Longtime Baton Rouge attorney Mary Olive Pierson, a trailblazing member of the local legal community and most recently known for her work in fighting the incorporation of St. George, died earlier this month after a career that spanned 54 years.
Pierson, who passed away peacefully at her home on Sept. 9, was one of the city’s most distinguished and recognizable citizens, according to Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. Known affectionately as “Ollie” or “MOP,” Pierson was a pioneer in Louisiana legal circles, handling high-profile cases, Broome said
“To say Ollie was one of a kind would be understating her uniqueness,” the mayor-president said in a statement. “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.”
Born Feb. 11, 1944, Pierson completed all her schooling in Baton Rouge, from primary grades to St. Joseph’s Academy and then on to Louisiana State University, according to biographical information provided by the Rabenhorst Funeral Home & Crematory. At LSU, she earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a law degree from LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
“Mary Olive Pierson was a true trailblazer throughout her storied life and accomplished legal career, which she launched after graduating as one of only seven women in the LSU Law Class of 1970,” a statement from LSU Law emailed to the Louisiana Record says. “Along with being a consummate litigator who fiercely pursued justice for her clients through effective and ethical trial advocacy, Mary Olive was dedicated to serving her community and making Baton Rouge a better place to live for all.”
Pierson was also a booster and advocate for her alma mater, according to the LSU Law statement, taking on a key position in organizing the LSU Law centennial event in 2006 and serving on the LSU Law Alumni Board of Trustees for multiple years.
“In 2014, an endowed scholarship was established in her honor at LSU Law, and six years later the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center honored her with its Distinguished Achievement Award in 2020,” the statement says. “Our LSU Law family will forever honor her incredible legacy.”
Mayor-President Broome indicated that Pierson also served as a member of the East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council and as chief administrative officer for the Office of Mayor-President during the term of Pat Screen from 1980 to 1988. More recently, Pierson was the lead attorney for Baton Rouge in the litigation challenging the secession of St. George, which the state Supreme Court gave the green light to earlier this year.
Even as her health declined and she had to work on legal cases at home, she represented the city pro bono on the secession issue.
“Baton Rouge owes Mary Olive a debt we cannot repay for her work and service on behalf of our citizens over the past few decades,” Broome said. “Her directness, her humor and her intellect will be missed by all of us.”
As a pioneer for women in the legal profession, Pierson often said he was required to burst through what she called the “concrete ceiling,” according to her biographical information.
More than two decades ago, she represented state Sen. Greg Tarver, who was one of only two defendants in the riverboat gambling trial involving former Gov. Edwin Edwards to be acquitted.
Pierson was also known for her good humor and eclectic tastes. At one time she was a licensed pilot, and another time she launched a short-lived foray into the fast-food business with a restaurant called “Mop’s Meat Pies.” In addition, she enjoyed colorful, whimsical art and cooking fried chicken, speckled trout and gumbo.
“There was nothing impartial about Ollie,” the Rabenhorst biography states. “She fought for the underdog and was an unabashed and outspoken Democrat, simultaneously needling and entertaining her Republican foes.”