Williams to Serve as Panelist at Southwest Region of the National Black Law Students Association 2024 Academic Leadership Retreat

On October 5, 2024, Fishman Haygood special counsel Sharonda Williams will serve on two panels at the 2024 Academic Leadership Retreat hosted by the Southwest Region of the National Black Law Students Association (SWBLSA). The sessions, “Ethical Communication and Presentation” and “Mentorship and Sponsorship: Nurturing Future Leaders in the Legal Field,” are part of a greater two-day program covering everything from financial planning and academic balance to tech in law and legal writing. The event not only allows students to learn from and network with legal professionals but also provides an opportunity to mingle with members from other local chapters. Click here to learn more about the event.

The mission of the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) is to “elevate the number of culturally responsible Black and minority attorneys, empowering them to excel academically, succeed professionally, and make positive impacts on their communities.” Regional affiliates like SWBLSA work to advance this mission by serving as advocates for diversity in legal education and in the legal profession. The Southwest Region alone serves more than 1,000 students from twenty law schools across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. Learn more about SWBLSA here.

Williams’ distinguished career spans decades of both public service and private practice. She served as City Attorney for the City of New Orleans from May 2013 to November 2015 and as Chief Deputy City Attorney from October 2011 until May 2013. As City Attorney, Williams was the lead attorney handling the most comprehensive police consent decree in the history of the United States, as well as the consent decree aimed at reforming the Orleans Parish Jail. Both of those consent decrees required Williams to engage in negotiations with the United States Department of Justice on a near daily basis. Click here to learn more about her practice.

Throughout her career, Williams has also worked to address legal issues that affect women, children, families, and the African American community broadly. She is a past board president of Bridge House and was a Grace House Women of Substance honoree in 2009. She was among the 2011 New Orleans CityBusiness Women of the Year honorees and was recognized by the National Bar Association – Women Lawyers Division with the Outstanding Woman Lawyer Hidden Figure/Impact Award in 2019. Williams was also a member of the inaugural class of the Norman C. Francis Leadership Institute from 2012-2014, and she has served on the board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union. Click to read about our attorneys’ community engagement efforts.