Leopold Z. Sher

Leopold Z. Sher


Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert, L.L.C.

Recognized since 2006

New Orleans, Louisiana

Practice Areas

Administrative / Regulatory Law

Banking and Finance Law

Commercial Finance Law

Commercial Litigation

Corporate Compliance Law

Corporate Governance Law

Corporate Law

Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law

Equipment Finance Law

Financial Services Regulation Law

Franchise Law

Land Use and Zoning Law

Litigation - Banking and Finance

Litigation - Land Use and Zoning

Litigation - Municipal

Litigation - Real Estate

Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law

Municipal Law

Nonprofit / Charities Law

Project Finance Law

Real Estate Law

Securitization and Structured Finance Law

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2025 - Land Use and Zoning Law
Navigate to map location for Leopold Z. Sher Call Leopold Z. Sher at 504-299-2100
Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2025 - Land Use and Zoning Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Financial Services Regulation Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Project Finance Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2022 - Project Finance Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2021 - Land Use and Zoning Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2020 - Project Finance Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2019 - Administrative / Regulatory Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2019 - Corporate Compliance Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2017 - Land Use and Zoning Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2016 - Administrative / Regulatory Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2015 - Financial Services Regulation Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2014 - Administrative / Regulatory Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2012 - Litigation - Real Estate Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2011 - Real Estate Law
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Mr. Sher is a business lawyer whose practice is concentrated in commercial real estate and business and finance law. He also practices in the areas of: commercial litigation, creditors' rights, workouts and foreclosures, commercial bankruptcy, disaster recovery, arbitration and mediation, secured finance and asset based lending. Along with his practice, Mr. Sher is actively involved with many professional and trade organizations, including the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, where he served as Treasurer and a member of the Executive Board; the Anglo American Real Property Institute (an organization limited in its membership to the top 50 real estate practitioners in the United States and the top 50 real estate practitioners in the United Kingdom) where he served as Treasurer and a member of the Governing Board; the Real Property Section of the American Bar Association, where Mr. Sher has served in many positions, including the Section's governing Council and as the Section Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates; the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers, which selects its members (fellows) from those attorneys in the United States who serve the asset based lending industry; the American College of Mortgage Attorneys; the Business Section of the American Bar Association, particularly the Commercial Financial Services Committee of the Section; and the American Law Institute, where he is currently serving as a member of the Members Consultative Group on the Restatement Third, The U.S. Law of Commercial Arbitration Committee. Mr. Sher is an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association, with a special designation for arbitrating Commercial Disputes. Mr. Sher also serves on the Tulane Law School Dean's Advisory Board, whose purpose is to serve as an advisory and consultative group to the Dean of the Law School, bringing the perspective of alumni and other friends of the Law School to bear on matters of Law School policy, activities, programs and goals, and acts as an advocate to assist the Dean in advancing the interest of the school. He also is currently a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, a trade association that represents the interests of those involved in the shopping center industry, including lenders, tenants, owners and developers. From 1986 to 1999, Mr. Sher was also a member of the Lenders' Counsel Group of the American Land Title Association (ALTA), a group limited to 75 lending lawyers who met in conjunction with the ALTA, the title insurance industry trade association.
Over the years, Mr. Sher has been actively involved in virtually every type of major business, real estate and finance transaction representing various and diverse interests as follows: major lenders, including life insurance companies, banks, finance companies and other asset based lenders, savings and loans and other lenders such as Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS), Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (REMICS) [conduit lending], and CMBS (Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities) lenders for all categories of loans and lending arrangements including private and public financing, industrial development bond financing, public/private partnerships, New Markets Tax Credits financing, and Urban Development Action Grants); commercial developers, including developers of shopping centers, hotels, office buildings, apartment complexes, free standing retail establishments, industrial properties, condominiums, golf courses, Planned Unit Developments, historic rehabilitations, mixed-use projects, conversions, parking lots and garages, warehouses, and other traditional and nontraditional (facade donations, air rights transactions, etc.) real estate projects; businesses, including representation related to the buying and selling of businesses, structuring transactions, joint ventures and other combinations, general business advice and major contracts; landlords and tenants, which representation includes drafting of form leases and negotiation of lease agreements, construction, operation and reciprocal easement (servitude) agreements and other agreements that affect real property; owners and purchasers, which representation includes drafting and negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, construction contracts, development agreements, and acquisition and disposition in bulk of multiple properties. Mr. Sher has also represented major national and international clients in the food service, hospital, title insurance and oil and gas industries.
On behalf of clients of the firm, Mr. Sher regularly practices before and works closely with political entities and public administrative boards and agencies, at the local, parish (county), state and national levels.
Mr. Sher has spoken extensively, both locally and nationally, on many diverse subjects including marine pollution/offshore oil leak disasters, capital markets, real estate finance, government bailouts, disaster recovery, insurance, zoning, land use, eminent domain, environmental law, limited liability companies, workouts, leases, title insurance, asset based lending, lending, lender liability, civil forfeiture, distressed real estate, brokerage agreements and other areas related to his practice. Since Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Sher has spoken extensively all over the country to various business groups, professional organizations, and trade associations on disaster recovery, disaster planning and disaster management.
Mr. Sher is active in the community, currently serving as a board member of both the Arts Council of New Orleans and the New Orleans Opera Association.

