How Can I Help You Move Forward?

Whether transacting or litigating a real estate matter, I focus on moving matters forward to a successful resolution based on my client’s goals. Although it is just one element of my broad real estate practice, I am well known for a niche I call “forensic title,” which requires in-depth research of large and often historic titles to bring them forward into real estate transactions today. Doing this work, I have gained special expertise in riverfront and historic titles. Speaking French even helps occasionally.

Overview

Rose (Rosie) LeBreton’s real estate work falls into three major categories:

  1. Development of office buildings, hotels, shopping centers, industrial parks, residential and commercial condominiums and subdivisions
  2. Acquisition, financing, land use and end sales
  3. “Forensic title” resolution of complex title issues such as:
    • New Orleans Riverfront ownership and entitlements
    • BP Oil Spill claims by owners in the DeepWater Horizon disaster
    • Mapping and title review of Tulane University’s uptown campus and other properties
    • Port of New Orleans’ acquisition of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and the Huey P. Long Bridge including land from Almonaster Industrial Park in New Orleans east to Avondale Shipyard in West Jefferson Parish
    • Resolved ownership interests of 43,500 acres in St. Tammany Parish
    • Defense of 2000+ title insurance claims for national underwriters
    • Title insurance and commercial closings through LAWLA Title, LLC

Unlike most real estate lawyers who start with closing work, Rosie’s early experience was in title curative and defense matters. Working in the FSLIC/FDIC crisis, her charge was to restore loans with bad loan underwriting to commerce. This experience provided important lessons in “what not to do” in real estate practice, and led to Rosie’s representation of national title underwriters, such as First American Title Insurance Company and Fidelity National Title Insurance Company, in the defense and resolution of more than 2,000 title matters.

An architecture metaphor for real estate law

Rosie uses an architecture metaphor, often referring to real estate development projects as “legal architecture”:

The foundation of the “building” is good title work, and Rosie is adept at helping developers discern what is visible on the land and what rights may have been alienated but are not visible. For example, the developer wants to avoid breaking ground only to break a gas line, or find the property is encumbered with an underground drainage servitude. Providing a stable ground floor of the “building” requires securing proper zoning and necessary entitlements/easements/permits so the project can operate on the land. Whether an office building or park, a condominium, a shopping center or a residential subdivision, properly documenting the project is akin to building out the upper stories, and the purchase and sale agreement (PSA) is like the architectural drawing: it outlines how the deal will progress from acquisition through closing and build out, and establishes obligations that survive closing. The financing, sale and construction documents are the topmost floors, each deriving from the plans outlined in the PSA, and each with a job in getting the “building” to completion. Finally, receiving the Certificate of Occupancy is like securing the metaphorical roof.

Additionally, Rosie is a licensed Louisiana Title Insurance Agent. At Lugenbuhl, she founded LAWLA Title, LLC, an in-house title agency which provides commercial closing services.

Rose LeBreton is well versed in commercial real estate. She has good expertise, good skill and good attention to detail. She is very familiar with zoning requirements and is very responsive.

Bankruptcy/Restructuring Client – Chambers

Outside the Office

Born and bred in New York, Rosie came to New Orleans to attend Newcomb College, where she met her husband, Edward F. LeBreton III. Together they have three children and four grandchildren, with whom she loves spending as much time as she can, as well as cooking and traveling. As a former voice student, Rosie enjoys all kinds of music and supports the New Orleans Opera Association as an associate board member. She is also deeply tied to Tulane University and honored to serve as a member of Tulane Law School’s Dean’s Advisory Board.

Education

  • Tulane University School of Law, J.D., 1976
    • Assistant Dean
    • Law Clerk to Hon. Charles Schwartz USDC- EDLA
  • Newcomb College, B.A., 1973
  • L’Institut D’Etudes, 1972

    Francaises D’Avignon, Summer Program

Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • Louisiana
  • Texas

Court Admissions

  • All Louisiana State Courts
  • U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana
  • All Texas State Courts

Professional

  • Louisiana State Bar Association
  • Texas Bar Association
  • ABA Real Estate Section (Title Insurance Subcommittee)
  • New Orleans Bar Real Estate Committee
  • Urban Land Institute (Executive Committee)
  • New Orleans Commercial Real Estate Women (President 2009)
  • CREW Network (National), chair of recognition and education committees (2010-2012)
  • Louisiana Land Title Association

Community

  • Tulane University Alumni Board (represented the Law School in the University group)
  • Tulane Law School Alumni Committee
  • Founder & Honorary Chair of the Annual Tulane Law Hall of Fame Luncheon
  • Tulane Law School Dean’s Advisory Board (a distinguished advisory board to the administration of the Law School)
  • Board of Directors, Garden District Association
  • Founding Board of Directors, Preservation Resource Center
  • Founding Board of Directors, Camp Pleasant, Inc.
  • Board Member, New Orleans Opera Association

  • Best Lawyers (2008-2024)
  • Super Lawyers (2009-2024)
  • Chambers and Partners USA: Band 2 in Land Use (2023) and Band 3 in Real Estate (2011-2016, 2019-2023)
  • New Orleans Magazines “Top Lawyers” (since 2007)
  • New Orleans CityBusiness Leadership in Law Hall of Fame Honoree (Class of 2021)
  • New Orleans CityBusiness Leadership in Law Honoree (Class of 2017, 2019, 2021)
  • Featured in New Orleans Magazine Best Lawyers Edition (2011, 2016)
  • Featured in article on women practicing law in the 1970-80s, National Law Journal
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating
  • CityBusiness Woman of the Year Honoree (2009)
  • Outstanding Young Woman of America (1976)

  • Assistant Dean, Tulane Law School, 1977-1979
  • Law Clerk to Hon. Charles Schwartz, Jr. (U.S.D.C., E.D. LA) 1979-1980
  • Licensed Real Estate Agent, 1976

Rosie's Insights