Shelley Hammond Provosty

Shelley Hammond Provosty, 69, passed away on December 1, 2024. Shelley was born in New Orleans, LA on October 12, 1955, daughter of Cynthia Rainold Hammond and the late John Phelps Hammond. She was the oldest of four children and sister to Penny, John, and Peirce.

Shelley attended Louise S. McGehee School, New Orleans, LA (1973) and Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC (1977), where she made lifelong friends. Shelley thrived at Wake Forest on all fronts. She joined the tennis team her first year and graduated cum laude with a BA in Political Science. During her debut year in New Orleans, Shelley was presented in the court of Comus and reigned as queen of Mithras.

Following college, Shelley obtained her juris doctorate from Louisiana State University Law School. In 1980, she clerked for United States District Judge Peter H. Beer, Eastern District of Louisiana, and then joined the firm of Montgomery, Barnett, Brown, Read, Hammond & Mintz where she practiced law for 26 years, following which she joined Hammond Law Firm in 2015.

Shelley was recognized for her legal work and leadership skills. She served as Chair of the Defense Research Institute (DRI) Task Force on Women in the Courtroom and served a two-year term as Chair of the Professionalism Committee of the Louisiana State Bar Association. Shelley served a three-year term as a State Representative to the DRI, a two-year term as a member of the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel and a three-year term as a member of the Board of Governors from the First Board District of the Louisiana State Bar Association. She also served as a Vice-Chair of the Commercial Transportation Litigation Committee of the ABA Trial Tort and Insurance Practice. In 2019, after the Hard Rock Hotel collapsed, she was appointed by the judge to the Plaintiff Steering Committee for the complex litigation that followed.

Formerly married to Saint Provosty, Shelley loved her family and took great pride in her children, Henry St Paul “Paul” Provosty, Jr and Emily Hammond Provosty. She treasured her time hanging out with them, whether by a pool, as she did for many years in Pass Christian, at home, or on the phone. Throughout her life, she enjoyed listening to music (especially Paul’s) and remained a devoted tennis fan (Roger Federer being her favorite). Shelley stayed connected with cousins and took interest in both the Rainold and Phelps family trees.

Shelley is predeceased by her father, John Phelps Hammond, and brother, John Phelps Hammond, Jr. She is survived by her mother, Cynthia Rainold Hammond, sister Hilda “Penny” Hammond Saunders (Harry), brother, Peirce Aldridge Hammond II (Heather), nieces Sarah Rainold Hammond, Sophia Hammond Barnett (Logan), Ella Lucy Hammond, and nephew John Phelps Hammond III.

There will be a Celebration of Life to honor and remember Shelley on December 27, 2024 at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, Metairie, LA beginning at 12 noon followed by remarks at 2:00 pm. A private burial will follow.