Meet the Support Team
Support Staff
Support Team
Our support staff play a vital role in how Couhig Partners delivers service to its clients. From seasoned paralegals to skilled administrative professionals, this team ensures that every matter moves forward efficiently and that clients remain informed throughout each stage of representation.
Judy Leroux
Legal Assistant
For more than forty years, Judy Leroux has built a distinguished career in legal assistance, operational management, and law firm administration. She is known for her precision, efficiency, and organizational excellence. Throughout her career, Judy has supported Gary J. Rouse, Attorney at Law, as well as other law firms throughout the Greater New Orleans area, where she developed deep expertise in computer-based record-keeping, comprehensive office management, and complex financial administration. Among her notable accomplishments, she successfully administered and disbursed more than $12 million in bond payment claims for major clients while simultaneously managing payroll, workers’ compensation, and liability coverages with accuracy.
Judy joined Couhig Partners in September 2006. Over the past two decades, she has worked closely with the Managing Partner to guide the firm’s administrative operations, including finance and legal practice management. Today, Judy continues to support the firm through her work in firm management and specialized paralegal work.
Beyond her professional achievements, Judy has dedicated herself to empowering individuals and strengthening her community. For more than fifteen years, she served as a Service Provider for Weight Watchers International, helping clients build healthier, more confident lives. She is also a respected leader within the regional sports community. From August 2012 through July 2018, she served as Director, Vice-President, and Tournament Chair for the Northshore USBC, a non-profit association dedicated to supporting adult and youth bowlers. Since August 2021, she has continued this work as a Director and Tournament Chair for the Greater New Orleans USBC, where she acts as a key liaison between bowlers and bowling centers. In this role, she applies her extensive management experience to strengthen community engagement, enhance local youth and adult bowling programs, and ensure the success of tournaments throughout the region.
Lori L. Graff
Office Administrator / Paralegal / Legal Assistant
Lori L. Graff
Office Administrator / Paralegal / Legal Assistant
Lori Graff is a legal assistant, paralegal, and office administration professional with more than two decades of experience supporting attorneys and managing complex legal operations. She joined Couhig Partners in February 2026 after a long tenure at McGlinchey Stafford, where she held progressively senior roles and oversaw administrative and legal support functions across multiple regional offices.
Lori has directed administrative and legal support operations for multiple offices including supervising teams of legal assistants, paralegals, and administrative staff while managing budgets, vendor relationships, and workflow systems all while enhancing collaboration and efficiency. She has also provided hands-on legal support during staffing shortages, managing a 100-plus case load that included e-filing, calendaring, client communication, and document preparation.
Earlier in her career, Lori served as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal supporting bankruptcy and commercial litigation attorneys, where she drafted and filed pleadings, conducted legal research, prepared case summaries, managed discovery, and coordinated trial preparation. She has extensive experience with legal research platforms, document management systems, and federal and state e-filing tools, including Westlaw, LexisNexis, PACER, ECF, iManage, and Adobe Pro.
Lori’s background as both a legal operations leader and hands-on case support professional gives her a rare ability to bridge administrative strategy with day-to-day legal execution. She is known for her strong communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and commitment to fostering collaborative, high-performing teams. She is recognized for proactive leadership, strategic problem-solving, and commitment to excellence.
At Couhig Partners, Lori supports the firm’s litigation, business, and bankruptcy practices through legal drafting, case management, client communication, and office administration. Her experience managing multi-office operations and high-volume caseloads allows her to provide efficient, reliable support to attorneys and clients alike.
Lori is an active member of the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and the local chapter in New Orleans.
Outside of her professional work, Lori is married to her husband, Chris, and is the mother of three sons, Aaron, Christopher and Austin. When she is not at home, she can often be found at the bowling alley, on the sports fields, or spending time with her family. She and her family share their home with their two cats, Leo and Zeauxy. Her personal life reflects the same dedication, steadiness, and warmth she brings to her work.
