervisor University Medical Center

• Jordan Pedalino (PhD)

  • Sexual Assault Specialist with New Orleans Health Dept, Adjunct Professor at Loyola, Founder & Principal Consultant of Pedalino & Co.

• Elizabeth Heron

  • Felony Domestic Violence Advocate

The in-person program will also be accessible via Zoom. There is no charge to attend either in person or by Zoom. Pre-registration is requested.

This program is being co-sponsored by the Association for Women Attorneys, Louis A. Martinet Society, Louisiana State Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and the New Orleans Bar Association.

Approved for 1 Hour CLE Credit

Boot Camp for Trial Lawyers

Join the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and The American College of Trial Lawyers on Friday, September 18, 2026, for a day of continuing legal education on the anatomy of a trial.

This program will feature a faculty of preeminent trial lawyers and judges who will discuss and demonstrate opening statements, direct examination, cross-examination, and closing arguments. This program will use the facts of the historic Rosenberg Spy Case as the basis for the trial.

Step back into 1951 and into one of the most polarizing trials in American History. This live mock trial revisits that prosecution, focusing on the charges against Ethel Rosenberg - accused of conspiring with her husband and others to commit espionage against the United States. Using historical transcripts, declassified evidence, and modern legal analysis, seasoned attorneys will argue over her guilt or innocence, a question that continues to divide historians and lawyers. This program will also feature lectures from experienced litigators on trial strategies involving opening statements, witness examinations, and closing arguments, along with several panel discussions with federal and state judges on trial practice and what they want from trial lawyers. Throughout the day, a dynamic Q&A will allow attendees an opportunity to pose questions to the participants.

This program was designed by the American College of Trial Lawyers, which is an invitation-only organization limited to those who have demonstrated the very highest standards of trial advocacy, ethical conduct, integrity, professionalism, and collegiality.

This CLE has been approved for 5 1/2 hours of CLE credit.

Our schedule for the day is below. Please allow sufficient time for parking. Lunch and refreshments provided. The session will be followed by a reception for all participants and speakers.

Schedule

8:30 to 9:00am — Registration

9:00am — Call to Order, Welcome and Opening Remarks

• Robert Worley, Senior Exec. Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, MC Bank & Trust Co. (New Orleans, LA)

9:05am — Lecture: Opening Statement

• Rachel Webre, Laborde Siegel, LLC (New Orleans, LA)

9:25am — Demonstration of Opening Statements

• Government: David Bowling, The Bowling Law Firm (New Orleans, LA)

• Defendant: Judy Barasso, Barrasso, Usdin, Kupperman, Freeman & Sarver, LLC (New Orleans, LA)

10:00am — Break

10:10am — Lecture: Direct Examination

• Rasch Brown, Phelps Dunbar (New Orleans, LA)

10:30am — Demonstration of Direct Examination

• Government: Don McKinney, Adams & Reese, LLP (New Orleans, LA)

• Defendant: Peter Sperling, Frilot, LLC (New Orleans, LA)

11:05am — Lecture: Cross Examination

• Brent Barriere, Fishman Haygood, LLP (New Orleans, LA)

11:25am — Demonstration of Cross Examination

• Government: Honorable Jason Williams, Orleans Parish District Attorney (New Orleans, LA)

• Defendant: Kyle Schonekas, Schonekas, Evans, McGoey & McEachin, LLC (New Orleans, LA)

12:00pm — Lunch

1:00pm — Demonstration: Trial Technical Services and Strategies

• Peyton M. Bowman, Magna Legal Services (New Orleans, LA)

1:30pm — Lecture: Closing Argument

• J. Cullens, Walters, Thomas Cullens (Baton Rouge, LA)

1:50pm — Demonstration: Closing Argument

• Government: Jeff Tillery, Jones Walker, LLP (New Orleans, LA)

• Defendant: Shaun Clarke, Renzulli Law Firm, LLP (White Plains, NY)

