Fishman Haygood Congratulates Four New Associates on Their Admission to the Louisiana Bar

Fishman Haygood is proud to congratulate four of our new associates, Sophie Gendron, Maya Jones, Nicolle Lanson, and Kiley Maher, who were sworn in as members of the Louisiana Bar today, October 26, 2026, during the Admission Ceremony held at the LSU New Orleans Lakefront Arena.

Sophie focuses her practice on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate. She received her law degree, cum laude, from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University, where she served as Managing Editor of the Louisiana Law Review. Sophie also served as a judicial extern to Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick of the Middle District of Louisiana.

Maya works on a wide range of litigation matters. She received her law degree, magna cum laude, from Southern University Law Center, where she was Valedictorian of her graduating class and Editor-in-Chief of the Southern University Law Review. Maya also founded the Jaguar to JD initiative, which offers pre-law students mentorship and professional development.

Nicolle focuses on public utilities regulation, energy, and general business litigation, bringing several years of prior experience in the field as a legal assistant. She received her law degree, cum laude, from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where she served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Susie Morgan of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and earned a Law Excellence Award for her work in the Disability Justice Clinic.

Kiley works on a wide range of litigation matters. She graduated cum laude from Tulane University Law School with a Certificate in Environmental Law and was named the 2026 recipient of The Haber Joseph McCarthy Environmental Law Award. Kiley was also inducted into Tulane Law School’s Pro Bono Krewe for completing over 150 hours of pro bono work.

RaeLeah Staten, a Southern University Law Center graduate, also successfully passed the July 2026 bar exam. She will officially join Fishman Haygood’s team as an associate in the firm’s Business Section when she is sworn in as a Louisiana Bar member next month.

The firm was also pleased to welcome Associate Teddy Todaro to the team in late August. Teddy focuses his practice on public finance transactions, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate, and his experience includes collateralized loan obligations, asset-backed lending facilities, and other structured finance transactions. Prior to joining the firm, he was an Associate in the Alternative Investments Practice at Milbank LLP in New York City.