Ashley Landrieu
Paralegal
Ashley Landrieu joined Couhig Partners, LLC, as a paralegal in March of 2025. She supports attorneys whose practices include criminal defense, estate planning, successions, personal injury, and civil litigation. In this role, she assists with drafting pleadings, preparing medical record summaries, organizing and filing court documents, proofreading legal materials, and maintaining ongoing client communication. Her work is grounded in strong organization, attention to detail, and the ability to manage time-sensitive matters in fast-paced litigation environments.
She brings a multidisciplinary background spanning legal support, film, and live theatre. In addition to her legal work, Ashley is a Certified Intimacy Coordinator, trained and certified through Intimacy Directors & Coordinators, a SAG-AFTRA–affiliated organization. In this role, she serves as the central point of communication for all intimacy work on set, collaborating directly with directors, production teams, crew, and performers to ensure informed consent and comfort with all proposed actions, scenes, and related performance elements. Her responsibilities also include, but is not limited to, blocking intimacy choreography, facilitating rehearsals, and establishing clear consent and safety protocols to support a professional, respectful working environment for everyone involved on set.
Ashley’s performance background also includes trained stunt work, with experience in high-risk and physically demanding performance elements such as body burns, high falls up to 40 feet, fight choreography, wire work, and firearms handling. This combination of technical training and on-set experience reinforces a strong commitment to safety awareness, preparation, and precision under pressure.
Beyond her professional work, Ashley is active in education and advocacy within the entertainment community. She has presented “Working with Intimacy Professional 101” at Louisiana State University, the University of New Orleans, and Tulane University, introducing students to the fundamentals of working with an intimacy professional, clarify expectations on professional sets, and encouraging safe, respectful, and informed collaboration in emerging industry professionals.
Across both her legal and creative work, Ashley is known as a collaborative problem solver who operates effectively in structured, high-stakes environments. Her background reflects a strong foundation in precision, communication, and safety-conscious decision-making, bridging the disciplines of legal support and performance production.
Michelle Tarifa
Paralegal
Michelle Tarifa joined Couhig Partners in December 2019, bringing 20 years of paralegal experience to the firm. She supports the majority of the attorneys, providing comprehensive litigation assistance and ensuring that each matter progresses efficiently.
Her responsibilities include drafting pleadings and discovery, coordinating client communications, managing medical record requests and production, and organizing case files from inception through resolution. She has also assisted attorneys during trials and hearings. In addition to her legal work, she contributes to the firm’s administrative operations.
Michelle received her Bachelor’s Degree in General Business and her Paralegal Certificate from LSU.
Outside of work, Michelle enjoys spending time with her family.
Amy Stedman
Legal Billing Coordinator
Amy L. Stedman has been a valued member of Couhig Partners LLC since 2012. She initially served as the firm’s in-house administrator overseeing legal services for businesses and individuals pursuing compensation through the Deepwater Horizon Economic and Property Damages Settlement. That work required exceptional organization and precision in managing complex civil litigation. Her responsibilities included coordinating high-volume claims, reviewing and verifying extensive documentation, managing client communications, filing claims, tracking deadlines and streamlining internal processes to ensure efficient resolutions and client satisfaction.
Over the past several years, Amy’s role has evolved into Legal Billing Coordinator. She now focuses on complex timekeeping, e-billing compliance, and the management of accounts receivable and payable. Amy works closely with attorneys to ensure accurate invoicing and seamless billing operations. She is highly skilled in reviewing pre-bills, managing LEDES and other e-billing submissions, and resolving billing discrepancies. Her proficiency with modern billing software and her commitment to operational efficiency contribute meaningfully to the firm’s financial performance.
As a native of New Orleans, Amy earned her bachelor’s degree with honors from Loyola University, where she completed a double major in Philosophy and Sociology. She lives Uptown with her husband, their four sons and dog, Klaus.
