Trisha Ward

Trisha Ward is Of Counsel at Doran & Cawthorne, PLLC, where she represents individuals and families in personal injury matters. With more than 17 years of trial and appellate experience across Louisiana’s state and federal courts, Trisha brings a relentless client-centered approach shaped by a career spent fighting for people at their most vulnerable.

Before joining the firm, Trisha spent over a decade in criminal defense and public interest law. She served as the District Defender for the 13th Judicial District Public Defender’s Office, where she directed all operations, managed budgets, and supervised felony and juvenile defense teams. Under her leadership, local funding increased from roughly $70,000 to nearly $500,000 through identification of untapped revenue sources and improved fiscal accountability. She presented at the American Bar Association’s 2023 Public Defense Summit on the challenges facing rural defenders and testified before legislative committees on defender-system independence and funding.

Prior to leading the office, Trisha litigated felony and child-in-need-of-care cases in the 13th Judicial District and served as contract counsel for multiple public defender offices throughout south Louisiana. Earlier in her career, she litigated felony and life-without-parole cases as a staff attorney in the Felony Division of the Orleans Public Defenders, where she argued successfully before the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal. She also served as a capitally certified staff attorney at the Capital Appeals Project, handling complex issues at the trial, appellate, and post-conviction stages, including mental competency, ineffective assistance of counsel, and discriminatory jury selection.

Trisha earned her Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Civil Law from the LSU Law Center, where she served as President of the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers student chapter and as an officer of the Public Interest Law Society. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Psychology from LSU, where she competed as an NCAA Division I athlete. A proud Louisianan, Trisha is dedicated to her community and to mentoring the next generation of attorneys.