Simone Lonas

Simone Lonas is an associate attorney with Phillips Law in New Orleans who focuses on criminal defense. Lonas represents clients in misdemeanor and felony matters, including violent-crime allegations and drug charges, and has experience preparing cases for bench and jury trials. Before entering private practice, she served with Orleans Public Defenders, where she handled cases ranging from lower-level offenses to complex felonies and secured not-guilty verdicts for clients.

Lonas earned a J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she was a full-tuition Nathaniel Gates Scholar. She worked in the Freedom Clinic on wrongful-conviction matters, served as president of the Black Law Students Association, and received the Champion of Change and Archie A. Gorfinkel awards. Her education also includes Political Science studies at Morgan State University, supporting a foundation in advocacy, legal analysis, and criminal justice issues.

At Orleans Public Defenders, Lonas developed courtroom experience by representing people accused of crimes in a high-volume public defense setting. Her work included misdemeanor cases, serious felony charges, motion practice, negotiations, and trials before judges and juries. That experience required close review of police reports, witness accounts, evidence, and legal issues while maintaining direct communication with clients whose liberty and future were at stake.

Simone Lonas brings public-defense experience and law-school work on wrongful-conviction issues to her current criminal practice. Her record includes trial advocacy, leadership in law school, and direct representation of clients across a range of criminal charges. She helps clients understand the allegations and court process, examines the evidence and available defenses, and prepares matters for negotiation or trial based on the circumstances of each case.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Phillips Law, LLC
• Member, Louisiana State Bar Association

Licensed State

• Louisiana

Education

• Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Morgan State University
  Political Science

Awards & Badges