Victor J. Franckiewi ...

Victor J.

Franckiewicz, Jr.

New Orleans office,Gulfport office

Overview

Vic’s legal and executive management experience centers on governmental innovation, real estate development, environmental stewardship, and construction.  He provides clients with legal advice informed by results-oriented leadership in the public sector and private industry, and by a strong scientific and technical background.

Experience

  • Lead counsel for Louisiana Land Trust, a legislatively-chartered nonprofit charged with managing 11,000 Hurricane Katrina-damaged properties across South Louisiana and returning them to commerce.
  • Strong experience handling complex, multi-parcel real estate projects and resolving real estate title issues.
  • Manager of the firm’s title subsidiary (North Boulevard Title, LLC); licensed as a title insurance producer in Louisiana.
  • Prepared innovative land use ordinance for St. James Parish, Louisiana and counseled local authorities in implementation and successful defense against legal challenges.
  • Led 15-member legal team representing the Regional Transit Authority in New Orleans in major effort to reorganize the agency following a change in administration, and to restructure the agency following Hurricane Katrina.
  • Lead counsel for an international water treatment company in a seven-year long class action in Louisiana over drinking water quality.
  • Managed defense team defending several national clients against 21,000 plaintiffs alleging lung injury from silica dust in Mississippi litigation.
  • Executive management experience in public works construction, zoning, environmental regulation, federal programs, employment and labor matters and economic development.
  • Prepared Mississippi’s coastal zone management program, including drafting legislation, wetlands permitting and waterfront industrial development regulations.
  • Notable Litigation:
  • Martello v. City of Ferriday, 886 So.2d 645 (La. App. 3rd Cir. 2004), writ denied, 894 So.2d 1148 (La. 2005).  Represented a water treatment equipment manufacturer in a long-running class action.
  • Freeman v. Walley, 276 F. Supp. 2d 597 (S.D. Miss. 2003):  Represented an excess insurer opposing a $4 million underlying judgment in an action removed to federal court.
  • International Rivercenter v. Henry C. Beck Co., 672 So. 2d 1160 (La. App. 4 Cir.), writ denied, 675 So.2d 1083 (La. 1996); and International River Center v. Johns-Manville Sales Corporation, 861 So.2d 139 (La. 2003).  Represented the general contractor in a construction dispute over a major facility in New Orleans.
  • Lindy Investments, L.P. v. Shakertown Corp., 209 F.3d 802 (5th Cir. 2000): Represented the owners of four large apartment complexes in an action against the manufacturer of defective siding.
  • Massey v. Decca Drilling Company, Inc., 647 So.2d 1196 (La. App. 2nd Cir, 1994), writs denied, 653 So.2d 563 and 564 (La. 1995).  Represented the insurer on appeal of a $19 million jury award ($43 Million with accrued interest); secured a reduction of the award to $44,000.

Distinctions

  • Martindale-Hubbell®
    • BV®-Distinguished™ Peer Review Rated, 2004-2017
  • Best Lawyers in America®
    • Lawyer of the Year, Administrative/Regulatory Law (New Orleans), 2021
    • Administrative/Regulatory Law, 2020-2024
  • CityBusiness Leader in Law, 2016
  • National Excellence Award for Public Policy, Governmental Research Association, 2000
  • Common Cause Legislative Leadership Award, 1990
  • Volunteer of the Year for pro-bono services, Safe Harbor Women’s Shelter, 1996
  • Senator, Mississippi State Senate, 1989-1993
  • Mayor, City of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, 1985-1989
  • Mississippi Advisory Commission on Public Trust Tidelands, 1988-1990
  • Co-Recipient, Ted Aschman Prize, American Society of Planning Officials, 1976

Bar Admissions

  • Louisiana, 1993
  • Mississippi, 1993

Education

  • Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., 1993
    • Loyola Law Review
    • Moot Court Board
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, M.C.P., City Planning, 1976
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, S.B., Urban Studies, 1976

Associations

  • Mississippi Bar Association
  • Louisiana State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Bureau of Governmental Research
    • President and CEO, 1999-2000

Papers, Presentations & Publications

  • Speaker, “Legal and Urban Planning Aspects of Disaster Recovery,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Planning, November 19, 2018.
  • A Sinking Coast Bubbles up Legal Challenges; presentation and paper on property law, coastal regulation, and disaster recovery issues resulting from coastal land loss and rising sea levels; New Orleans, Louisiana, December 30, 2014.
  • Overview and Status Report on the New Orleans Capital Program, Bureau of Governmental Research, October 2000; examined capital budget process of City of New Orleans.
  • Privatization of Sewerage and Water Board Operations, Bureau of Governmental Research, April 2000.  A report on the options and issues involved in privatizing a major urban utility system.
  • Property Tax Exemption and Assessment Administration in Orleans Parish, Bureau of Governmental Research, December 1999; comprehensive examination of operations of seven Orleans Parish Tax Assessors.  The report was the analytic foundation for post-Katrina reforms that abolished the archaic seven-assessor system.  It won the prestigious Governmental Research Association’s National Excellence Award for Public Policy in 2000.
  • The States Ante Up: An Analysis of Casino Gaming Statutes, 38 Loy. L. Rev. 1123, 1993.
  • Chisom v. Roemer: The Elected Judiciary is Subject to Vote Dilution Claims Under the Voting Rights Act, 38 Loy. L. Rev. 211, 1992.
  • Frequent lecturer on zoning and land use issues at professional seminars in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Victor J.

