lesley j. beam

Lesley J. Beam was raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but has called Lafayette home since 2012, when she moved to Louisiana for her marriage to Aaron Baniewicz, Lafayette resident and ULL alumni.  Lesley graduated cum laude in May of 2000 from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Arts, Literature and Writing, with a minor in Business Administration.

Following her graduation from Vanderbilt University, Lesley attended Washington and Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia, where she obtained her Juris Doctorate degree with honors in May of 2003.   While attending Washington and Lee, Lesley interned with the US Army JAG Corps on assignment at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., and the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office of Botetourt County in Virginia.  She was also legislative editor of the Environmental Law Digest and participated in mock trial and negotiations competitions.

Prior to her relocation to Louisiana, Lesley was a practitioner at a boutique domestic law only firm in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where she earned such accolades as nomination to Who’s Who among Executive and Professional Women, election as chairperson of the Young Lawyers Division of the Dauphin County Bar Association, and selection as a speaker and teacher for Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Division seminars and classes.  She was also elected to the William M. Lipsitt Inn of Court and participated in the Cumberland County Inn of Court.

Lesley’s current practice focuses on domestic matters, including divorce, partition of community property, custody, child and spousal support, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and adoption. She also prepares wills and trusts, and prepares successions and donations. Her prior practice included experience in all domestic law matters, insurance defense and criminal law.

Lesley currently resides in Lafayette, Louisiana with her husband and children.  She is an active member of the Louisiana Bar Association, the Executive Committee for the Family Law Section of the Lafayette Bar Association, the Lafayette Bar Association and Young Lawyer’s Association.