Miller Canfield Named Top Bond Counsel Firm in Michigan
Miller Canfield announced that it ranks first in Michigan among bond counsel law firms in the 2015 Municipal Markets Review by Thomson Reuters. The annual report recognized Miller Canfield for 111 long-term new bond issues totaling $3.286 billion, landing the firm first in Michigan, fourth in the Mideast region, and 28th overall national.
“Miller Canfield has been a leader in public finance not only in Michigan, but also in the region,” said Patrick McGow, leader of the firm’s Public Finance group, which during the first quarter of 2016 hired three additional senior attorneys and principals to its ranks. “We have the largest group of municipal finance experts in the state, and we’re growing larger already this year. We appreciate the confidence our clients have in us, and we are privileged to represent and assist such a wide range of governmental issuers with their financing needs. The low interest rate environment in 2015 allowed many of our clients to refinance debt and finance new capital projects at historically low interest rates.”
Miller Canfield ranked first in Michigan in new money issues and refunding issues. In the fastest-growing areas of bond financing, Miller Canfield was also ranked top in the state. For example, airport financing grew nationwide by 36.5 percent from 2014 to 2015. Miller Canfield was ranked by Thomson Reuters as the top airport bond counsel firm in Michigan, and 13th in the U.S.
Higher education is another area of rapid growth, up more than 50 percent from 2014 to 2015, and Miller Canfield ranked 12th nationwide and first in the state for higher education long-term municipal new issues, representing $825.6 million of Michigan’s total $878.2 million. In long term municipal health care bonds, which nationwide increased by nearly 40 percent between 2014 and 2015, Miller Canfield ranked first in Michigan and ninth in the country.
Miller Canfield’s Public Finance practice is the largest group of municipal finance experts in Michigan. With attorneys in Michigan and Illinois, the group specializes in virtually every type of public finance transactions, including capital projects and infrastructure improvements, capital restructuring and cash flow borrowings, economic development projects, municipal securities representations, environmental response projects, government and regulatory affairs, hospitals, housing, and local, state and federal tax.
