Areas of Practice
- Business & Commercial Transactions
- Disaster Preparedness & Recovery
- Economic Development
- Government Relations & Legislative Advocacy
- Public Finance
- Tax Credit Programs
Education
- Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University, J.D., 1971
- Louisiana Tech University, B.A., 1971
Bar Admissions
- Louisiana, 1971
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1976
- M.D. La., 1973
Fred Chevalier is a partner in the firm's Business & Commercial Transactions Practice Group, and practices from the firm's Baton Rouge office. He works extensively with Gulf Opportunity Zone (GO Zone) benefits, tax increment financing, special tax districts, and tax sharing and tax credits, including New Markets Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, and Rehabilitation Tax Credits.
Mr. Chevalier has represented both the public and private sectors in major economic development projects, and his clients include V-Vehicle; Foster Farms; Union Tank Car Company; Northrop Grumman Ship Systems; CG Rail; ThyssenKrupp USA, Inc.; Lowe's; Denham Springs Economic Development District; Greater New Orleans, Inc.; Ascension Economic Development Corporation; Jefferson Economic Development Commission; and various real estate developers, to name a few. He is currently serving as lead bond counsel on a $1-billion financing for a gasefication plant sponsored by Leucadia National Corporation, headquartered in New York City.
Mr. Chevalier has served as bond counsel to the State of Louisiana and its agencies, public corporations, political subdivisions, and public trusts, including five statewide issuers of tax-exempt bonds. He has served as a technical legal adviser in the drafting of the federal GO Zone legislation following Hurricane Katrina, and numerous public finance measures adopted by the Louisiana State Legislature, including laws relating to the State Bond Commission, the Louisiana Community Development Authority Act, the Louisiana Recovery District, tax increment financing, municipal leasing, and numerous economic development measures. In addition, he has served various state administrations as an adviser on Louisiana state debt and debt issuance and has provided recommendations regarding fiscal policies.
Mr. Chevalier has served as a speaker on various private and government-sponsored seminar panels and advisory panels on public finance, including the Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005 (KETRA) and GO Zone workshops and as a finance panelist for The Bond Buyer, the Governor's Economic Development Conference, the Louisiana Municipal Association, the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Public Law Institute, the City Attorney's Association, the Government Finance Institute, various chambers of commerce, and the Louisiana Bankers Association.
Mr. Chevalier served as Assistant Attorney General for Public Finance for the State of Louisiana and Chief of the Public Finance Section from 1973–1980, in which he represented the Louisiana State Treasury Department and the State Bond Commission as Bond Counsel to the State. Mr. Chevalier was later appointed Assistant State Treasurer, and was responsible for the investment of state funds. He also served as in-house counsel to the Louisiana State Treasurer's Office and the State Bond Commission.
Noteworthy
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2010 (Copyright 2009 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC) in the area of Public Finance Law (listed annually since 2003)
- Listed in the 2007 edition of Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Bonds/Government Finance
- AV® Peer Review Rating in Martindale-Hubbell
News
- 2010 Best Lawyers in America Rankings Showcase Jones Walker’s Depth, Growth
- Attorneys to Present at "Economic Development Financing" Seminar
- Sixty-Three Jones Walker Attorneys Named in The Best Lawyers in America® 2009; Jones Walker Top-Listed in Louisiana
- Seven Jones Walker Attorneys to Speak at "Economic Development Financing" Seminar
- Southern Business & Development Names Jones Walker One of "Top 10 Law Firms That Understand Economic Development"
- Fifty-Two Jones Walker Attorneys Named in The Best Lawyers in America® 2008; Jones Walker Top-Listed in Louisiana
Presentations
- "Economic Development Financing", March 17, 2010
- "Economic Development Financing in Louisiana", October 15, 2009, Lorman Education Services Seminar
- "Economic Development Financing", October 15, 2008
- "The Gulf Opportunity Zone Act", January 2006, Governor's Economic Development Conference
- "Tax Increment Financing in Louisiana", December 8, 2005
- "Pending Federal Legislation Related to Tax-Exempt Bond Issuance for Redevelopment of the Hurricane-Ravaged Areas", November 28, 2005
Publications
- "Legislative Briefing – Katrina Update"
January 24, 2006
Memberships
- Baton Rouge Bar Association
- International Economic Development Council
- Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association
- Louisiana State Bar Association
- National Association of Bond Lawyers
- Phi Alpha Delta
- State of Louisiana (Assistant Attorney General for Public Finance, 1973–1980; Assistant Treasurer, 1980–1982)