Franckiewicz, Jr.

Overview

Vic’s legal and executive management experience centers on governmental innovation, real estate development, environmental stewardship, and construction.  He provides clients with legal advice informed by results-oriented leadership in the public sector and private industry, and by a strong scientific and technical background.

Experience

  • Lead counsel for Louisiana Land Trust, a legislatively-chartered nonprofit charged with managing 11,000 Hurricane Katrina-damaged properties across South Louisiana and returning them to commerce.
  • Strong experience handling complex, multi-parcel real estate projects and resolving real estate title issues.
  • Manager of the firm’s title subsidiary (North Boulevard Title, LLC); licensed as a title insurance producer in Louisiana.
  • Prepared innovative land use ordinance for St. James Parish, Louisiana and counseled local authorities in implementation and successful defense against legal challenges.
  • Led 15-member legal team representing the Regional Transit Authority in New Orleans in major effort to reorganize the agency following a change in administration, and to restructure the agency following Hurricane Katrina.
  • Lead counsel for an international water treatment company in a seven-year long class action in Louisiana over drinking water quality.
  • Managed defense team defending several national clients against 21,000 plaintiffs alleging lung injury from silica dust in Mississippi litigation.
  • Executive management experience in public works construction, zoning, environmental regulation, federal programs, employment and labor matters and economic development.
  • Prepared Mississippi’s coastal zone management program, including drafting legislation, wetlands permitting and waterfront industrial development regulations.
  • Notable Litigation:
  • Martello v. City of Ferriday, 886 So.2d 645 (La. App. 3rd Cir. 2004), writ denied, 894 So.2d 1148 (La. 2005).  Represented a water treatment equipment manufacturer in a long-running class action.
  • Freeman v. Walley, 276 F. Supp. 2d 597 (S.D. Miss. 2003):  Represented an excess insurer opposing a $4 million underlying judgment in an action removed to federal court.
  • International Rivercenter v. Henry C. Beck Co., 672 So. 2d 1160 (La. App. 4 Cir.), writ denied, 675 So.2d 1083 (La. 1996); and International River Center v. Johns-Manville Sales Corporation, 861 So.2d 139 (La. 2003).  Represented the general contractor in a construction dispute over a major facility in New Orleans.
  • Lindy Investments, L.P. v. Shakertown Corp., 209 F.3d 802 (5th Cir. 2000): Represented the owners of four large apartment complexes in an action against the manufacturer of defective siding.
  • Massey v. Decca Drilling Company, Inc., 647 So.2d 1196 (La. App. 2nd Cir, 1994), writs denied, 653 So.2d 563 and 564 (La. 1995).  Represented the insurer on appeal of a $19 million jury award ($43 Million with accrued interest); secured a reduction of the award to $44,000.

Distinctions

  • Martindale-Hubbell®
    • BV®-Distinguished™ Peer Review Rated, 2004-2017
  • Best Lawyers in America®
    • Lawyer of the Year, Administrative/Regulatory Law (New Orleans), 2021
    • Administrative/Regulatory Law, 2020-2024
  • CityBusiness Leader in Law, 2016
  • National Excellence Award for Public Policy, Governmental Research Association, 2000
  • Common Cause Legislative Leadership Award, 1990
  • Volunteer of the Year for pro-bono services, Safe Harbor Women’s Shelter, 1996
  • Senator, Mississippi State Senate, 1989-1993
  • Mayor, City of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, 1985-1989
  • Mississippi Advisory Commission on Public Trust Tidelands, 1988-1990
  • Co-Recipient, Ted Aschman Prize, American Society of Planning Officials, 1976

Bar Admissions

  • Louisiana, 1993
  • Mississippi, 1993

Education

  • Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., 1993
    • Loyola Law Review
    • Moot Court Board
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, M.C.P., City Planning, 1976
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, S.B., Urban Studies, 1976

Associations

  • Mississippi Bar Association
  • Louisiana State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Bureau of Governmental Research
    • President and CEO, 1999-2000

Papers, Presentations & Publications

  • Speaker, “Legal and Urban Planning Aspects of Disaster Recovery,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Planning, November 19, 2018.
  • A Sinking Coast Bubbles up Legal Challenges; presentation and paper on property law, coastal regulation, and disaster recovery issues resulting from coastal land loss and rising sea levels; New Orleans, Louisiana, December 30, 2014.
  • Overview and Status Report on the New Orleans Capital Program, Bureau of Governmental Research, October 2000; examined capital budget process of City of New Orleans.
  • Privatization of Sewerage and Water Board Operations, Bureau of Governmental Research, April 2000.  A report on the options and issues involved in privatizing a major urban utility system.
  • Property Tax Exemption and Assessment Administration in Orleans Parish, Bureau of Governmental Research, December 1999; comprehensive examination of operations of seven Orleans Parish Tax Assessors.  The report was the analytic foundation for post-Katrina reforms that abolished the archaic seven-assessor system.  It won the prestigious Governmental Research Association’s National Excellence Award for Public Policy in 2000.
  • The States Ante Up: An Analysis of Casino Gaming Statutes, 38 Loy. L. Rev. 1123, 1993.
  • Chisom v. Roemer: The Elected Judiciary is Subject to Vote Dilution Claims Under the Voting Rights Act, 38 Loy. L. Rev. 211, 1992.
  • Frequent lecturer on zoning and land use issues at professional seminars in Mississippi and Louisiana.