Sharonda Williams

Sharonda Williams currently serves as General Counsel and Director of Government Affairs for Loyola University. Prior to that, Sharonda was Special Counsel at Fishman Haygood, LLP in New Orleans. Sharonda served as City Attorney for the City of New Orleans from May 2013-November 2015. As City Attorney, Sharonda was the lead attorney handling the most comprehensive police consent decree in the history of the United States. At the same time, she represented the City in another consent decree aimed at reforming the Orleans Parish Jail, which was then-recognized as one of the worst prisons in America. 

Both of those consent decrees required Sharonda to engage in negotiations with the United States Department of Justice on a near daily basis. Sharonda also was the lead attorney representing the City in settling a more than 30-year dispute relating to back pay and pension issues for the New Orleans Firefighters. Sharonda had served as Chief Deputy City Attorney from October 2011 until May 2013. 

Prior to joining the City of New Orleans, Sharonda was a partner in the general litigation section at Sher Garner, where she handled cases ranging from construction disputes, medical malpractice, insurance coverage disputes, entertainment law contract negotiations, intellectual property licensing issues, and bankruptcy adversary proceedings. She was recently appointed by Gov. John Bel Edwards to serve as a Commissioner for the Board of the Port of New Orleans, and she has served as the Chair of the Board of Commissioners of the Regional Transit Authority, the Chair of the Louisiana Judiciary Commission (appointed by Gov. Kathleen Blanco), as well as being involved in numerous other professional and civic organizations.