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Illinois Public Finance

Ice Miller LLP has served as bond counsel, disclosure counsel and special counsel to local governments since its founding in 1910.

Our attorneys have served as bond counsel to the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois, as well as numerous counties, villages, cities, school districts, park districts, forest preserve districts and authorities located in Illinois. Each year, in our Illinois, Indiana and Ohio offices, we approve 330 to 400 long-term municipal financings with a total principal of up to $6.8 billion.

Our Illinois attorneys also regularly act in the capacity of disclosure counsel to hundreds of Illinois units of government and in the capacity of underwriter's counsel to most municipal bond underwriters. Ice Miller attorneys are prominent in national bond attorney groups such as the National Association of Bond Lawyers and the American College of Bond Counsel. In addition to holding leadership positions in professional organizations, Ice Miller bond lawyers regularly brief industry groups on contemporary issues, as well as serve as counsel to several of these organizations. 

Firmwide, 30 lawyers, including Illinois lawyer Jim Snyder (29 years experience) has devoted his practice to municipal finance. Jim is joined by Bob Schillerstrom, Mark Huddle, Shelly Scinto, Austin Root, municipal disclosure administrator Kathy Thomas and paralegal Jenine Phillips to form our Illinois bond team. 
 
Ice Miller has been ranked among national leaders in many types of government financings, including financings for schools, higher education, hospitals, infrastructure, cities and villages, and tax increment and economic development transactions. 
 
According to Thomson Reuters Annual Municipal Reports or The Bond Buyer, our Illinois bond lawyers ranked:
  • #1 in number of long-term bond issues as underwriter's counsel (2016-2018, 2021)
  • #1 in number of long-term general obligation bond issues as underwriter’s counsel (2021)
  • #2 in number of long-term bond issues as bond counsel (2016-2021)
  • #2 in number of long-term general purpose bond issues as bond counsel (2019-2021)
  • #2 in number of long-term bond issues as disclosure counsel (2016-2021)
  • #2 in number of long-term general purpose bond issues as disclosure counsel (2019, 2021)
We dedicate all resources necessary to provide our clients with timely, efficient and nationally recognized bond counsel services of the highest quality at reasonable costs. Our goal is to understand our clients' capital and financing needs and to assist them creatively to achieve their financing goals. 

Representative Experience

  • Bond Counsel to Board of Education of the City of Chicago on $600,000,000 Educational Purposes Tax Anticipation Notes, Series 2016A-4
  • Underwriter’s counsel on the City of Chicago $525,055,000 O’Hare International Airport General Airport Senior Lien Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2016C
  • Underwriter’s counsel on the City of Chicago $461,945,000 O’Hare International Airport General Airport Senior Lien Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2016B
  • Underwriter’s counsel on the City of Chicago $27,335,000 O’Hare International Airport General Airport Senior Lien Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2016A
  • Bond Counsel to City of Chicago on the $500,000,000 General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2015C
  • Underwriter’s counsel on the Illinois Toll Highway Authority $400,000,000 Toll Highway Senior Revenue Bonds, 2015 Series A and the $333,060,000 Toll Highway Senior Revenue Refunding Bonds 2016 Series A.
  • Bond counsel to Cook County on the $25 million Sales Tax Revenue Bonds, Taxable Series 2013 (Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds – Direct Payment)
  • Bond Counsel to the City of Chicago in connection with a $98 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 (TIFIA) loan and $105.9 million Motor Fuel Tax Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2013.
  • Underwriter’s counsel on the $175,000,000 Will County General Obligation Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source), Series 2016
  • Bond counsel and disclosure counsel on numerous school district, county, village, city and park district and other traditional bond financings including debt certificates, general obligation bonds and alternate revenue bonds
  • Bond counsel on several tax increment financing bond issues throughout the State of Illinois
  • Bond counsel on numerous manufacturing and economic development transactions involving the Illinois Finance Authority
  • Bond counsel on numerous Illinois multifamily housing bond issues including through the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the City of Chicago, Chicago Housing Authority and various Illinois municipalities

Professionals

Name Position Phone Email
Matthew Miller Partner 614-462-1050
312-726-2588
James M. Snyder Partner 312-726-7127
309-445-6017
Rose Gallagher Senior Counsel
Mark Huddle Senior Counsel 312-726-7146
Shelly A. Scinto Of Counsel 312-726-8116
309-445-6017
Austin C. Root Associate 312-726-2515
Kathleen Thomas Municipal Disclosure Administrator 312-726-7159
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