Amber Sheppard, ESQ.

A Slidell, Louisiana based law firm

Business Law. Intellectual Property Law. Estate Planning.

The Attorney



Amber Sheppard (she/her) is a lifelong Northshore native who spends her days working tirelessly for her clients (humans and animals). She knew she wanted to be a lawyer from a young age, but the world figured it out when she did a book report on John Grisham in 4th grade.

In an effort to fulfill her life-long dream, Amber worked for Traumatic Brain Injury attorneys Anderson & Boutwell then attended law school at Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson, Mississippi. She chose MC Law because it offered both civil law and common law. Always a forward thinker, Amber did that in order to be prepared to practice in both Louisiana and Mississippi. She excelled in the classroom garnering Best Paper Awards, clerked for criminal defense and personal injury attorney Coxwell & Associates, and worked in San Francisco for Shefman Law Group.

Amber passed the Louisiana and Mississippi Bar exams on her first try. She previously worked as of counsel with family law firm Stanley-Wallace Law and as a conflicts attorney for the 22nd JDC Public Defender's Office.

Her unique work background has made her a highly sought after attorney for businesses and individuals alike. You know she knows her stuff when other attorneys send her work and ask for her guidance on appeals. She is a dynamic and highly skilled researcher, author, and advocate. Since then, she has advocated for small businesses, families, and individuals on both sides of the state line.

She was voted Best Attorney in East St. Tammany by EDGE Magazine readers for 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, and by Sophisticated Woman Readers in 2021.

She has been named Top 40 Under 40 by Edge Magazine as well.

In 2022 and 2023, she was awarded the American Bar Association award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service Work. She also received a pro bono award from Louisiana State Bar Association in 2022 and 2023 for her free legal work as well.

She sits on the Louisiana State Bar Association's Legal Services for Persons with Disabilities Committee and the Wills for Heroes Committee (Young Lawyer's Division). Amber and Tubbs often present Continuing Education for lawyers, governments, law schools, and mental health professionals. Amber also sits on Northshore Technical Community College's Paralegal Advisory Committee helping coordinate paralegal curriculums for the next generation of legal professionals.

Nationally, Amber sits on the American Bar Association's Trademark Litigation and Copyright Litigation Committee. She currently writes legal articles for FindLaw, a Thomson Reuters company, for consumers in dog law, intellectual property, and business law. To date, she has written or reviewed close to 500.

Amber’s motto in life and in business is “Be Fierce & Kind®.” She loved it so much she trademarked it. Such a lawyer move, we know.

Bar and Court Admissions

· Louisiana, all state courts (2017)
· Eastern District of Louisiana federal court
· Mississippi, all state courts (2015)
· Mississippi, all federal courts
· Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
· United States Patent and Trademark Office (trademarks and servicemarks)

Areas of Focus

· Business Counsel
· Business Formations
· Contract Negotiations
· Trademarks
· Copyright
· Document Drafting
· Adult Adoptions
· Intrafamily Adoptions
· Stepparent Adoptions
· LGBTQ+ Adoptions
· Service dog laws
· Personal injury (Traumatic Brain Injury, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Wrongful Death, Birth Defects)
· Successions
· Wills

9 State Records. Champion. National and International Coach.

The Athlete

As a high school athlete at Pope John Paul II Catholic High School, Amber was Captain of the historical state champion powerlifting team for three years, a track and field athlete (shot put), and cheerleader.  While a student at Southeastern Louisiana University and Mississippi College School of Law, she continued to lift, taught group exercise classes (Spin and Bootcamp), was a CrossFit certified coach and athlete, raced in triathlons and 100+ mile bike events.

In law school, Amber founded a strength sport nonprofit called Mississippi Barbell which was the first organized Olympic weightlifting club in Mississippi. Under her direction, she meet directed the first USA Weightlifting meets in state history (over a dozen to date), coached world champions, developed athletes from ages 6 to 83, and traveled the nation conducting seminars and educating coaches on behalf of USA Weightlifting. To this day she is the highest ranked female weightlifting coach in Mississippi.

When a career ending injury sidelined Amber, she combined her love for fitness and the law and became the Director Of Operations for a national gym management company. She implemented a continuing education curriculum and system for personal trainers and handled the day to day operations on a national scale. Under her supervision, the organization doubled their profits and her closing rate was well beyond the national average. During her career, Amber garnered nine state records in her own right as a national level powerlifter.

COACHING Education

CrossFit
  Level 1 Trainer (2011-2016)
Crossfit Weightlifting
Clients: CrossFit Regionalists, CrossFit Games athletes (team & individual)

USA Weightlifting
Level 2 Advanced Sports Performance Coach (first female coach in the state with this distinction; 2011-2023)
National Level Coach and Marshall
Certification Staff, Assistant Instructor to Danny Camargo
Intern under Gayle Hatch
Intern under Matt Bruce
Intern under Don McCauley
SouthEast Regional Director for Athlete Development Camps
USAW Committee Member
Youth Program Director
      Clients: National Champion, Best Male Lifter (Junior Nationals), State Record Holders

USA Powerlifting
Club coach (2011-2021)
High school referee (MS)
Clients: National Champion, World Champion, National Record Holder, State Record Holders


athletic ACHIEVEMENTS




Powerlifting
      

9 state records
4 state titles
Mississippi Athlete of the Year
3rd Place at Raw Nationals

Competitions
Functional Fitness
Warrior Dash
Half marathons
Triathlons
Mountain bike racing
Road bike racing
Kayak racing

Group Exercise
12 years experience
Spin (Johnny G Certified)
Bootcamp
Core & More
Functional Fitness
Youth Fitness








Weightlifting
· Club & Coach Feature via USA Weightlifting, 2015-2016
·Featured in USA Weightlifting Winter Magazine, January 2017
· Establishing A Weightlifting Program In A Franchise, October 2016
· Legal Considerations When Entering A Sponsorship Featured on USA Weightlifting Wednesday Word, November 2016
· How To Coach Youth Weightlifting Article Featured on USA Weightlifting Wednesday Word, February 2017



Business. Dogs. Law.

