Meet Kristian B. Dobard

Bio

Kristian B. Dobard is Of Counsel with the firm practicing in the area of admiralty and maritime litigation. Kristian has experience with Jones Act defense, maintenance and cure issues, and Limitation of Liability. She has also successfully litigated a number of §1983 claims and has experience drafting vendor and talent agreements along with Certificates of Authenticity for clients in the art and entertainment industry. Kristian earned her B.A. in Economics from Tougaloo College in May of 2012 and her J.D. from Southern University Law Center (SULC) in May of 2015. While at SULC, she received an award for outstanding advocacy for her service in the Juvenile Clinic. After graduating from law school, Kristian clerked for the Honorable Lisa Woodruff-White in the Family Court of East Baton Rouge Parish.

Prior to joining the firm, Kristian served as an Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the state of Louisiana. As an AAG, she practiced in the Civil Rights section providing defense to state agencies in a variety of legal matters. She gained extensive experience in motion practice, building and maintaining client relationships, and obtained favorable rulings in Louisiana federal courts. Kristian is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana, the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals as well as the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Bars and Admissions

  • Louisiana State Bar Association
    • 2017 – 2018 LSBA Leadership Class
    • 2018 – 2020 Children’s Law Committee
  • New Orleans Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
    • 2024-25 Vice-Chair, Cannabis Law and Policy General Committee
    • 2024-25 Vice-Chair, Business Litigation General Committee
  • Federal Bar Association
    • 2023 – 2025 Board Member and Writing Competition Co-Chair, Admiralty Law Section
  • U. S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana
  • U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Education

  • Tougaloo College, Bachelor of Arts, Economics with emphasis in Business Administration, cum laude, May 2012
    • Women’s Basketball Team
    • Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
  • Southern University Law Center, Juris Doctor, May 2015

Articles

Dobard, Kristian B. “Hon. John W. DeGravelles Judge, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.” Federal Bar Association Admiralty Law Section Admiralitas, no. Summer 2024, 2024, pp. 3-5, https://www.fedbar.org/admiralty-law-section/wp-content/uploads/sites/110/2024/05/Admiralitas-Summer-2024.pdf

Dobard, K. (October 2020) Protecting Third Parties and Their Confidential Information in Discovery. DRI Raising the Bar, Vol. 17 Issue 3. https://www.dri.org/newsletters/committee-newsletters/raising-the-bar/2021/volume-17-issue-3#ProfessionalGrowth