Webster defines "public" as 1. Of, concerning, or affecting the community or the people: the public good. 2. Maintained for or used by the people or community. 3. Connected with or acting on behalf of the people, community, or government. Webster defines "finance" as 1. The science of the management of money and other assets. 2. Monetary resources; funds, especially of a government or corporate body.

Our Group

Powell Goldstein's public finance practice began initially in the early 1950s serving primarily as bond counsel to several state and county authorities within the State of Georgia. Over the past 50 years, the Public Finance Group has evolved to embody the firm's core values of integrity, client service, teamwork and people by providing a wide variety of services to state, municipal and local governments and authorities and other public finance clients. The attorneys in the Public Finance Group have extensive experience and expertise in a wide range of public finance activities, including involvement in many innovative and complex financing transactions. As a result of the firm's participation in a broad range of public financing transactions and its representation of active participants in the public finance arena nationally, Powell Goldstein's presence, reputation and experience are well-known and respected within the public finance industry.

Our Clients

The firm's public finance attorneys counsel a diverse spectrum of clients in connection with the issuance of publicly and privately placed tax-exempt and taxable municipal securities, including new issuances, current and advance refundings, restructurings and defeasances of debt issued for the following: essential governmental purposes; industrial and economic development, including tax allocation district financings; infrastructure projects, including water and sewer systems, wastewater treatment plants, solid waste recovery facilities, criminal justice and detention centers and prisons; transportation systems, including roads, bridges, airports, mass and commuter transit, toll roads, parking garages and other transportation facilities; multifamily housing projects, single family mortgages and other housing related community development projects; hospitals, assisted living and long-term care facilities, retirement communities and other healthcare facilities; school districts, private schools, colleges, universities and other educational facilities; and public power projects. The firm has served as bond counsel or underwriter's counsel in many types of financing structures, including general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, tax anticipation financings, tax increment financings, bonds secured by sales tax revenues, governmental lease financings and certificates of participation.

In addition to providing all of the services that are customarily expected of legal counsel pertaining to the coordination of financing activities and preparation of appropriate documentation, Powell Goldstein's Public Finance Group has assisted federal and local governmental agencies, underwriters, financial institutions, borrowers and other financing participants in developing innovative financing strategies and unique financing programs that have been implemented in myriad transactions throughout the continental United States.

Powell Goldstein represents national and regional investment banking firms in connection with the underwriting or remarketing of all types of state and local government obligations. Firm attorneys actively counsel public bodies and investment bankers regarding their evolving obligations under Securities and Exchange Commission and Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board rules and regulations impacting public finance. The Public Finance Group's diverse clientele also includes issuers of letters of credit and surety bonds, bond insurers and other financial guarantors, institutional purchasers and sponsors of municipal bond funds. The Public Finance Group offers comprehensive legal services to existing and new clients alike.

The Public Finance Group's expertise includes counsel related to legal and regulatory matters, legislative counseling and the financial, tax and practical considerations related to the structuring of public finance transactions. Our attorneys are frequently called upon to participate in council meetings, board meetings and other legislative and governmental bodies necessary to meet the legal and advocacy needs of our public finance clients. On behalf of our clients, we draft legislation, monitor the progress of pending legislation, and present to legislative officials the position of clients interested in the outcome of particular legislation.

Over the years, attorneys in Powell Goldstein's Public Finance Group have performed under demanding conditions, frequently due to critical time limitations necessitated by political considerations, impending tax law changes or deadlines, and other economic constraints. In such instances, certain of the firm's other transactional attorneys have supplemented the efforts of the Public Finance Group. Specifically, the Public Finance Group is among four groups comprising Powell Goldstein's Financial Products and Real Estate Services Department, consisting of Commercial Lending, Corporate Compliance, Public Finance and Real Estate. As a result, the firm has developed a reservoir of legal talent possessing not only general expertise in the areas of taxation, securities and lending law, but also specific experience and exposure to public finance matters.

The firm's attorneys have served as panelists and speakers for various seminars and conferences on municipal finance, including the National Association of Bond Lawyers, the National Association of Securities Professionals, the American Bankers Association, the National Council of State Housing Agencies and the National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies. The firm is listed as bond counsel in The Bond Buyers Municipal Marketplace Directory, and the firm's approving opinions as bond counsel are readily accepted in the nation's financial markets.

As an extension of the firm's public finance practice, certain members of the Public Finance Group provide local government law services to counties, cities and local governmental authorities. For example, Greg Worthy has been engaged and serves as General Counsel to the Housing Authority of DeKalb County, Georgia. The approach is interdisciplinary and utilizes the resources of the whole firm to advise public sector clients in economic development, including real estate and land use, labor and employment, environmental concerns, information technology and litigation.