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Murtha Cullina’s Public Finance practice has grown from a well-respected Connecticut practice to a significant presence in the broader tax-exempt finance industry. 

Our public finance attorneys are in the market daily representing issuers, underwriters, 501(c)(3) corporations, letter of credit providers, direct placement banks,  swap providers and trustees.  Our attorneys present regularly at national conferences on topics of interest to the public finance community.

Murtha Cullina’s Public Finance practice adheres to a philosophy of “excellence through skill, energy and teamwork.” These guiding principles enable us to serve clients with first-rate legal services, unmatched zeal and access to our broad network of financial and industry contacts.

Murtha Cullina’s public finance professionals have extensive experience in representing letter of credit banks in public finance transactions.  We are adept at analyzing the interplay of bond and bank documents and customizing these to reflect the interest of our clients with regards to the unique security, covenant, timing and mechanics issues of a given transaction. 

It is becoming more and more common for a bank to directly purchase the bonds from the issuer.  Our attorneys are familiar with the process and can successfully represent banks who desire to purchase bonds directly from the issuer.  We are adept at analyzing the interplay of bond and bank documents and customizing these to reflect the interest of our clients with regards to the unique security, covenant, timing and mechanics issues of a given transaction.

In conduit financings, the key to a successful representation of the borrowing institution is a thorough knowledge of the institution and the industry in which it operates. We pride ourselves in unparalleled client and industry knowledge and put that experience to work on each transaction. We recognize that each institution in a given industry has unique concerns and that a tailored approach to representation brings far greater value and efficiency.  Our Public Finance practice can assist the borrower not only in representation for the tax-exempt or taxable bond issuance, but also in real estate, land use, environmental, construction, corporate, tax, health care and educational matters that arise during a public finance transaction.

Murtha Cullina has represented issuers and has acted as disclosure counsel in public finance transactions.  We are approved and have served as bond counsel to Mass Development.

Our attorneys serve as swap counsel to swap providers, municipalities, investment banks, commercial banks, and tax-exempt and taxable corporations. In this arena, we have developed significant experience in synthetically restructuring municipal bond transactions to achieve the right mix of short/long-term rate exposure for our clients. Murtha Cullina has developed a keen understanding of the ISDA master agreements, schedules, confirmations and other standard industry agreements. With this experience comes the ability to make necessary adjustments dictated by the unique circumstances of a transaction in a manner which remains acceptable to the market. 

Murtha Cullina’s public finance professionals understand the nature and role of trustee banks in public finance transactions. We use this knowledge to skillfully and efficiently represent and protect the interest of trustees in tax-exempt financings.

Our attorneys serve as underwriter’s counsel in the following industries: health care, independent schools, housing, higher education, water and utilities, cultural institutions, and municipalities. We have developed our skills in conducting diligence and crafting disclosure documents through constant representation of investment banks in these varied industries. We understand the important industry to industry distinctions and utilize this knowledge to streamline the diligence and disclosure processes.

Murtha Cullina’s public finance experience has been applied to transactions in a wide variety of industries, including: municipal governments, multi-family housing, hospital systems, long-term care providers, independent schools, colleges and universities, utilities, energy, water companies, and behavioral health services.

Our awareness of the needs and sensitivities of these industries allows us to tailor our advice in a targeted and cost effective manner.