Legal Matters

Tuten Title hires Mestayer, creates endowed scholarship at UL Lafayette

Attorney Steve Mestayer has joined Tuten Title & Escrow. The New Iberia native earned his business administration and law degrees from LSU.

Steve Mestayer

Attorney Steve Mestayer has joined Tuten Title & Escrow. The New Iberia native earned his business administration and law degrees from LSU.

Mestayer began his practice of law with his father, Ray F. Mestayer, and since 1974 has specialized in real estate matters, successions, wills, estate planning and commercial contracts. At Tuten Title he will continue to do title, escrow and closing work for residential and commercial real estate transactions, as well as successions, wills, estate planning and contract work.

Mestayer is an Eagle Scout, a past Kiwanis Club president and a member of various religious, civic and professional organizations, including Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Broussard, the Iberia Chamber of Commerce, the American Land Title Association and the Louisiana State and Iberia Parish bar associations.

Tuten Title & Escrow also announced the creation of an endowed scholarship for the B.I. Moody III College

of Business Administration at UL Lafayette. The real estate closing firm donated $10,800 and will contribute an additional $3,000 per year to award the scholarship while the endowment is funded.

This partnership between UL and Tuten was founded in August 2015 and will provide essential funds for students focusing on entrepreneurship, with preference given to students who demonstrate an interest in starting a business and creating jobs in Acadiana.

The recipient must have completed an entrepreneurship course at UL and be engaged in entrepreneurial programs such as AcceleRagin’, UL Lafayette’s business accelerator program housed in the Moody College of Business; the Louisiana Small Business Development Center and INNOV8 Acadiana.

The firm is made up of three attorneys, H.L. “Rye” Tuten III, Christopher S. Afeman and Margo H. Dugas. In the spring of 2015, Tuten Title merged with the Law Offices of David Groner to open Tuten Title New Iberia.