In its first-ever guide to the top Texas firms for Public Finance, Chambers and Partners ranked Jackson Walker in the 2024 USA Guide released today. In addition, Public Finance partners Rick A. Witte, Todd B. Brewer, Tanya A. Fischer, and Hoang T. Vu were ranked among the top Texas attorneys in this area.

Each year, Chambers and Partners releases its flagship guides that identify leading practitioners and law firms in the United States and around the world through the culmination of thousands of interviews with attorneys and clients conducted by over 200 research analysts.

In the 2024 guide, Chambers noted that Jackson Walker “has a strong Texas-based public finance practice. The firm has significant expertise in the education sector, routinely representing school districts in financings. It has complementary strength acting as underwriters’ counsel for financial institutions.”

The firm is proud of the Public Finance team’s recognition along with first-time rankings in the areas of antitrust, immigration, intellectual property, government relations, and white-collar litigation. For more information, view Jackson Walker’s announcement of the Chambers 2024 rankings and the firm’s Chambers profile.

About the Practice

Jackson Walker’s Public Finance team plays a leading role in advising government entities, nonprofits, and financial institutions across Texas on tax-exempt financings for major projects generated in part by the state’s population growth and infrastructure needs. With more than 140 years of collective experience, the Public Finance group has represented practically every type of entity that can borrow funds on a tax-exempt basis or provide tax-exempt financing in more than $200 billion of public finance transactions.

The team serves as bond counsel to several clients, including (but not limited to):

• Houston Independent School District, the largest public school district in Texas with over 190,000 students;
• Katy Independent School District, one of the fastest-growing school districts in Texas with over 88,000 students;
• Pasadena Independent School District; and
• City of Pearland, Texas, the fastest-growing city in the Houston, Texas region.

In addition, the team represents the Public Finance Authority of Wisconsin in connection with the Texas Infrastructure Program, which has developed an early stage, short-term financing to bridge the gap between public infrastructure expenditures and Municipal Utility District reimbursements, which allows real estate developers to pay infrastructure costs early in the development cycle with nonrecourse tax-exempt debt. This program is important because traditional financing methods are antiquated and have become increasingly more arduous and less accessible in the last five years. Construction of public infrastructure in connection with residential development, including the financing thereof, throughout the state is vitally important.

About Our Attorneys

	Rick A. Witte leads the Public Finance group at Jackson Walker. He regularly serves as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriters’ counsel, and bank counsel for tax-exempt and taxable bond transactions for school districts, junior college districts, cities, counties, state agencies, economic development corporations, and special authorities throughout Texas. In the inaugural Chambers Texas Public Finance rankings, Rick is listed in Band 1, the highest band of the top-ranked attorneys in this area.
	Todd B. Brewer, who ranks in Band 2 in the Chambers USA Guide, brings a wealth of public finance experience in all areas of tax-exempt and taxable transactions. His practice includes the roles of bond counsel, underwriters’ counsel, and direct purchaser counsel for cities, counties, school districts, special purpose districts, local government and economic development corporations, state agencies, non-profit organizations, and private entities for infrastructure, public and private schools, charter schools, economic development, cultural and community facilities, land development, and the securitization of assets and revenue streams due to private entities. He has extensive experience in representing governmental entities and private parties in connection with economic development projects and major sports and entertainment facilities.
	Tanya A. Fischer, who is also listed in Band 1 along with Rick, represents domestic and foreign banks that provide credit and liquidity facilities for tax exempt or taxable financings as well as on public finance transactions involving loans and direct purchases. She serves as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, and underwriters’ counsel in tax-exempt bond transactions for school districts, junior college districts, cities, counties, and state agencies throughout Texas. Chambers noted that one client stated in an interview that Tanya “is extremely knowledgeable and always available to answer my questions.”
	Hoang T. Vu, who is ranked in Band 2, was praised by clients as “an excellent attorney” in the Chambers USA Guide. In his practice, Hoang serves as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriters counsel, issuer counsel, borrower counsel, and bank counsel in connection with taxable and tax-exempt financings for governmental and nonprofit entities. He also has distinctive experience in representing banks and other financial institutions on public finance transactions including loans, direct purchases of debt and credit and liquidity facilities for variable rate bonds and commercial paper programs.