Laura Settlemyer

Laura Settlemyer is the In-House Counsel for the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority. Laura leads the Legal Department and advises the Executive Director, Board of Commissioners, and organization on matters relating to land use, title, and real estate.

Laura previously worked in Hartford, Connecticut, as the founding Chairperson/Executive Director of the Hartford Land Bank and the City’s Director of Blight Remediation. Laura’s efforts included overhauling the city’s anti-blight ordinance and drafting and passing statewide land bank and receivership legislation. Before Hartford, Laura worked as Assistant General Counsel for Michigan Initiatives for the Center for Community Progress. She assisted land banks across Michigan with neighborhood revitalization efforts, working most closely with the Detroit Land Bank Authority.

She started her career as an Associate Attorney in the New Orleans office of McGlinchey Stafford PLLC, focusing on government contracts litigation, commercial mortgage foreclosures, and title insurance defense. In 2011 she joined the New Orleans City Attorney’s Office, working in government contracts and code enforcement.

Laura holds a law degree from Emory University and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.