2:25pm — Break

2:40pm — Judicial Panel: Nuances of Trying a Case

• Hon. Wendy Vitter

  • Chief Judge, United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana (New Orleans, LA)

• Hon. Jane Milazzo

  • United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana (New Orleans, LA), President, New Orleans Federal Bar Association

• Hon. Robert R. Summerhays

  • United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana (Lafayette, LA)

• Hon. Ellen Shirer Kovach

  • Twenty-Fourth Judicial District Court (Jefferson Parish, LA)

• Hon. Madeleine Landrieu

  • Dean, Loyola School of Law (New Orleans, LA)

4:10pm — Concluding Remarks

• Robert Worley

4:15pm — Reception

• EDLA Courthouse

Inside the Clerkship: Advice from Judges and Clerks

The New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association’s Federal Judicial Law Clerk Committee invites all Louisiana law students to a Clerkship Panel featuring federal judges and law clerks who will discuss:

• What clerks actually do

• Why clerkships matter

• How to land one

Monday, August 25, 2025 at 4:30 PM

Hosted at Tulane Law School—Weinmann Hall, 6329 Freret St., New Orleans, LA 70118

Panelists include:

• Hon. Dana Douglas, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

• Hon. Darrel Papillion, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

• Hon. Eva Dossier, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

Moderator: Vanessa Beary, Assistant Dean for Career Development, Tulane Law School

Reception to follow.

Open to all Louisiana law students. Session is Complimentary.  Registration requested.

A Peek Behind the Curtain at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals: The Clerk and Circuit Judges Explain the Court's Procedures and Preferences

This event is being co-sponsored by the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit.

This two-hour CLE program will address aspects of appellate practice at the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

• In the first hour, Clerk of Court Lyle W. Cayce will offer attendees a view behind the curtain.

  • His presentation will address the lifecycle of a Fifth Circuit appeal, the allotment of cases and handling of ancillary motions, and the resources the clerk’s office offers for helping lawyers comply with court rules. Mr. Cayce will also present up-to-date statistics on case outcomes and outline the court’s mediation program.

• In the second hour, a panel of three U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judges (names to be announced closer to the event) will participate in a panel discussion.

  • The panel will address some pre-selected topics on appellate advocacy, with a specific focus on best practices in brief writing and oral argument.

Reception to follow in the Fifth Circuit Great Hall

Approved for 2 hours of CLE Credit or 2 hours of Appellate Practice Law CLE Credit

Summer Seminar CLE

Join the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association on Friday, July 17, 2026 for a day of continuing legal education on recent developments in federal criminal law.

Hosted at the Offices of Jones Walker, 201 St. Charles Avenue, 51st Floor, New Orleans

This event is co-sponsored by the Women's White Collar Defense Association.

Speakers will explore recent developments in the law with an eye on defending clients in federal criminal cases. This 7 hour CLE including 1 hour of Professionalism and 1 hour of Ethics is free for Government Attorneys, Federal Public Defenders, CJA Panel Attorneys, and FBA members. WWCDA members are offered a reduced price ticket. Nonmembers are welcome for a small fee.

Please allow sufficient time for parking. Lunch and refreshments provided.

• 8:00 to 8:30am— Registration

  • Check in at the reception desk on the 51st floor.

• 8:30 - 9:30am— What's New in the 2026 Sentencing Guidelines presented by Jessica Collins (USSC)

  • Ms. Collins will discuss recent cases related to federal sentencing as well as focusing on Guideline Amendments and related topics.

• 9:30 - 10:30am— The BOP: A Deeper Dive presented by Jack Donson, Executive Director of the Federal Prison Education & Reform Alliance – PERA and Paul Gibson, Chief Operating Officer of PERA

  • This session will include practice tips regarding mitigation and proactively managing the presentence investigation for better outcomes. It will also provide an insider's perspective on classification, designation, BOP programs and the First Step Act. Jack and Paul have worked in various prison environments from pre-trial operations to penitentiaries. All BOP issues can be addressed and they will be available for Q & A during the breaks throughout the day.

