Michelle Craig

Michelle D. Craig is Managing Partner of Transcendent Law Group. With over 19 years of legal experience, she worked with two of the largest law firms in the region and became the first African-American female Partner in the New Orleans Office of one of those Am200 law firms before starting her own firm. She holds dual degrees, including a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Bachelor of the Civil Law (B.C.L.), from the Louisiana State University (LSU) Law Center. She also studied International and Comparative Law at the Université d'Aix Marseille III in Aix en Provence, France.
 
In her practice she facilitates effective negotiations, mediations, and resolutions of legal matters for small to large companies in the areas of litigation, labor and employment and economic development. She also regularly provides legal counsel to existing and newly formed charter schools. In her work as Outside General Counsel, she provides labor and employment advice, proactive management, human resources guidance, day-to-day counseling, strategic business advice and guidance related to human capital and culture. She also defends them when litigation arises. To assist small and medium-sized firms in their process improvement, she created QuantumCase, a legal project management software. In her work with charter schools, she assists them with their employment and legal needs from inception through operation, including drafting employment documents, vendor agreements, student handbooks, parent teacher handbooks and authorization documents.  
 
She is very active in the community and very passionate about the economic sustainability and development of the New Orleans area. She formerly served as both the Chairperson of the Orleans Parish Civil Service Commission and the Chairperson of the New Orleans Downtown Development District. As a business owner and community leader, she continues to work for the improvement of the New Orleans Community.