Chelsea Fitzgerald is an associate in the Affordable Housing and Community Development practice in the firm’s New Orleans office.
She represents developers, lenders, and nonprofit organizations in a wide range of corporate and commercial real estate transactions, including tax credit financings for the development of affordable housing, restoration of historic buildings, and business development in low-income communities.
Chelsea previously served as a public service fellow at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services in New Orleans representing low-income clients with housing legal issues, including defending clients in eviction proceedings, preserving clients’ subsidized housing, advocating for clients’ rights, and mediating landlord-tenant conflicts.
Admitted
- Tennessee, 2018
- Louisiana, 2016
Education
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- Vanderbilt University School of Law, 2016
- Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law, Managing Editor
- Moot Court Board, Associate Justice
- Vanderbilt Bar Association, Class Representative
- University of Florida, B. A. in Political Science and Spanish, magna cum laude, 2012
Languages
- Spanish
Representative Experience
- Represented commercial lender in construction financing for the development of affordable housing with use of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and Multifamily Revenue Bonds.
- Represented developer of affordable housing in the acquisition of land and construction financing of 75 units of affordable housing.
- Represented large metropolitan public housing authority in the development of mixed-income housing assisted by Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers and LIHTCs.
- Represented seller in $150 million sale of closely-held company.
- Represented subordinate lender in multi-tiered transaction involving Main Street Loan Facility and PPP loans.
- Represented commercial lender in acquisition and retail lease transaction with major retail chain.
- Represented industrial manufacturer in the acquisition and zoning approval of site for construction of plant.
- Represented developer of solar power generation facility in the acquisition of municipally-owned land and predevelopment financing
Affiliations
- American Bar Association, Real Property Trusts & Estates Fellow in Affordable Housing, 2021-2023
- Tulane Law School, Real Estate Contracts, Guest Lecturer
- New Orleans Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), Member
- Forbes Under 30 Global Women’s Summit, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Louisiana Bankers Association, Bank Counsel Section, Member
- Louisiana Land Title Association, Member
- New Orleans Bar Association, Member
- Urban Land Institute (ULI), Member
- Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), Louisiana chapter, Member
- Rebuilding Together New Orleans, Board of Directors
- Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, Fundraising Advisory Board Member
Recognition
- Scholastic Excellence Award- Intellectual Property Survey, Vanderbilt University Law School, 2014
- First Place at the Phi Delta Phi Annual Chili Cook-Off, Vanderbilt University Law School, 2015
Presentations
- ABA RPTE eCLE, “Updated ALTA Forms: What’s New,” June 30, 2021
- 33rd Annual RPTE Virtual National Conference, “Updated ALTA Forms: What’s New,” April 21, 2021
Publications
- When Tech Startups Outgrow the 1099 Model: Moving Firms Out of the Kiddie Pool, 18 Vand. J. Ent. & Tech. 3
- Shareholders’ Failed Business Judgment Rule Challenge in Merger, Louisiana Bar Journal, August/September 2021
