Overview
Vinson & Elkins has been engaged in the practice of municipal law for more than 65 years and has one of the largest public finance practices in the nation. In addition to serving as bond counsel for hundreds of issuers, our law firm represents underwriters, trustees, third-party credit providers, and borrowers in conduit financings. V&E's public finance clients range from the State of Texas to the smallest special districts, non-profit corporations sponsored by political subdivisions, major health care providers, rural electric cooperatives, and private entities who conduct business with public bodies. Our law firm has actively participated in the legislative and regulatory process affecting public finance both in Austin and in Washington, DC.

Vinson & Elkins is one of the country's top municipal legal counselors, according to the financial information provider Thomson Reuters. For the first half of 2008, V&E ranks top ten in four out of five possible categories. Overall, V&E retained its position as a top-ten bond counsel by handling 93 deals valued at more than $5.1 billion. Additionally, V&E made great strides in its role as underwriter's counsel. V&E increased its marketshare more than 57 percent, moving up to 5th from 8th place, thanks to its work on 62 issues valued at more than $5.6 billion. Furthermore, V&E improved its standing as bond counsel on negotiated issues, handling 58 transactions worth more than $4.3 billion, while it maintained its ranking as bond counsel on competitive-bid deals.

Vinson & Elkins ranks among the top 10 law firms nationally in The Bond Buyer’s full year 2007 rankings for Top Bond Counsel and Top Underwriter’s Counsel. The Bond Buyer is a daily newspaper that serves the municipal bond industry.

V&E’s Public Finance practice ranks in the top 10 firms nationwide as Underwriter’s Counsel in Municipal Bonds (proceeds of issues) according to The American Lawyer’s 2007 Corporate Scorecard. V&E also ranks prominently in Municipal Bonds, Bond Counsel (proceeds of issues); Municipal Bonds, Underwriter’s Counsel (number of issues); and Municipal Bonds, Bond Counsel (number of issues). The American Lawyer is widely regarded as one of the nation’s premiere monthly legal magazines.

Fifteen of our Public Finance attorneys earned recognition in The Best Lawyers in America®  2008,  three Public Finance lawyers were named by Texas Monthly magazine as “Texas Super Lawyers,” and six Public Finance lawyers were named “Texas Rising Stars” by the magazine in 2007.

Finance
Our Public Finance attorneys have developed a very broad practice that involves all aspects of public and private offerings of taxable and tax-exempt securities for public entities and non-profit organizations.

State Agencies
Special Utility Districts
Universities
Management Districts
Cities
Housing Bond Issues
Counties
Private and Non-Private Hospitals
School Districts
Charter Schools
Electric Cooperatives
Municipal Utility Districts
Universities
Hospital Districts
Museums
River Authorities
Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones/Water Control and Improvement Districts
Local Government Corporations

When not acting as bond counsel, our lawyers represent investment banking firms, commercial banks, bond issuers, and private beneficiaries in numerous other public finance transactions.

Development
Vinson & Elkins lawyers are leaders in creating legal techniques and financing structures to encourage commercial, residential, and mixed use development.  Through our representation of developers and various special districts, we have developed an expertise in tax increment financing, special assessment financing, tax capture financing, special districts for urban redevelopment, impact fee legislation, creation of municipal utility districts, development of capital recovery charge programs and numerous programs focused on urban and raw-land development.  We have an active practice of representing public entities in their negotiations with private developers.  To date, we have negotiated more than 50 development agreements through these representations.

Breadth of Experience
The firm maintains an active public finance practice in its Houston, Dallas, Washington, and Austin offices with more than 35 practicing attorneys.  Bond lawyers in these offices are supported by tax lawyers with nationally recognized experience in tax-exempt financing located in Houston and Washington, DC.

Our lawyers have helped develop creative financing structures for all types of public and quasi-public infrastructure needs:

• Pioneering work in developing water system financing techniques that led to the development of modern water district financing
• Creation of regional water authorities and corporations
• Tax exempt industrial development financing
• Pollution control bond financing
• Single and multi-family housing financing
• Health care financing
• Transportation financing
• Electric power financing
• Charter school financing
• Various other financing authorities and nonprofit corporation

V&E attorneys are extremely involved with elected officials at the local, state and national level. We are routinely responsible for drafting enabling legislation for various transportation corporations and special districts in addition to working diligently to amend laws that no longer serve a public purpose.

Tax Matters
One factor that distinguishes Vinson & Elkins from other bond law firms is the extent of our tax experience. We have a large number of tax lawyers whose practice is focused in the area of tax-exempt finance. In addition, our state and local tax lawyers work with the Public Finance group in connection with tax abatements, industrial district agreements, and various incentive structures, including industrial development financings and enterprise zone incentives.