Semaj M. Fielding
Semaj M. Fielding
Education
J.D., Southern University Law Center (2025)
B.S. Environmental Science, University of Maryland Eastern Shore (2022)
Semaj joined Kanner & Whiteley in 2026 as an Associate Attorney focusing on environmental litigation. Trained as an environmental scientist, she brings a technical foundation in environmental and marine systems to analyze complex contamination, regulatory, and natural resource issues.
Before joining Kanner & Whiteley, Semaj practiced at an Am Law 200 firm, where she focused on environmental due diligence for corporate transactions and on litigation in state and federal court. Her transactional work spanned the industrial, chemical, energy, marine, and real estate sectors and required intensive analysis of Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, Superfund/CERCLA liability, Clean Water Act and wetlands issues, hazardous waste and wastewater compliance, and contamination-related risk.
Semaj graduated cum laude from Southern University Law Center, where she ranked in the top 10% of her class and earned CALI Awards in Legal Analysis & Writing I and II and Legal Research. During law school, she served as a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Brian A. Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. She was also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property, Technology, and Law and a teaching assistant on the Board of Student Advisors for Civil Law Property and Basic Civil Procedure.
She earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, with a concentration in Marine Science, summa cum laude from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. As a NOAA EPP/MSI Scholar, Semaj worked on issues involving state and federal regulations, marine sanctuaries, and the fishing industry. She was also an inaugural Mayoral Fellow for the City of Charleston, South Carolina, where she helped develop plans for land acquired through FEMA buyouts.
Semaj is a member of the State Bar of Louisiana and is licensed to practice law in all Louisiana state courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Outside of practice, Semaj is actively involved in professional and community organizations, including the Winston Rhea Scholars Board, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, and the Young Black Lawyers’ Organizing Coalition.