Overview
Doug’s practice focuses on public finance including serving as bond and disclosure counsel to issuers and underwriters’ counsel to investment banks for governmental and private activity bonds and corporate representation of governmental authorities as outside general counsel.
Doug serves as office managing partner for the Atlanta office. His experience includes advising, negotiating and documenting tax-exempt bond transactions for airports, stadiums, water & sewer systems, other governmental facilities and infrastructure, public-private partnerships (P3s) through TIF/TAD, PILOT and Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) district-backed financings and providing general corporate advice to governmental authorities.
Doug also provides training to governmental finance and legal personnel on “Post-Issuance Tax Compliance” and compliance with “Continuing Disclosure” rules set out by MSRB Rule 15c-2-12.
Doug also serves as Co-chair of Hunton Andrews Kurth’s National Public Finance Practice Group.
Experience
- Represented large municipal development authority as special counsel, bond counsel and disclosure counsel in connection with documenting terms related to the development and financing of a new NFL stadium.
- Represented large county government in negotiating and documenting incentives for location of a major league soccer (MLS) headquarters and training facility complex.
- Represented a multijurisdictional recreation authority as bond and issuer's counsel in negotiating and documenting a double-barreled (tax-backed and contract-backed) revenue bonds for the construction of a NBA arena.
- Represented large municipality in a P3 financing of a Convention Center Hotel secured by Tax-Exempt PILOT payments (payments-in-lieu-of-taxes).
- Represent large municipal airport in financing a new international terminal with GARBs and PFC Bonds; in addition to assisting in the establishment of a commercial paper program and negotiation of bank credit facility.
- Represented large municipal issuer as bond counsel for Georgia's first two issues of tax increment finance district bonds (TIFs) (referred to as TAD Bonds in Georgia) and served as bond counsel for TIF transaction which was designated as the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) 2009 Best Bond Deal of the Year in the Nation.
- Structured and documented Georgia’s first Property Assessed Clean Energy (P.A.C.E.) district for the central business district of a large municipality.
- Represented Wall Street and regional investment banks in conducting their due diligence review and in the preparation of offering documents for the sale of transit authority, public healthcare system and water and wastewater revenue bonds for multiple Georgia issuers totaling more than $3 billion.
- Represented large municipality, county and school districts as bond counsel in the competitive and negotiated sale of general obligation referendum bonds.
- Currently represents a multijurisdictional recreation authority as outside general counsel providing general corporate advice including compliance with corporate formalities, ensuring day-to-day compliance with operating agreements for leased facilities and compliance with state sunshine laws.
- Currently represents a 2.5 million-member international religious denomination (the AME Church) as its general counsel, providing guidance to international council of bishops and various church tribunals on the interpretation of ecclesiastical canon laws of the denomination and national coordination legal defense in civil controversies.
Accolades
Honors & Recognitions
- Named Best Lawyer in Public Finance Law, The Best Lawyers in America, 2024
- Named a Most Effective Dealmaker, The Daily Report, 2019
- Named among top 5.0% of Georgia attorneys and a Bond and Government Finance Super Lawyer as published in Atlanta Magazine, 2007-2012
- Named in “Legal Elite” listing of Top Georgia Public Finance/Bond Lawyers in Georgia Trend magazine, 2012-2013, 2021-2022
- “Rising Star” and among top 2.5% of Georgia attorneys age 40 or younger, Atlanta Magazine, 2005
Affiliations
Professional
- Vice Chairman Board of Directors, Carrie Steele Pitts Home (group home for children), 2008-Present
- Director, Herndon Foundation (owns and operates historic museum home), 2004-2012
- Member, Gate City Bar Association, 1996-Present
- Member, National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL), Bond Attorney’s Workshop (BAW) Steering Committee (Underwriter's Counsel Panel Chair), 2007-2009
- Chair, City of Atlanta Board of Ethics, 1999-2001, Member, 1996-1998
- Graduate, Leadership of Atlanta, 2002
- Graduate, Georgia Regional Leadership Institute, Class of 1999
- Fellow, American College of Bond Counsel
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Events & Speaking Engagements
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Education
JD, University of Chicago Law School, 1995
MBA, Harvard University, 1990
BBA, Howard University, cum laude, 1986
Admissions
Georgia