Mary Grace Knapp is the founder of The Knapp Law Firm in Mandeville, Louisiana, where she has devoted her legal career to representing clients with skill, integrity, and compassion. Her practice focuses on personal injury, wrongful death, family law, estate planning, mediation, and complex civil litigation.
Mary Grace graduated cum laude from the State University of New York in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and English before earning her Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 1985. While attending Loyola, she was a founding student member of the Capital Defense Division of the Loyola Law Clinic, which helped secure a reduction of a death sentence to life imprisonment in a landmark capital case.
After graduating from law school, Mary Grace practiced with respected trial attorney Rykert Toledano in both civil and criminal litigation. She also served as City Attorney for the City of Covington, representing the city in Mayor’s Court. In 1995, she founded The Knapp Law Firm, where she continues to represent individuals and families throughout Louisiana.
Mary Grace is admitted to practice before all Louisiana state courts and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. She is a licensed Louisiana Notary Public and a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
As a plaintiff’s attorney, Mary Grace has represented clients in hundreds of bench and jury trials involving personal injury, insurance disputes, wrongful death, products liability, and other tort claims. Her work has resulted in numerous substantial recoveries for injured clients and their families. She is known for combining aggressive advocacy with personal attention, guiding clients through difficult legal matters with dignity, respect, and compassion.
Mary Grace has also earned an outstanding reputation in family law and mediation. She has been recognized as a Certified Lecturer by the Louisiana State Bar Association and has presented numerous continuing legal education programs on family law and mediation. She co-founded annual mediation seminars through Conflict Resolutions, LLC, where she lectured alongside psychologists and family therapists, and she has taught paralegal courses in family law and legal writing.
Beyond her courtroom practice, Mary Grace has helped shape Louisiana law. She drafted and successfully advocated for amendments to Louisiana Revised Statute 9:374(E), expanding access to marital funds and assets during divorce proceedings. The legislation provides meaningful financial protection for spouses during the pendency of divorce and has helped victims of domestic abuse safely leave the marital home while preserving their financial security.
Mary Grace has been invited to lecture nationally and internationally on legal topics. She served as a guest lecturer in Domestic Mediation at Spetses, Greece, in a program founded by Professor A. N. Yiannopoulos, one of the principal architects of the modern Louisiana Civil Code. She has also lectured at the North American Law Summit on professionalism, family law, and legal issues affecting the entertainment industry, including the management of media attention in high-profile divorce litigation.
Estate planning is another cornerstone of Mary Grace’s practice. She works closely with clients to develop comprehensive estate plans tailored to their individual needs, including wills, powers of attorney, living wills, tutorship documents, and reviews of insurance coverage to help ensure that every aspect of a client’s personal and financial affairs is protected.
Outside the practice of law, Mary Grace has long been committed to serving her community. She was honored as Queen XVII of the Krewe of Eve in 2003 and served as Captain of the North Shore Mardi Gras Krewe of Lyra from 2010 through 2015, where she helped forge a partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), an organization she continues to actively support. She has also served with the Alliance for Good Government and Professional Women of St. Tammany.
Mary Grace is a founding Board Director of the Ozone Music and Educational Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding educational opportunities for young musicians through scholarships, music education, and the donation of instruments. Through the Foundation, she helped establish the annual Northshore Songwriter Festival at the Mandeville Trailhead.
Mary Grace is the proud mother of three sons and six grandchildren. Her youngest son, Aaron Dylan Knapp, is a graduate of Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and practices alongside her as an attorney at The Knapp Law Firm.
Throughout her career, Mary Grace has earned a reputation as a respected trial lawyer, mediator, lecturer, and counselor. Clients value not only her legal knowledge and courtroom experience, but also her unwavering commitment to justice, professionalism, and making a positive difference in the lives of those she serves.