Mollie Ponds is an associate with Leake & Andersson in the firm’s New Orleans Office. Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Mollie earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Emporia State University in Kansas prior to enrolling in law school at Southern University Law Center where she graduated cum laude with certification in Public Interest Law.

During law school Mollie was an active member of the legal community. She interned as a law clerk with the 19^th Judicial District of Louisiana, participated in the Juvenile Justice Law Clinic, was a member of the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division, Vice President of the Criminal Law Society, and a member of the Board of Student Advisors. Mollie also worked at the State Senate as a legislative aide, where she was actively involved in the legislative process, drafting, and researching bills and enacted laws. Additionally, Mollie also interned with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City General Counsel Department.

Mollie is currently an appointed Board Member to the New Orleans Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, a Board Member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, working to organize community events and activities for young adults, and she served as an Executive Committee member for the NAACP. In 2022, the National NAACP recognized her commitment to Civil and Human Rights and selected Mollie as an Amos C. Brown Fellow where she traveled to Ghana and was immersed into the local culture and focused on building bridges with Ghanian counterparts with the goal of returning to the United States as an international ambassador for social and racial justice.

Prior to joining Leake & Andersson, Mollie worked as a judicial law clerk in First City Court in New Orleans. Mollie has legal certifications in Public Interest Law and in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. She is a member of the Missouri, Louisiana and New Orleans Bar Associations, the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.