The HONORABLE Omar K. Mason is the duly elected Judge of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court, State of Louisiana, Division “E”. He recently transitioned from the Domestic Relations Section 1 docket of the Civil Court, where he presided over family court matters ranging from divorce and custody to child support and community property partition, to Section 7 of the General Civil Docket, where he now presides over matters ranging from traffic accident cases, contract disputes and mass tort litigation to matters involving real property and successions.
Prior to assuming the bench in January 2019, Judge Mason enjoyed a 19-year career as an attorney, practicing law in a wide variety of areas, including but not limited to plaintiff personal injury, class actions, complex litigation and business litigation, in Louisiana and Texas. Immediately before becoming judge, Judge Mason was a shareholder of the New Orleans-based law firm, Aaron & Gianna, PLC. His primary practice with Aaron & Gianna focused on business litigation and toxic tort (asbestos) litigation. Judge Mason earned his Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans in 1999. He has been admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in both Louisiana and Texas. During his career as an attorney, Judge Mason was selected numerous times for inclusion and recognition in Super Lawyers® Magazine in the area of Business Litigation. He has also earned an AV® Preeminent Rating for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability from Martindale-Hubbell.
He has served as a Director on the Board of Directors for the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. In 2018, he received the President’s Award from the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association for his leadership of the chapter’s Philanthropy/Community Outreach Committee. Judge Mason was previously elected to serve as the Montessori PTO Representative on the French and Montessori Education, Inc. (F.A.M.E., Inc.) Board for Audubon Charter School, he is the Immediate Past National Advocate (Chief Legal Advisor) of the Knights of Peter Claver, Inc. (a Fraternal Benefit Society of the Roman Catholic Church), the current President of Young Men Illinois Club, Inc. (a carnival club), and he is a Past Chapter President of the Sigma Lambda (Alumni) Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Judge Mason has served as a skills curriculum instructor at Loyola University College of Law, an adjunct faculty member of the trial advocacy program at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU and as an adjunct faculty member of the trial advocacy program and intersession pre-trial civil litigation boot camp at Tulane University School of Law. Additionally, he is a certified skills instructor with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) and is a member of the St. Thomas More Inn of Court (Loyola University College of Law) (an organization promoting civility in the legal profession). Judge Mason is also the immediate past chair of the Disaster Recovery Committee of the Civil District Court – the Committee overseeing the post-COVID-19 re-opening and continuity of operations of the Court.
He has been happily married to his wife, Carla, for more than 19 years, and he is the proud father of two lovely daughters, Jade and Sydney.