"In recent years, Mary Olive was the lead attorney in the litigation challenging the incorporation of St. George. She represented the parish for nearly 10 years leading up to the recent decision by the Louisiana Supreme Court," Broome said.

"To say Ollie was one of a kind would be understating her uniqueness. Mary Olive Pierson was a passionate advocate for her clients and a fierce and loyal friend. I was lucky enough to be both a client and friend, and I want to thank her for her service to our community and her friendship."

Pierson graduated LSU with a degree in accounting but said she failed to receive suitable job offers and later entered law school. She graduated in 1970 and, after clerkships and a job at a Baton Rouge firm, she set out on her own in 2004.

According to a biography posted by the LSU Law Center, which honored her with a scholarship in her name in 2014, her high-profile cases were overshadowed by one involving a neighbor who had been bitten by a dog. After receiving a $500 fee following a $1,500 settlement, “I thought that I was a Rockefeller.”

Pierson served as chief administrator for former Mayor-President Pat Screen. She entered politics for a time, but said she “got lucky and came in second.”

According to LSU, the Louisiana State Bar Association in 2013 recognized her advocacy and in 2014 classmate Kenneth Privat established the scholarship in her name. In 2020, the LSU Law Center named her as a Distinguished Achievement honoree.

“I hope that my career in litigation has at least led the way for some young women,” Pierson said at the ceremony honoring her, noting about half of the students at LSU Law then were female. “I’ve had the most wonderful career and I’ve made so many wonderful friends. I have loved what I have done, and I thank the LSU Law school for it.”