2016 LSU Law alumna Kristen Amond (photo by Paul Morse)
Fewer than two years since launching her own law firm in New Orleans, 2016 LSU Law graduate Kristen Amond has been included on the American Bar Association’s annual On The Rise: Top 40 Young Lawyers list, which recognizes “young lawyer members who exemplify a broad range of high achievement, innovation, vision, leadership, and legal and community service.”
“I’m very humbled by it, undoubtedly,” said Amond of the honor, “but what’s most special about it to me is that I found out after the fact that I was nominated by one of my LSU Law classmates.”
Amond was nominated for the honor by Parker Smith (’16), an attorney and founder of CoreServe Legal in New Orleans. During their final year at LSU Law, Smith served as Managing Editor of Louisiana Law Review and Amond served as Editor-in-Chief.
“Parker is an extremely talented attorney, and he has become one of my best friends and closest confidants through the years,” said Amond. “So, it’s not the accolade itself as much as the honor of having a highly-respected colleague and friend believe that I’m deserving of it.”
Along with her service on Louisiana Law Review during her time at LSU Law, Amond was among the 2016 inductees of the Order of the Coif, the highest honor a law student can receive. She graduated magna cum laude and was recognized for having completed more than 50 hours of pro bono service. She also worked as a summer associate for the Jones Walker, Stone Pigman, and Fishman Haygood law firms during her law school years, as well as an intern for the Hon. Brian A. Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
After earning her law degree, Amond served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Hon. Susie Morgan of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana for a year, and then joined Fishman Haygood as an associate in its New Orleans office, where she practiced for three years until launching her own firm. Mills & Amond LLP was founded in September 2020 by Amond and Alysson Mills, a 2008 University of Mississippi School of Law graduate who was named the 2016 Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year by the Louisiana State Bar Association. Mills was also formerly a partner at Fishman Haygood in its New Orleans office. Amond said she and Mills take pride in having attended their home states’ law schools.
“We consider ourselves generalists,” Amond said. “We are primarily litigators, but since starting our firm, I have taken an interest in representing small businesses and helping small business owners navigate all the obstacles that come with running a small business.”
Amond remains passionate about representing plaintiffs in civil rights cases on a pro bono basis, and said she always has at least one case on her docket as part of Louisiana’s federal district courts’ pro bono panels.
“That’s something that will always be important to me,” she said, “and something that I will always make time for.”
It’s fitting that a former classmate and colleague nominated Amond for the ABA On The Rise: Top 40 Young Lawyers honor, as she chose LSU Law because she felt it would be the best place to begin building a professional network of Louisiana legal professionals.
“I knew that I would be practicing in New Orleans after I graduated, and I felt that that state’s flagship law school would provide me with the best opportunities to build relationships with Louisiana lawyers and judges—and that has proven true,” Amond said. “Many of my colleagues are my former classmates, and the people who were ahead of me at LSU Law are my confidants and mentors.”
Before attending LSU Law, Amond taught in New Orleans charter schools, and she has been an advocate for public education ever since. During the LSU Law 2022 Apprenticeship Week, she taught a course on Making Your Case: What Makes Judges Read and Hear What Lawyers Say with Judge Susie Morgan. She has also been an Adjunct Professor at Tulane University since 2019, teaching a First Amendment and the Media course.
“Moving forward, one of my goals is to continue to develop relationships with clients such that I can be the best possible advocate and guide,” Amond said. “I also want to continue to remain engaged with young lawyers in the state to provide them resources and highlight their achievements. Finally, and most importantly, I want to continue working to provide access to justice to Louisiana’s underserved communities.”
