Overview

Clay has experience serving as bond counsel, underwriter's counsel and bank counsel in tax-exempt financings for cities, counties, school districts, charter schools, junior college districts, special utility districts and nonprofit corporations. Clay advises clients on various financing structures and techniques, including general obligation financings, utility revenue financings, lease revenue financings, conduit financings, special assessment financings and tax credit bonds. Clay also advises governmental clients on general public law matters, including elections, open government and economic development. Before entering private practice, Clay served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Finance Division of the Office of the Attorney General of the State of Texas.

Experience

  • Bond counsel for over $4.6 billion of school district bonds over the last five years
  • Bond counsel for school districts in the issuance and remarketing of variable rate soft put bonds
  • Bond counsel for a school district in the issuance of lease revenue bonds by school district public facility corporation
  • Bond counsel for over $1.4 billion of charter school bonds over the last five years, including bonds guaranteed by the Permanent School Fund
  • Bond counsel on multi-jurisdictional lease revenue financing for a charter school
  • Bond counsel for cities obtaining financial assistance through various programs administered by the Texas Water Development Board
  • Bond counsel for municipality in the issuance of revenue bonds secured by special assessments within a public improvement district to finance public infrastructure for a mixed-use development
  • Counsel to underwriters in connection with issuance of over $1 billion in municipal general obligation pension bonds
  • Disclosure counsel for county toll road revenue bonds
  • Bond counsel for regional water authority in creating subordinate lien revenue financing system

Accolades

Honors & Recognitions

  • Named Best Lawyer in Public Finance Law, The Best Lawyers in America, 2024

Affiliations

Professional

  • National Association of Bond Lawyers
  • Houston Bar Association

Insights

Events & Speaking Engagements

  • October 11, 2017
    Event
    2017 Texas Charter Schools Conference
  • February 1, 2016
    Event
    The Bond Buyer’s 20th Annual Texas Public Finance Conference
  • October 29, 2015
    Event
    Municipal Advisory Council of Texas Conference and 61st Annual Meeting

News

Education

JD, University of Virginia School of Law, Articles Development Editor of Journal of Law and Politics, 2006

MA, Government, The University of Texas at Austin, 2008

BA, Political Science, The University of Texas at El Paso, summa cum laude, 2002

Admissions

Texas

Areas of Focus

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