• 10:30 - 10:45am— Break

• 10:45 - 11:45am— Ethics Issues in IAC Claims presented by Professor Tigran W. Eldred, Senior Lecturer at Boston University School of Law

  • This session will consider ethical issues that arise in claims for ineffective assistance of counsel. These include duties owed by the lawyer who was allegedly ineffective (“former counsel”), such as the duty to cooperate with the former client’s new lawyer (“successor counsel”); the duty to provide the former client’s file to successor counsel; the duty to convey information not contained in the former client’s file to successor counsel; and the scope of the duty of confidentiality owed to the former client. Practical ways for successor counsel to navigate the relationship with former counsel will also be addressed.

• 11:45 - 12:15pm— Lunch provided by the Federal Bar Association

• 12:15 - 1:15pm — What’s new in the Fifth Circuit? Firearms, search warrants, and more presented by Steven Spires of the Federal Public Defender’s Office

  • This session will cover recent developments in Fifth Circuit law concerning firearms offenses and constitutional challenges to firearm possession prosecutions. Mr. Spires will also give a brief refresher on search and seizure litigation, review recent victories, and address the Supreme Court's Chatrie decision concerning geofence warrants.

• 1:15 - 2:15pm— Professionalism: A (Retired) Judge’s View on What Works and What Doesn’t presented by retired federal Judge Stanwood Duval

  • This professionalism hour will feature retired federal Judge Stanwood Duval sharing candid insights and opinions on effective advocacy in federal criminal cases. Drawing from his years on the federal bench, Judge Duval will discuss what works and what doesn’t in everything from trial and motions practice to sentencing advocacy. He will also discuss thoughts on tactics for successful plea negotiations based on his years as a mediator and arbitrator after he left the federal bench. The discussion will be moderated by Sara Johnson, but questions from the audience will be encouraged.

• 2:15 - 2:30pm— Break

• 2:30 - 3:30pm— Thinking — We mean Really Thinking — About Plea Agreements and Factual Bases presented by Attorneys Stephen Haedicke and James Washington

  • It’s probably the case that most federal criminal practitioners haven’t stopped and really thought about plea agreements and factual bases in some time. We often argue about various aspects of the documents presented to us by the government, but there is typically a lot of unspoken and unexamined agreement about the typical forms. This presentation—which will hopefully evolve into a group discussion and brainstorming session—will try to identify and expose those examined assumptions about the plea agreement process. Going back to first principles (e.g. Rule 11), we will discuss what the law actually requires for plea agreements and factual bases, and contrast that with the usual practices in the federal courts of Louisiana. We will provide some thoughts about pleading with and without agreements, and brainstorm how we might push back on the government’s position on the terms of any agreements and the drafting of the factual basis.

• 3:30 - 4:30pm — FBI Investigations, Records and Files for Defense Attorneys presented by Mike Zummer with Empower Oversight

  • This one-hour CLE will focus on the FBI investigative process, specifically how it organizes its files so that attorneys, particularly criminal defense attorneys, will know how to ensure the FBI has turned over all required evidence in discovery. The CLE will cover the following specific topics: 1. What basis the FBI has to open certain investigations and what investigative authorities it has for different types of investigations. 2. How the FBI organizes its investigative files and the different types of documents maintained in them. 3. The FBI’s computerized central records system and other electronic records it maintains. 4. The FBI’s methods to search for records in its system and how different entities within the FBI will respond to criminal discovery, civil discovery, and Freedom of Information Act requests. 5. The FBI’s ability to restrict and prohibit access to records in its computerized system. 6. Common problems in criminal discovery and how to address them. 7. Other means of obtaining FBI records and the challenges with them. 8. The FBI’s use of classified information and how that may arise in criminal cases.