LSBA Honors Kim Boyle With Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson Trailblazer Award
NEW ORLEANS, La. - July 6, 2023 - Phelps Partner Kim Boyle was honored with the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson Trailblazer award on June 8. The award recognizes individual attorneys and judges who champion the ideals set forth by Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson (Ret.), the first African American chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, who has always exhibited an unwavering commitment to enhancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
Kim serves as the Vice-Managing Partner for Phelps’ New Orleans office. A member of the firm’s Labor and Employment practice group for over 20 years, she has successfully defended clients in federal court against claims of discrimination based on race, age and disability.
Kim is active in a variety of organizations that work to advance the rights and inclusion of Black Louisianians and Americans. She is a member of the board and Executive Committee of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, as well as a member of the board and Executive Committee of the Anti-Defamation League, a member of the advisory board of the United Negro College Fund, a former board member of the ACLU of Louisiana and other organizations. In 2019, Kim launched The Ernest and Connie Boyle Scholarship Endowed Fund to help foster diversity at Tulane University and support those who have overcome socioeconomic or educational hardships, and previously started the Ernest and Connie Boyle Scholarship Fund at Dillard University. She focuses on the intersection between higher education and the impact of the legal system on African American students through her previous work on the board of trustees of Princeton University, and her current work on the boards and executive committees of Tulane University and Dillard University.
Much like Chief Justice Johnson, Kim Boyle is a person of firsts. She served as the first female African American President of the Louisiana State Bar Association and the first African American President of the New Orleans Bar Association and has devoted significant time to mentoring and obtaining inclusion for young, underrepresented attorneys and students of color. Kim directly impacted aspiring attorneys’ lives during her time as an Assistant Law Professor at Loyola University in the early '90s. Her former students have gone on to be judges, CEOs, partners at law firms, entrepreneurs, social activists and more.
“I am deeply honored to be recognized with the LSBA’s Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson Trailblazer Award this year,” Kim said. "Justice Johnson has not only been a mentor and role model to me for my entire legal career, but a true inspiration who has forged a path for all attorneys, but particularly female attorneys and attorneys of color. Throughout her legal and judicial career, she opened numerous doors and always made it clear to every attorney in the State of Louisiana that we must all contribute to having an equitable and just society where every single person has an equal opportunity to not only achieve, but to succeed. I am truly privileged to receive this award which recognizes all of Justice Johnson’s historical firsts.”
