Municipal Law & Finance

State and local government entities and other public sector organizations often look to outside experts for legal assistance in arranging complex and highly visible public finance issues. Many turn to Dickinson Wright because of our team’s national reputation as one of Michigan’s top bond counsel.

The attorneys that comprise Dickinson Wright’s extensive municipal law & public finance practice have served as bond counsel in virtually every type of public financing transaction. Additionally, the team acts as underwriter’s counsel, trustee’s counsel, counsel to credit enhancement providers, counsel to purchasers of municipal bonds and borrower’s counsel in connection with all types of tax exempt and tax credit bond financings.

Some of the municipal & public finance practice’s areas of expertise include:

• Serving as bond counsel to the State of Michigan and its various state authorities, including cash flow borrowings, transportation, student loan, building authority, pooled financings health care, housing public universities, private colleges and tobacco securitizations.

• Serving as bond counsel to local units of government, including counties, cities, townships, villages, school districts, drainage districts, public power agencies, airports, water and sewer utilities, public school academies, community colleges, tax increment authorities and land bank authorities.

• Serving as bond counsel to the Michigan Strategic Fund and local economic development corporations on a broad range of private activity bond financings, including health care, senior living, charitable and cultural institutions, solid waste disposal facilities, and manufacturing facilities. 

• Representing both national and regional underwriters in connection with the underwriting or private placement of municipal bonds.

• Representing financial institutions in connection with the issuance of letters of credit and standby bond purchase agreements for credit enhancement of municipal bonds or the purchase of municipal bonds in private placement transactions. 

• Assisting counties, cities, villages and townships in general municipal law issues, including: zoning, land use, planning and real estate; water and sewer contracts;municpal utilities; environmental; condemnation; economic development; tax increment financing; special assessments; ordinance and charter drafting;tax appeals; and general litigation.