Foster swift bond counsel practice how we serve townships. Experienced since 1973, our bond attorneys practice in all areas of municipal bond issuance, both taxexempt and taxable, including various revenue bonds, general obligation bonds, and limited tax secured bonds. Since 1980, varnum has been listed in the bond buyers municipal marketplace the red book, and several of the firms attorneys are members of the national association of bond lawyers. Nationally recognized bond counsel legal definition of. Bond financing can be used for land acquisition, bricks and mortar, furniture, furnishings and equipment and many other costs associated with a schools educational, recreational and charitable purposes, including in proper circumstances refinancing of. An essential member of a governmental issuers bond financing team is bond counsel. Selecting bond counsel government finance officers association. Public finance, bond counsel, corporate finance barrett. Both the firm and our bondapproving attorneys are listed in the bond buyers municipal marketplace red book.
Qualifications the american college of bond counsel. Principles of federal appropriations law, also known as the red book, is gaos multivolume treatise concerning federal fiscal law. Our firm pope flynn a law firm serving north and south. The experienced baton rouge public finance attorneys at dunlap fiore, llc, provide experienced counsel and representation to municipalities and bond issuers at any stage of the public financing process. The term nationally recognized bond counsel shall include bond counsel. Jan 30, 2014 our lansing, grand rapids and oakland county offices are listed in the bond buyers municipal marketplace known as the red book, the national directory of recognized bond attorneys. In addition, the national association of bond lawyers nabl has developed the selection and evaluation of bond counsel to provide guidance to issuers and borrowers. The bond buyers municipal marketplace as nationally recognized bond counsel. The function and professional responsibilities of bond counsel. As we update these chapters, we will also update this table of contents and provide new links. Overview of bond financing for nonprofit schools sgr law. The red book provides text discussion with reference to specific legal authorities to illustrate legal principles, their application, and exceptions.
The city attorney or designee shall notify each counsel listed in the oregon section of the bond buyers directory of municipal bond dealers red book, requesting that those interested in serving as bond. The red book subscribers include toplevel decisionmakers throughout the country who consider the red book a critical tool for the municipal market. Apr 24, 2018 we serve townships throughout michigan from our southfield, grand rapids and lansing offices, all listed in the bond buyers municipal marketplace aka red book, the national directory of municipal bond lawyers. Bonds municipality attorneys draw upon the experience of attorneys across the firms practice areas to address the complex issues facing new york state municipalities. The hardwick law firm ranked among the top 25 bond counsel firms in the midwest by the bond buyer. I will never forget these words that someonenow a very good friend, but then a strangersaid to me as we walked into the law school auditorium on the first day of. Today, the most recent bond buyer red book lists 43 firms in new jersey as sole bond counsel. Our current red book consists of chapters of the 4th edition and chapters 515 of the 3rd edition. Louisiana public finance attorney dunlap fiore, llc. We will no longer publish a separate annual update. He cochairs the firms public finance and affordable housing practices and is listed in the bond buyers municipal marketplace, better known as the red book as sole bond counsel. Even though the term nationally recognized bond counsel is generally interpreted to mean that a firm or lawyer is listed in the. Bond counsel shall provide all necessary legal services necessary to issue the bonds, including but not limited to.
The bond counsel will also state that the municipality has the authority to sell the bonds and that the bonds are a legally binding obligation of the issuer. Nationally recognized bond counsel means such firm or firms approved by the district and found in the current edition of the bond buyer s municipal marketplace the red book, its successor publication or, if such publication or its successor ceases to exist, a comparable publication selected by the district. Public finance attorneys representing clients involved in public finance transactions, including working with banks and other financial institutions in their roles as lenders, trustees, credit enhancers or liquidity providers, and serve as bond counsel. At the time a bureau determines it will need bond counsel for a project or series of projects, the bureau will notify the city attorney. Our firm has been listed by the bond buyers municipal marketplace the red book as nationally recognized bond counsel speak with. The types of political entities, commissions or special. The firms public finance group, headed by eric lafleur, works as bond counsel, issuers counsel, underwriters counsel or in other necessary legal roles to advise and develop the appropriate legal structure needed to address funding capital outlay projects or other budgetary needs. The evaluation of the role of bond counsel has changed from those days when perhaps one or two firms in a given state had lawyers admitted to the roster of the red book bar1 and some states had none. There is no set standard or generally accepted listing or registry of recognized bond counsel. He presently sits on the board of directors for the louisiana criminal defense lawyers association, and is listed in the municipal marketplace directory, the red book. The opinion of bond counsel provides assurance both to issuers and to investors who purchase the bonds that all legal and tax requirements relevant to. Selecting bond counsel government finance officers. Nationally recognized bond counsel means such firm or firms approved by the district and found in the current edition of the bond buyers municipal marketplace the red book, its successor publication or, if such publication or its successor ceases to exist, a comparable publication selected by the district.