The Author

In law school Amber was a member of the prestigious Law Review and Moot Court at Mississippi College. She garnered Best Brief awards for her legal writing on a national level.

After law school, Amber continued to write but this time for those in fields she is passionate about: strength sports, business, and the law.

She currently writes legal articles for FindLaw, a Thomson Reuters company, for consumers in dog law, intellectual property, and business law. To date, she has written or reviewed close to 500.


Louisiana Bar Journal
· Court of Paw™: Service & Therapy Dogs in the Courthouse , 2024

Louisiana Association For Justice
· Louisiana Law Has Gone To The Dogs, 2019
· Service, Emotional Support, Therapy, and Facility Dogs in Louisiana, 2019
· Social Media Access Upon Disability or Death, 2020
· Gestational Carrier Contracts, 2021
· Expungement Updates, 2021
· Family Law Refresher, 2022
· Securing a Facility Dog for your Client, 2022

Sophisticated Woman Magazine
· Introduction to Service Dog Laws, 2022
· Emotional Support Dog Laws, 2022
· Service Dog Laws For Businesses, 2022


Performance Menu (2016-2020; no longer in print)
· Gym Specific Resources During COVID-19
· Questions To Ask Before Opening Your Own Gym
· Dogs At The Gym
· How To Destroy Your Gym On Social Media
· How To Prevent Coaching Burnout
· When To Fire An Athlete
· Over-coaching Ruins Your Athletes And Your Reputation
· Trainer Risk Management
· How To Coach Youth Weightlifting When You Don't Understand Kids
· Non-compete Agreements: Valid Or Void?
· Training Special Populations
· Establishing A Weightlifting Program In A Franchise
· Legal Considerations When Entering A Sponsorship
· Common Gym Liability Concerns & How To Alleviate Them
· Eating Disorders And Strength Sports

Strength Agenda
· You're Fired: 5 Reasons To Dump Your Olympic Weightlifting Coach
· Effective Communication Between Coaches And Athletes
· Training Weightlifting And Powerlifting
· Competition Differences: Powerlifting And Weightlifting
· Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself (Again): Effective Post Injury Training

USA Weightlifting
· Club & Coach Feature via USA Weightlifting, 2015-2016
·Featured in USA Weightlifting Winter Magazine, January 2017
· Establishing A Weightlifting Program In A Franchise, October 2016
· Legal Considerations When Entering A Sponsorship Featured on USA Weightlifting Wednesday Word, November 2016
· How To Coach Youth Weightlifting Article Featured on USA Weightlifting Wednesday Word, February 2017

O Lift Magazine (No Longer In Print)
· Coaching Men vs. Women

Education

SOUTHEASTERN LA UNIVERSITY (2009)
Summa cum laude
Bachelors of Arts, Political Science

· Harold Leu Award (Highest GPA in Political Science)

MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE SCHOOL OF LAW (2013)
Magna cum laude
Juris Doctorate
· Law Review
· Moot Court: National finalist, 2nd Best Brief Award
· Best Paper Awards: Appellate Advocacy, Criminal Law, Legal Writing I, Legal Research I, Legal Writing II, Torts

SOCIAL MEDIA

Presentations


· Service Dog Laws (Louisiana State Bar Association, 2024)
· Navigating the Legal Profession as a Neurodivergent Attorney (Louisiana State Bar Association, 2024)
· Navigating the Legal Profession as a Neurodivergent Attorney (Loyola Law School, 2023, 2024)
· Litigation Ethics for Mississippi Paralegals and Legal Assistants (Mississippi Paralegals, 2024)
· Family Law for Lawyers In Libraries Week (Louisiana State Bar Association, 2019-2024)
· Service & Emotional Support Animals (Louisiana State Bar Association, 2023)
· Navigating Assistance Dog Laws (Silver Slipper Casino, 2023)
· Navigating Assistance Dog Laws (Florida Parishes Veterinary Medical Association, 2023)
· Navigating Assistance Dog Laws (City of Slidell, 2022)
· Mental Health CEUs (Louisiana Mental Health Association, 2022)
· Mental Health and The Court System (local therapist and counseling clinics)
· Service Dog Laws for Business Owners
· How To Protect Your Business From Liability (East St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce)
· PJP High School Career Day
· Lake Castle Private School Keys To Success
· Protecting Your Business During COVID-19
· Utilizing Your Law Degree Outside The Law (MC Law, Sports & Entertainment Law Society)
· What To Expect In Law School (Pope John Paul II Catholic High School; Southeastern Louisiana University)

Associations

· American Bar Association
· Louisiana Bar Association
· Mississippi Bar Association
· 22nd JDC Bar Association
· Louisiana Notary
· Northshore Technical Community College Paralegal Advisory Committee
· Picayune Chamber of Commerce
· Edge Magazine Award Winner, Best Attorney in East St. Tammany (2019-2024)
· Sophisticated Woman Magazine, Northshore's Best East St. Tammany Lawyer (2021)
· Former East St. Tammany Habitat For Humanity Board Member
· Former Habitat Young Professionals Northshore President
Let our experience be your guide

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