Mary Elizabeth Tharp was a longtime partner, now of counsel with the Baton Rouge law firm of Taylor Porter, L.L.P.  She is a 1980 graduate of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University.

Ms. Tharp received her bachelor’s degree at Louisiana State University in 1968 and earned her Master of Arts Degree in Spanish literature at Louisiana State University in 1977.  She was admitted to practice in Louisiana in 1980.  She is a member of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana State and American Bar Associations and the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel. She currently serves as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Louisiana State Bar Section on Governmental and Public Law. 

Ms. Tharp concentrates her practice in real estate, property law and procurement of services and equipment for public agencies. With regard to real estate, she represents clients in the areas of real estate development, real estate finance, land use and zoning. In addition, she has represented clients in a variety of real estate transactions including office buildings, shopping centers and medical facilities. In the area of property law, she has represented LSU in its lease of property to a nonprofit or a foundation which has then constructed improvements on LSU’s property.  In the field of procurement, Ms. Tharp has represented LSU on energy efficiency projects implemented under the Louisiana Procurement Code for LSU, as the customer of those services, as well as general procurement matters for the campuses under the management of the LSU Board of Supervisors.  She currently serves as counsel to the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in matters of property and procurement services.

Ms. Tharp has been a guest lecturer on property matters for the Institute of Real Estate Law at LSU, the Institute of Paralegal Education of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and the Louisiana Notary Association. She has been a guest lecturer on ethics for the Louisiana Notary Association and the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel.  She was an instructor of real estate law in the Paralegal Studies Program at LSU from 1990-1998. 

Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Rating