BATON ROUGE, LA – Today, Attorney General Jeff Landry announced the seven division directors for the Louisiana Department of Justice.
“Our office is focused on honorably serving all the people of Louisiana,” said General Landry. “I look forward to working with the new directors to give Louisiana an honest, ethical, and hardworking agency that upholds the rule of law, defends the Constitution, and protects the interests of our state and its citizens.”
The directors will be:
Michael Larisey, Administrative Services, has over 15 years of experience in state government. He has served under three Attorneys General. He also has 30 years of management and finance experience from his time in the private sector, working in both the national and the international markets.
Liz Murrill, Civil, has more than 20 years of experience working in diverse state and federal government legal environments, including her most recent service as Executive Counsel to the Commissioner of Administration. She was previously counsel for the Office of the Governor in the BP Oil Spill litigation, Executive Counsel for Governor Bobby Jindal, and member and counsel to several state boards and commissions. Murrill was also a United States Supreme Court Judicial Fellow at the Federal Judicial Center and taught appellate advocacy and legal writing at the Louisiana State University Law Center for more than ten years. Murrill earned her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University, her law degree from the Louisiana State University Law Center, and her Master of Laws degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University School of Law.
Brandon Fremin, Criminal, served 11 years in the 19th Judicial District Court’s District Attorney Office as an investigator and a prosecutor before accepting an appointment as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, where he prosecuted drug trafficking, crimes of violence, and immigration matters. He later returned to the District Attorney’s Office as a Section Chief while maintaining a designation as Special Assistant United States Attorney. Fremin is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in Criminal Justice from Southeastern Louisiana University and his law degree from the Louisiana State University Law Center.
Christopher Hebert, Gaming, has served as an Assistant Attorney General for over 10 years. He previously served as a clerk for the Honorable Judge James Best of the 18th Judicial District Court in New Roads. Last year, Hebert was appointed by the President of the National Bar Association to the Council of the Louisiana Law Institute. He is an immediate Past Director of the National Bar Association, Region V and a former member of the Board of Governors for the National Bar Association. Hebert earned his bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and his law degree from the Southern University Law Center, where he was honored as Alumnus of the Year in 2015.
Joe Picone, Investigation, has nearly three decades of law enforcement experience, specializing in the field of criminal investigations. He has served as an investigator, a supervisor, and a manager. Picone, a veteran of the Louisiana National Guard, earned his bachelor’s degree from Loyola University and is currently working towards his master’s degree.
Reneé Free, Public Protection, has served under four Attorneys General, including five years as the Assistant Attorney General in the Collections Section when she appeared in every Louisiana district court. She also served under three Secretaries of State, where she was instrumental in the consolidation of the Secretary of State’s Office and the Department of Elections. Free earned her bachelor’s degree from McNeese State University and her law degree from the Southern University Law Center.
Sonia Mallett, Litigation, has spent the majority of the last 25 years serving with the Louisiana Department of Justice. She also served as Executive Counsel to Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System and practiced law with a Baton Rouge firm. Mallett earned her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and her law degree from Loyola University College of Law.
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