PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
The Mississippi Bar (2013)
The Louisiana State Bar Association (2012)
The Birth Rights Bar Association (2014)
WORK EXPERIENCE
JKH Law, llc, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Attorney & Counselor at Law (Oct. 2015 – present)
Take Root Doula Services, llc, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Full Spectrum Doula (Aug. 2018 – present)
Bizer & DeReus, New Orleans, Louisiana
Associate Attorney (Jul. 2016 – Mar. 2020)
Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Domestic Relations Section II, New Orleans, Louisiana
Judicial Law Clerk & Docket Clerk to Judge Bernadette D’Souza (Nov., 2012 – April, 2015)
Tulane University Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana
Student Assistant to Prof. Jeanne Carriere (Sept., 2011 – May, 2012)
Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Division “H”, New Orleans, Louisiana
Judicial Extern to Judge Michael Bagneris (Aug., 2011 – April, 2012)
Law Offices of Sheila M. Wilkinson, PLC, Metairie, Louisiana
Law Clerk, (May, 2010 – May, 2011)
Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, Family Law Unit, New Orleans, Louisiana
Law Clerk (July – August, 2010)
Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, New Orleans, Louisiana
Judicial Intern to Judge Terri Love (June, 2010; October, 2010)
Allen & Conway, PLLC, Jackson, Mississippi
Paralegal & Legal Assistant (2004 – 2009)
Lobrano Law Firm, P.A., Ridgeland, Mississippi
Secretary/Office Manager (2003 – 2004)
PUBLICATIONS
Root of the Poisonous Tree: Historical and Current Factors Contributing to Mistreatment in Birth in the U.S.A., with Colleen P. Campbell, Farah Diaz-Tello, Deborah Fisch, Indra Lusero, Monica McLemore, and Saraswathi Vedam, Obstetric Violence: Realities, and Resistance from Around the World, Edited by Angela Castañeda, Nicole Hill, and Julie Johnson Searcy, Demeter Press, 2022
Imagining a Brave New World: Towards a Nuanced Discourse of Fetal Personhood, Women’s Rights Law Reporter, Volume 35 No. 3/4, 2014
INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
The Art of Birthing: A Holistic Conference & Experience (2021)
Hybrid Conference Presented by Sista Midwife Productions
Prison and Birth Justice Panel, Panelist
AABC Birth Institute Conference (2021)
Virtual Conference of the American Association of Birth Centers
Legislative Update: Working Toward Birth Equity at the State and Federal Level, Panelist
Empowered Motherhood Summit
Virtual Conference organized by Every Mother Counts, Aviva Romm, and Sakara (2021)
Birth Advocacy Panel, Panelist
National College of Midwifery, Taos, NM (2021 – present)
Midwifery Laws and Regulations, Online Learning Coordinator
Louisiana Bar Association, New Orleans, LA (2020)
LGBT Cultural Competency for Lawyers: Respecting Diverse Gender Identities in Pregnancy, Birth, and Lactation, Continuing Legal Education Speaker
Birth Equity Action Network: Thriving Beyond Normal
Virtual Conference organized by Health Connect One (2020)
COVID-19 Birth Equity Policy Updates & Trends: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Speaker
Law and Social Work Continuing Education Seminars, New Orleans, LA (2020 – present)
Autonomy and Shared Decision-Making in Pregnancy and Birth, Speaker
Respecting Diverse Gender Identities in Pregnancy, Birth, and Lactation, Speaker
Why Birth Justice Requires Social Workers to Address Systemic Racism, Speaker
How Social Workers Can Support New Families in the 4th Trimester, Speaker
Navigating the Perinatal Care Landscape in Louisiana, Speaker
Intent vs. Impact: Exploring the Child Welfare System, Speaker
Childbirth and the Law Conference, Chicago, IL (2018)
Paths to a Birth Justice Practice, Panelist & Moderator
EDUCATION
Madriella Doula Training, Brandon, Mississippi
Hands-On Birth & Postpartum Doula Workshop, 2016
Tulane University Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana
Juris Doctor, 2012
University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Tulane Center for International Human Rights and International Criminal Law International Human Rights Study Abroad Program, 2011
University of California, Los Angeles
Bunche Center for African American Studies Summer Humanities Institute, 2008
Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi
Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in History, 2008
Holmes Community College, Ridgeland, Mississippi
Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts, 2003
HONORS & AWARDS
The Mississippi Bar
Leadership Forum Class of 2020
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network with the Center for Creative Leadership®
Class Two Fellow (2019 – 2020)
Mississippi Women’s Foundation, Women’s Policy Institute
Healthy Women Cohort Fellow (2019-2020)
Tulane University Law School
Merit-Based Law School Dean’s Scholarship (2009 – 2012)
Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society
Regional Conference at The University of Mississippi
Best Undergraduate Paper (2008)
Jackson State University
College of Liberal Arts Honors for Superior Academic Achievement (2008)
Garret Weaver Symposium 2nd Place Undergraduate Paper (2007)
President’s List Scholar (2007)
Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship (2006 – 2008)
President’s List Scholar (2006)
Holmes Community College
Presidential Scholarship (2000 – 2003)
PRO BONO AND VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
North American Registry of Midwives
Consumer Board Member (2022)
La Leche League International
Accredited Leader (2021 – present)
Better Birth Mississippi
Director (2020 – present)
Mississippi Center for Birth and Breastfeeding Equity
Board Member (2018 – present)
Birth Justice Advocacy
legal counseling, formal representation, and informal advocacy for birthworkers and families (2015 – present)
Birth Rights Bar Association
Membership Director (2016 – present)
Black Mamas Matter Alliance
Collaborator (2016 – present)
March for Moms
on-site volunteer (2017)
International Cesarean Awareness Network
Secretary for Jackson, MS Chapter (2017 – 2020)
Jackson, Mississippi Rally to Improve Birth
Assistant Coordinator & Media Promoter (2015 & 2016)
2016 Mississippi Legislative Session
Grassroots Organizer & Citizen Lobbyist in support of breastfeeding legislation
Louisiana Constituents for Safe Childbirth
Working Board Member at Large (2014)
Pro Bono Attorney (2015)
Tulane University Law School
Vice President & President ad hoc, Law Women’s Association (2010 – 2011)
Student Representative, Faculty Committee on Institutional Equity (2010 – 2011)