Contact & Links
Location
  • 909 Poydras Street, Suite 2800
    New Orleans, LA 70112
Education
  • Tulane University, B.S. Political Science, graduated 1976
Bar Admissions
  • Louisiana, Louisiana State Bar Association
Affiliations
  • American Arbitration Association, Panel of Arbitrators - Member
  • American Bar Association, Real Property Section, Governing Counsel, Section Delegate to the House of Delegate - Member
  • American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers - Member
  • American College of Mortgage Attorneys - Member
  • American College of Real Estate Lawyers, Board of Governors, Treasurer - Member
  • American Law Institute, Member; Member Consultative Group for Rest. Third, The U.S. Law of International Commercial Arbitration - Member
  • Anglo American Real Property Institute, U.S. Group - Treasurer
  • International Council of Shopping Centers - Member
  • Lender's Counsel Group of the American Land Title Association (ALTA) - Member
  • Tulane Law School Dean's Advisory Board - Member

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2025 - Land Use and Zoning Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Financial Services Regulation Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Project Finance Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2022 - Project Finance Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2021 - Land Use and Zoning Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2020 - Project Finance Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2019 - Administrative / Regulatory Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2019 - Corporate Compliance Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2017 - Land Use and Zoning Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2016 - Administrative / Regulatory Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2015 - Financial Services Regulation Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2014 - Administrative / Regulatory Law Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2012 - Litigation - Real Estate Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2011 - Real Estate Law
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Land Use and Zoning Law, New Orleans (2025)
  • Financial Services Regulation Law, New Orleans (2024)
  • Project Finance Law, New Orleans (2024)
  • Project Finance Law, New Orleans (2022)
  • Land Use and Zoning Law, New Orleans (2021)
  • Project Finance Law, New Orleans (2020)
  • Administrative / Regulatory Law, New Orleans (2019)
  • Corporate Compliance Law, New Orleans (2019)
  • Land Use and Zoning Law, New Orleans (2017)
  • Administrative / Regulatory Law, New Orleans (2016)
  • Financial Services Regulation Law, New Orleans (2015)
  • Administrative / Regulatory Law, New Orleans (2014)
  • Litigation - Real Estate, New Orleans (2012)
  • Real Estate Law, New Orleans (2011)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 for work in:
  • Administrative / Regulatory Law
  • Banking and Finance Law
  • Commercial Finance Law
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Corporate Compliance Law
  • Corporate Governance Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
  • Equipment Finance Law
  • Financial Services Regulation Law
  • Franchise Law
  • Land Use and Zoning Law
  • Litigation - Banking and Finance
  • Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
  • Litigation - Municipal
  • Litigation - Real Estate
  • Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
  • Municipal Law
  • Nonprofit / Charities Law
  • Project Finance Law
  • Real Estate Law
  • Securitization and Structured Finance Law
Special Focus:
  • Administrative
  • Arbitration
  • Arbitration and Mediation
  • Business
  • Business Disputes
  • Commercial
  • Commercial Landlord Tenant
  • Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities
  • Complex Disputes
  • Condemnation
  • Condominiums
  • Contract
  • COVID-19
  • Derivatives
  • Development
  • Easements and Rights of Way
  • Eminent Domain
  • Energy Projects
  • Equipment Leasing
  • Finance
  • Financial Institutions
  • Foreclosures
  • Government Relations
  • Hospitality
  • International
  • International Arbitration
  • Land Use
  • Leasing
  • Lending
  • Litigation
  • Mediation
  • Mortgage
  • Municipal
  • Office Buildings
  • Real Estate
  • Real Property Law
  • Redevelopment
  • Securities
  • Shopping Center Transactions
  • Structured Products
  • Tax Certiorari
  • Transactions
  • Troubled Projects
  • Uniform Commercial Code
  • Vessel Financing
  • Workouts and Restructurings
  • Zoning
Awards:
  • Best Lawyers in America, with special designations in Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Equipment Finance Law, Financial Services Regulation Law, Land Use & Zon
  • Best Lawyers in America, with special designations in Alternative Dispute Resolution, Banking Law, Equipment Finance Law, Land Use & Zoning Law, Real Estate Law and Structured Finance Law, 2011
  • Mr. Sher was named a Super Lawyer (2007-2013) by Super Lawyers and one of its top 10 and top 50 lawyers, 2007-2012
  • Best Lawyers in America, with special designations in Alternative Dispute Resolution, Land Use & Zoning Law and Real Estate Law, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009
  • Lawdragon 500 named Mr. Sher one of its Leading Lawyers in America, 2007-2011 and one of its Top Managing Partners You Need to Know for 2008
  • Chambers and Partners identified Mr. Sher as one of the leading business lawyers in Real Estate in its 2004-2012 Chambers USA, Client's Guide
  • New Orleans City Business has awarded Mr. Sher the first annual Leadership in Law Award for 2005, as one of the top 50 Lawyers in New Orleans, 2005
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Arbitration
  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Collaborative Law: Civil
  • Collaborative Law: Family Law
  • Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
  • Communications Law
  • Construction Law
  • Derivatives and Futures Law
  • Environmental Law
  • Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
  • Government Relations Practice
  • International Arbitration - Commercial
  • International Arbitration - Governmental
  • International Trade and Finance Law
  • Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants
  • Litigation - Bankruptcy
  • Litigation - Construction
  • Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Mediation
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • Public Finance Law
  • Securities / Capital Markets Law
  • Securities Regulation
  • Timber Law
  • Trade Secrets Law
  • Utilities Law
  • Venture Capital Law
  • Water Law

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Publications

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