Even though the term nationally recognized bond counsel is generally interpreted to mean that a firm or lawyer is listed in the red book, the red book expressly does not pass on the qualifications of the firms and lawyers in its listing. Bamba has extensive experience with general obligation bonds and revenue based obligations that cities, counties and political subdivisions frequently issue. With more than 17,000 municipal bond professionals, 900 firms, 4,100 offices, and. The firm is approved as bond counsel by both the maine municipal bond bank and the new hampshire municipal bond bank, and is listed in the red book as. Municipal market participants sometimes refer to the bond buyers municipal marketplace, a periodic directory known as the red book, which includes a list of public finance lawyers. The firms public finance practice has earned a reputation for excellence, efficiency and responsiveness to our clients needs. Benjamin is experienced with general obligation bonds and revenue based obligations that cities, counties and political subdivisions frequently issue. The blue book and therefore no longer appears as part of this treatise. Recognized, bond buyer red book, bond counsel rated, av preeminent 5. We serve as bond counsel, underwriters counsel, disclosure counsel, issuers counsel, lender and credit enhancers counsel, and trustees counsel. Each of our bond attorneys is currently listed in the bond buyers municipal market place, also known as the red book, as sole bond counsel, the highest classification for nationally recognized bond counsel. Bond has been engaged in public finance for over 30 years and we are included in the red book i. Benjamin represents private and public clients, including local governments, in public finance, corporate, public policy and regulatory matters. The authorities may require the bond counsel firm to be listed as a municipal bond attorney in the bond buyers municipal marketplace directory the red book.
Jones walker is a nationallyrecognized bond counsel firm currently listed in the bond buyers municipal marketplace the red book. The american college of bond counsel was formed in 1995 for the purpose of recognizing lawyers who have established reputations among their peers for their skill, experience and high standards of professional and ethical conduct in the practice of bond law. The red book was revised and expanded by the following members of the. Selecting bond counsel selecting underwriters for negotiated bond sales pricing bonds in a negotiated sale. The firm was designated in 1991 as a red book municipal bond firm, recognition reserved for lawyers who have developed expertise in the legal requirements for the issuances of taxexempt municipal bonds. The recommendations found in the government finance officers associations best practices on selecting and managing the method of sale of state and local government bonds, selecting bond counsel, selecting financial advisors, and selecting underwriters for negotiated bond sale will help assure a governments due diligence in selecting outside professionals to assist with the bond sale. We couple our significant bond counsel experience in traditional governmental bonds, small issue private activity bonds and qualified 501c3 bonds. Bond counsel represents the authority, drafting necessary resolutions and financing documents concerning the project. Our firm has offered continuous bond counsel to longstanding clients since 1958. We also rank in the top four minnesota law firms for dollar volume of governmentissued bonds. She is regularly involved in public finance transactions as counsel to public authorities, local governments, charter schools and taxexempt organizations. Washington and wells has served as bond counsel on numerous transactions for the city of shreveport as well as the port of caddobossier. These include water and sewer revenue based issues and issues. Nonprofit schools increasingly are taking advantage of taxexempt bond financing to fund capital improvements and expansion.
The firms public finance group, headed by eric lafleur, works as bond counsel, issuers counsel, underwriters counsel or in other necessary legal roles to advise and develop the. The bond buyer also ranked us 4th bond counsel firm in the state of new jersey for volume of transactions completed in 2018. Bond counsel jack kraft picks the right fights bond. Well versed in federal and kentucky tax and securities laws, david helps clients navigate the complexities of financings to support the construction and improvement of public facilities. Drummond woodsums public finance law team serves as bond counsel and issuers counsel on behalf of municipalities, school districts, counties and other governmental entities. He is listed in the bond buyers municipal marketplace red book as a nationally recognized bond counsel. We serve townships throughout michigan from our southfield, grand rapids and lansing offices, all listed in the bond buyers municipal marketplace aka red book, the national directory of municipal bond lawyers. Our lansing, grand rapids and oakland county offices are listed in the bond buyers municipal marketplace known as the red book, the national directory of recognized bond attorneys. Public finance bond attorneys parker mccay serving new. Media kit 2019 the bond buyers municipal marketplace. The bond buyers municipal marketplace the red book listed continuously since 1958 as a nationally recognized bond counsel firm. We act as bond counsel for governmental and private uses, 501c3 organizations, exempt facility operators, and lowincome housing developers.
As a result, parker mccay is listed as a nationally recognized bond counsel firm in the bond buyers municipal marketplace the red book. If the bond counsel has no reservations about the status of the bonds the bond counsel will issue an unqualified legal opinion. Dunlap fiore, llc listed by the bond buyers municipal marketplace the red book as nationally recognized bond counsel. Even though the term nationally recognized bond counsel is generally interpreted to mean that a firm or lawyer is listed in the red book, the red book expressly does not pass. Benjamin is experienced with general obligation bonds and. She is listed in the bond buyers municipal marketplace, better known as the red book as sole bond counsel. The firm is rated av by martindalehubbell, and is one of only two law firms in south carolina which is recognised in martindalehubbells bar register of preeminent lawyers for municipal bond public authority. The njedas list of designated bond counsel firms comprises private law firms approved by the state attorney generals office as having particular experience and expertise in this specialized area of federal tax law. Bond counsel renders an opinion on the validity of the bond offering, the security for the offering, and whether and to what extent interest on the bonds is exempt from income and other taxation.
A lawyer who represents the bondholders interests during a bond offering and who prepares the legal opinion attesting that the issue is legal, valid and binding. Our public finance attorneys currently serve as bond counsel to more than one hundred governmental entities throughout the state. Bond counsel renders an opinion on the validity of the bond offering, the security for the offering, and whether and to what extent interest on the bonds. Our experience spans the entire range of public finance, including federal tax law and federal and state. For more information regarding bond counsel or local counsel selection contact the michigan bar association 18009681442, or the american bar association 18002852221. Roetzel is a nationally recognized bond counsel firm listed in the bond buyers red book. Bond counsel jack kraft picks the right fights bond buyer. Powered by the bond buyers municipal marketplace or the red book.