LL.M. News

Professor Olivier Moréteau: Bonjour Noémie, thank you for visiting LSU Law where you joined us as an LL.M. candidate in 2018-2019, graduating in May 2019. Tell us what you have accomplished in the meantime.

Noémie Le Colleter: After graduating, I took advantage of the academic training program under the J1 visa, which allows you to stay in the US for employment for up to 18 months. I was hired by a capital defense law firm in Baton Rouge. For a year and a half, I assisted attorneys with the litigation of death penalty cases in Louisiana trial courts, which is with no doubt the most impactful experience I’ve had so far.

After moving back to France, I took the New York bar exam and was admitted as an attorney in October 2021.

Wanting to finish my legal education in France, I pursued a Master’s degree in Human Rights at Université Grenoble Alpes with the intention of working for an international organization or NGO.

I had the chance to be selected for an internship with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to work on combatting human trafficking and migrant smuggling issues, and after with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office of the Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. I am hoping to continue working on human rights and criminal justice issues at the international level.

OM: Did the LL.M. help you in any of these great ventures?

NLC: I am convinced that the LL.M. and the doors it has opened for me after graduation played a big part in where I am now. As an LL.M. student, I had the opportunity to intern with the Public Defender’s office in Baton Rouge during my second semester, and to take several classes related to criminal law and criminal justice, including on capital punishment. Those were of a great help when I started working on capital cases. While I’m not practicing law at the moment, there are many skills I gained thanks to the LL.M. that prove useful every day from being able to analyze cases and pieces of legislation, and adapting to different legal systems, to skills like organization and handling a heavy workload.

OM: Is there a particular memory that you would like to share?

NLC: Prior to studying at LSU, I never visited the Southern United States. I cherish many memories from my time in Louisiana, from meeting new friends, exchanging with great Professors, and enjoying Louisiana food and culture. Mardi Gras is an experience not to be missed! But coming to the LL.M. program, I remember the trip to to New Orleans during Orientation, to visit the Supreme Court of Louisiana with Professor Moréteau. There, we were given a tour of the courthouse and the library, where I could hold in my hands the original edition of the French Code Civil, an experience I never had in France!

OM: Do you have a message or advice to prospective candidates who may hesitate to apply?

NLC: The LL.M. at LSU is a small program compared to other law schools, which allows for students to bond relatively quickly. The sense of solidarity I developed with other LL.M. students made a great difference in my overall experience. The LL.M. program at LSU Law offers great opportunities that candidates may not think of. If you are interested in gaining experience in legal practice, you can combine classes with a part time internship or participate in one of the legal clinics offered. Just like me, you can also decide to stay after graduating for a substantial professional experience. The LL.M. prepares you really well for the New York Bar Exam while making room for classes you are really interested in. The agreement LSU has with Université Grenoble Alpes (my home university) helped tremendously and I am ever so grateful for the opportunity to study at LSU Law.

Friday, August 9, 2019, marked a highlight in the LL.M. Orientation, with a field trip to New Orleans including a visit to the Supreme Court of Louisiana, located in the superbly renovated court building at 400 Royal Street. With five J.D. students driving our international students, team-building opportunities were optimal, and even improved as a former LL.M. and a group of legal interns from France and Quebec joined the group both for lunch and a walking tour of the French Quarter.
LSU Law thanks Trina Vincent and Robert Gunn for the tour of the Museum and Court Building, Miriam Child, Director of the Law Library of Louisiana, for the visit of the Rare Books Room, and David Rigamer for the photos.

Congratulations to our eight LL.M. candidates who graduated on June 1, 2018!

On October 12, 2017, several JD students, all members of the International Law Society, accompanied our LLM and International students to New Orleans for a visit of the Louisiana Supreme Court. We thank Robert Gun for the tour, David Rigamer for the photos, as well as the librarians of the Law Library of Louisiana.

Flávia Rocha Moody is an attorney at the Scott Law Firm in Baton Rouge, focusing her practice on immigration and nationality law. She is a native of Fortaleza, Brazil and came to the United States in 2004 with a fiancée visa. Before coming to the United States she obtained her J.D. from the University of Fortaleza (Universidade de Fortaleza – UNIFOR) in Brazil. Subsequently, she acquired her Masters in Comparative Law at the at the Louisiana State University School of Law (2012).

Since coming to the U.S., Flávia gained experience in the personal injury and class action areas as a paralegal before becoming an attorney. Additionally, she volunteered at the Immigration Law Clinic at the Louisiana State University attaining a “hands on” experience in the Immigration field.

Flávia has a personal knowledge of the anxieties and concerns associated with the immigration process. Her experience as an immigrant, as well as her family and friends, propelled her to pursue a career in the immigration law and navigate other immigrants in the complex path of immigration.

Flávia is fluent in Portuguese and English; and proficient in Spanish.