Debra Leard

504.556.4121

Involvement

  • Chair of the LADC Young Lawyers Committee
  • Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, Young Lawyers Committee, Community Initiatives Chair, District 4
  • Liskow's Diversity Committee, Diversity Committee Chair
  • Association for Women Attorneys, Programming Chair
  • Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, Young Lawyers Committee Member
  • Louisiana State Bar Association, CLE Committee Member

Recognition

  • Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch,” Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, 2023-2025
  • Louisiana Super Lawyers "Rising Star," Energy & Resources, 2022-2026
  • Louisiana State Bar Association "Pro Bono Award Finalist," 2021
  • Liskow & Lewis "Pro Bono Award," 2020
  • The National Black Lawyers "Top 40 Under 40," 2021
  • Winner of National Academy of Social Insurance Law Student Writing Award

Credentials

Education

  • Yale Law School (J.D., 2015)
  • Duke University (B.A., cum laude, 2008)
    • Reginaldo Howard Memorial Scholar
    • Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow

Bar Admissions

  • Louisiana, 2016

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District, Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court, Western District, Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District, Louisiana
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

Clerkships

  • Law Clerk to The Honorable Myron H. Thompson, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, 2015-2016

Presentations

  • "Building Business, Leading Teams: Women Attorneys on Marketing, Growth, and Leadership," LMA and AWA Panel, April 17, 2026, New Orleans, LA
  • "Ethics & Professionalism: Watch Your P's & Q's," Louisiana Bar Association, December 6, 2024
  • "A View from the Trenches," Louisiana Bar Association's Advanced Appellate Practice Seminar, December 4, 2024
  • "A Discussion on Parental Leave, " IEL Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Webinar, June 5, 2024
  • "Professionalism: Gender - Past, Present, and Future," Louisiana State Bar Association's Ethics & Professionalism: Watch Your P's & Q's CLE, December 7, 2023, New Orleans, LA
  • "Louisiana Oil & Gas Update," Liskow's Energy Law Seminar, October 26, 2023, Houston, TX
  • “The Changing Landscape of Legacy Litigation: 2022 Developments,” Liskow's Energy Webinar Series, December 7, 2022

Publications

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