New York, NY. Law firm Nixon Peabody LLP is proud to announce the selection of longtime partner Virginia Wong to lead its nationally recognized Project Finance & Public Finance practice.
The firm’s Project Finance & Public Finance practice comprises more than 50 attorneys and professional colleagues. Nixon Peabody was recognized as the 2021 “Law Firm of the Year” in the area of Public Finance Law by U.S. News/Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms.” The firm is also consistently ranked in the Top 10 for bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, disclosure counsel, and special tax and green bond counsel by Thomson Reuters.
Earlier this year, Virginia led the team that served as bond counsel on the restructuring of more than $33 billion in Puerto Rico’s debt. This deal represents the largest municipal restructuring in US history, exchanging Puerto Rico’s debt for $7.4 billion in new general obligations bonds and $8.7 billion in new general obligation contingent value instrument notes.
“Having been with Nixon Peabody nearly my entire career, I am incredibly honored to take on this role and have the opportunity to lead such a dynamic practice,” said Virginia, who joined the firm in 1995. “Our group is full of innovative thinking that helps clients achieve their financing and programmatic goals with attorneys and staff who support each other and the practice in a collaborative way.”
Virginia regularly serves as bond counsel and underwriters counsel in a full range of transactions, including public offerings and private placements and, in particular, project bond transactions, securitizations, and tax-exempt revenue bond financings. Her bond counsel clients include the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, the New York City Municipal Water Finance Authority, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, and the Sales Tax Securitization Corporation (Chicago).
Virginia also represents cultural institutions and foundations in tax-exempt financings, including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc., and the Whitney Museum. Her representations in public-private partnership (P3) financings include the Elizabeth River Crossing Project, the Los Angeles Airport People Mover project, C-70 and the Denver Eagle projects in Colorado, and the Goethals Bridge in New York.
She takes over the leadership role from Kenneth Lind, who led the Project Finance & Public Finance practice since 2018. Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, Ken was the acting finance director and deputy general counsel for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
“We are very appreciative of Ken’s contributions over the years, as his deep industry knowledge, dedication, and thoughtful leadership approach, both internally and externally, have been keys to the practice group’s successes and our reputation for top-notch representation of our clients,” said Michael Goldman, chair of Nixon Peabody’s Project Finance, Infrastructure & Real Estate Department. “Clients have regularly relied on the practice group’s agility and pragmatic, results-oriented financing solutions, and Virginia exemplifies all of these qualities and more, which is why we are confident that this will be continued under Virginia’s leadership.”
