Jones Walker announced today that Brian E. Lawlor, former New Orleans and New York housing official, joined the firm’s affordable housing team as special counsel in the New York and New Orleans offices.
During Mr. Lawlor’s tenure as the Director of Housing Policy and Community Development for the City of New Orleans, he was integral in returning the Housing Authority of New Orleans to local control, served as the Mayor’s primary liaison to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and led several initiatives that allowed more than 850 low-and moderate-income families to purchase their first homes. He also designed, implemented, and oversaw several of the City’s disaster recovery initiatives.
“As our firm continues to grow strategically to better serve our clients, Brian’s New York and New Orleans experience was the perfect fit for our housing finance and real estate service areas,” said William H. Hines, Managing Partner of Jones Walker. “We are pleased to have him join our firm and enhance the synergies between our New York and New Orleans capabilities.”
Mr. Lawlor served as the Commissioner for New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, the President and CEO of the New York State Housing Finance Agency, and as the President and CEO of the State of New York Mortgage Agency. In his leadership roles for the State of New York, Mr. Lawlor successfully transformed and consolidated operations of the state’s three major housing agencies and public authorities, leading to a more efficient and effective use of the state’s investments in diverse neighborhoods and communities. Prior to serving as commissioner, he also served as Assistant Secretary to the Governor for Housing, Executive Deputy Commissioner, and General Counsel to the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation. Notably, he served in various high-level positions under both Republican and Democratic governors.
“We are excited to have Brian join our affordable housing group,” said Rick Lazio, head of Jones Walker’s New York office and leader of the firm’s affordable housing team. “With his addition, we continue our development of a key practice with deep regulatory, legal, and administrative experience at the federal, state, and local levels in affordable housing. His lifelong dedication to the affordable housing community and his unique blend of talent and experience will be a valuable asset to our clients.”
Mr. Lawlor earned a juris doctor degree from New York Law School and a bachelor of arts degree from Hofstra University. He is admitted to practice by the New York State Bar, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Mr. Lawlor is frequently engaged as a guest lecturer at Tulane University, Howard University, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Cornell University, the University at Albany, and Albany Law School. He also speaks regularly at housing industry conferences in Louisiana, New York, and around the country.
For more than four decades, Jones Walker has helped organizations and individuals acquire, develop, finance, and build a broad range of affordable housing; workforce, senior, student, and military housing; and mixed-use projects involving new market credits across the country. Jones Walker offers clients the deep industry knowledge, full-spectrum legal counsel, and firsthand government experience required to provide creative, practical solutions for affordable housing matters.
About Jones Walker
Jones Walker LLP (www.joneswalker.com), with approximately 390 attorneys, provides a comprehensive range of legal services to a national and international corporate client base through offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Ohio and Texas.
