From private and public legal practice to nonprofit leadership and academia, Kristen Rome is dedicated to expanding possibilities for Louisiana families. Since 2011, the New Orleans native defense attorney and doula has continuously taken concrete steps toward that goal, working with Louisiana families navigating interwoven systems that - from conception - define young people’s life outcomes.

With the research- and experience-backed analysis that community safety starts with care that reflects parents’ humanity, Kristen addresses the degenerative and multigenerational impacts of racism that make her home state the carceral capital of the world.

Kristen currently serves as Co-Executive Director of the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights, where she previously led a staff of attorneys representing young people who face accusations of murder as the Juvenile Life Without Parole (JLWOP) Legal Representation Director.

Kristen’s journey into criminal defense law began at home, where her father, himself a criminal defense attorney, hosted the families of his clients - many of whom became family friends - in their Algiers living room.

For Kristen, the young people with whom she works are more than clients. She takes a holistic approach to their defense that centers their personhood, utilizing storytelling as a tool to not only get and keep them out of the violent carceral system but to support them in affirming their power and will to live.

She envisions a future beyond criminalization, where those in perceived positions of power meet acts of socioeconomic desperation and trauma responses with compassion and comprehensive solutions that address root causes in order to maximize wellness for all.

Prior to joining LCCR, Kristen was a partner at Rome, Butler, and Rome where she practiced criminal defense law throughout the state of Louisiana. In addition to her work as an attorney, Kristen spent time in Shanghai, China teaching U.S. Constitutional Law at Shanghai International Studies University.

Kristen is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia and received her Juris Doctor from Loyola University of New Orleans’ College of Law in 2011. She is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.