Helen Ginger Berrigan

Helen Georgena Roberts Berrigan (born April 15, 1948), known professionally as Helen Ginger Berrigan and Ginger Berrigan, is an inactive Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Helen Ginger Berrigan serves as a District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana in the United States. Helen became appointed to this position by the then president, Bill Clinton, in 1994. Between 2001 and 2008, Helen dutifully served as the Chief Judge of the Eastern District. Before this appointment, she had been serving as a criminal defense attorney. During her career, she has also served as a freelance reporter to various publications based in different regions. She has authored the Louisiana Criminal Trial Practice. Apart from her career as a lawyer and journalist, Berrigan has also led in various associations like the New Orleans Association for Women Attorneys. Early life and education Born in New Rochelle, New York, Berrigan received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1969, a Master of Arts from American University in 1971, and a Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University Law School in 1977. In China, Turkey, Malawi, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, she has finished "rule of law" trainings that allow her to practice law within these countries. Career Following her graduation from Louisiana State University Law School, Berrigan was a Staff attorney of Governor's Pardon, Parole and Rehabilitation Commission from 1977 to 1978. She was in private practice as a criminal defense attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1978 to 1994. She was also a freelance journalist for local publications, as well as a Legislative Aide to Senator Joe Biden. Aside from her work as a Senior Judge, she is a frequent speaker in locally sponsored Continuing Legal Education programs, and she currently serves as an adjunct professor at LSU and Loyola Schools of Law.