Legal law concept image
About

Meet Piper

Judge Piper Griffin is eminently qualified, with 33 years of leadership experience and service in a tradition of judicial excellence.

Judge Griffin’s legal career spans over 3 decades, the last 20 years of which she has served on the Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Division “I”. Her hard work, leadership and dedication have distinguished her as a Judicial Pacesetter.

Judge Griffin has previously served as Chief Judge of the Civil District Court, as its Finance Committee Chair, Disaster Recovery Committee Chair, Technology Chair and is now its third most senior judge.

Prior to being elected to the bench, Judge Griffin was selected by the Louisiana Supreme Court to fill a vacancy at the Civil District Court and also served as an Ad hoc judge on the Juvenile District Court.  As a practicing attorney she handled complex litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants.

Judge Griffin attended the Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law School, and received her Juris Doctor degree in 1987. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government in 1984 from the Univerity of Notre Dame  as a Notre Dame Scholar.

A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Judge Griffin graduated from Xavier Prep High School.

“Recognized as a legal scholar and determined to make a difference in her profession”

Judge Griffin immerses herself in the legal community by serving on a variety of boards and committees in furtherance of the ideals of the profession.

As a young lawyer, she was elected as the first African American Chair of the Young Lawyer’s Section of the New Orleans Bar Association.

One of her most outstanding achievements was being selected as a grader for the Constitutional Law Bar Exam and eventually named a Constitutional Law Bar Examiner by the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Additional committees where Judge Griffin shares her knowledge and expertise are:

Judge Griffin continues to be a frequent speaker for the Louisiana State Bar Association, the New Orleans Bar Association, and the Louisiana Judicial College.

Judge Griffin also served on the Law Institute Committee that rewrote the Louisiana Motion for Summary Judgment Statute.  She was subsequently appointed and continues to serve as a member of the Louisiana State Law Institute Council.

“A dedicated community servant and a commitment to helping others”

Judge Griffin, along with four other alumni members of Xavier Prep High School, formed a leadership collaborative to keep the school from closing its doors. They re-opened it as St. Katharine Drexel Prep High School. Judge Griffin highlights this “Miracle on Magazine Street” as one of her proudest moments.

A myriad of professional and civic associations have been the recipient of her leadership, guidance, and stewardship.

  • Juvenile Court’s Teen Court
  • Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Society
  • Crescent City Chapter of The Links, Inc. (Past President)
  • Greater New Orleans YWCA (Past President, Past Treasurer)
  • Catholic Charities of Greater New Orleans
  • United Way of Southeast Louisiana
  • Second Baptist 6th District Church (Sunday School Teacher, Financial Secretary, Trustee Board)
  • Foster Parent

“A recognized servant leader”

  • 2020  American Board of Trial Advocates Thomas Jefferson Justice By the People Award
  • 2019 Sarah J. Harper Humanitarian Award
  • 2019 First District Missionary Society Women’s Department Woman of the Year Award
  • 2018 Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society Lifetime Achievement Award
  • 2003 Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society-Ernest N. Morial Judicial Pacesetter Award
  • 2004 Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Award for Exemplary Community Service
  • 2003 Alliance for Good Government Civic Award
  • 2002-2003 Data News Weekly Scoop Jones Trailblazer Award
  • 1997  Recognized as one of the 50 most distinguished African American graduates in the history of Notre Dame
  • YWCA Role Model
  • Westside Business and Professional Women’s Ministry Award
  • “Who’s Who in American Law”
Listen to a message from Piper