Honorable Frances Pitman received a Bachelor of Arts from LSU-Shreveport and a Master of Communication Disorders from LSU Health Sciences Center. She also holds a Juris Doctor from LSU Law Center.

Before attending law school, Chief Judge Pitman was a speech-language pathologist, special education teacher and a member of the medical/educational diagnostic team at the LSU Health Sciences Center, Children’s Center in Shreveport.

Prior to her election to the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal in November 2012, Chief Judge Pitman was a district judge for four years at the First Judicial District Court. Before becoming a judge, she was an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Louisiana, in charge of the North Louisiana Civil Division. Chief Judge Pitman litigated civil and criminal cases throughout North Louisiana and authored hundreds of Attorney General Opinions. She was also a certified Family Law Mediator. She was the co-chair of the Shreveport Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Programs for a number of years, and is an active member in The Harry V. Booth-Judge Henry A. Politz American Inn of Court. Recently, she became the Chief Judge of the Second Circuit Court of Appeal, is the Chairman of the Louisiana Conference of Court of Appeal Judges, and is a board member of the Louisiana Judicial College.

Chief Judge Pitman and her husband, Judge Mike Pitman, are founders of and instructors for “Kick It Up,” a Christian martial arts program for children at Summer Grove Baptist Church and “Don’t Be A Victim,” a safety training program for senior citizens, women and children. She is a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do; an avid tennis player, who has captained several state-champion teams; and has competed in a number of marathons and triathlons. She has one daughter and two granddaughters.