Locke Lord Ranks Among Top Three Bond Counsel in the Nation ‎for Competitive Sales by The Bond Buyer

October 28, 2019 – Locke Lord’s nationally recognized Public Finance Practice Group has been ranked among the top three bond counsel in the nation for competitive sales in The Bond Buyer’s Q1-Q3 2019 analysis, with a total of $3.07 billion and 138 issues — the second-most issues of any ranked firm.

Some recent high-profile and notable transactions, both competitive and negotiated, led by Locke Lord lawyers for this period include:

• Served as bond counsel to the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County on its novel $348 million crossover refunding through the issuance of its “Series 2019 Bonds” directly purchased by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. On the Oct. 1, 2021, call date, the bonds will convert from taxable bonds to the tax-exempt rate, assuming tax law remains favorable at that time. The crossover event allows the conversion — without it, the bonds could only be issued as and remain taxable bonds. The Locke Lord team was led by Rick Miller and Mark-David Adams. Todd Cooper provided federal tax analysis surrounding the structuring of this unique deal.
• Represented the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) as bond counsel in the issuance of $664.2 million in transportation refunding bonds related to MassDOT’s Metropolitan Highway System. In 2019, the Firm has served as bond counsel to MassDOT in connection with the issuance of approximately $1.1 billion of refunding bonds. Walter St. Onge and Cooper lead the Firm’s representation of MassDOT.
• Served as bond counsel to the City of Worcester, Mass., on its competitively sold $60.9 million in tax-exempt general obligation bonds issued to fund various capital projects throughout the City. The Locke Lord team consisted of Rick Manley, Kara Adams and Cooper.
• Served as bond counsel to the City of Boston in the sale of $145.1 million of general obligation bonds. The Locke Lord team was led by St. Onge.
• Served as bond counsel to the City of Attleboro, Mass., on its competitively sold $46.64 million of tax-exempt general obligation bonds issued to fund various capital projects, including constructing and equipping a new high school. The Locke Lord team was led by Brenda McDonough.
• Acted as bond counsel to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the issuance of $189.5 million of tax-exempt general obligation refunding bonds and the issuance of $825 million of taxable and tax-exempt general obligation bonds for capital expenditures. St. Onge led the team.
• Served as bond counsel to the City of Portsmouth, N.H., on its competitively sold $43.87 million of tax-exempt general obligation bonds issued to fund various capital projects, including constructing a new parking facility and improvements to sewer, school and street and sidewalk infrastructure. The Locke Lord team consisted of Manley, Adams and Cooper.
• Assisted as bond counsel to the State of Maine in the sale of $161.1 million of general obligation bonds in a negotiated transaction to finance highway and bridge projects along with other capital needs, with St. Onge leading the team.

Locke Lord’s Public Finance Practice Group has one of the largest bond counsel practices in the country. For more than 130 years, the Firm has been involved in the law of public borrowing and the federal tax and securities aspects of public debt obligations. The Firm’s public finance lawyers have extensive experience nationwide serving as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriter’s counsel, issuer’s counsel, borrower’s counsel, bank counsel, special tax counsel and trustee’s counsel for governmental and quasi-governmental issuers, special purpose entities, tax-exempt organizations and other entities and financial institutions.

###

About Locke Lord LLP
Locke Lord is a full-service law firm with global reach and 20 offices designed to meet clients’ needs in the United States and around the world. The Firm has a history that spans more than 130 years and is a leader in the middle market arena. Locke Lord focuses on providing the highest levels of commitment, quality and service to clients across its five Key Sectors: Energy and Infrastructure; Finance and Financial Services; Insurance and Reinsurance; Pharmaceutical; and Private Equity. In addition, the Firm advises clients across a broad spectrum of other industries, including fund formation, venture capital, health care, public finance, real estate, technology, cybersecurity and white collar, while providing a wealth of experience through its complex litigation, intellectual property, tax, regulatory and transactional teams