Locke Lord Expands Public Finance Practice with Addition of Todd Cooper as Tax Partner

April 21, 2016 – Nationally recognized lawyer Todd Cooper has joined Locke Lord as a Tax Partner in the Public Finance Practice Group. Cooper’s arrival strengthens tax counsel offered by the Firm’s highly-rated Public Finance team, which was recently ranked among the top 10 for bond counsel in the United States by American Lawyer.

“We are thrilled Todd has joined our Firm and our Public Finance team,” said Stephanie Massey, co-chair of the practice group. “He has extremely valuable tax experience with a wide range and depth of experience and a national reputation in the public finance field that will benefit our clients.”

“This is very exciting,” said Mike Schulman, co-chair of the group. “Todd has a terrific reputation and will work with attorneys across the Firm assisting our clients with their federal and state tax needs.”

Cooper’s practice focuses on tax matters related to public finance, primarily the federal taxation aspects of municipal bonds, tax matters related to tax exempt organizations, and tax matters related to federal and state tax credits. He also serves as bond and underwriter’s counsel on public finance transactions and has experience with the formation of tax exempt entities and retention of their tax exempt status.

His areas of special focus include the federal tax aspects of transportation, healthcare, student loan, and single and multifamily housing transactions; advance refundings; electric power, natural gas, water and sewer utility debt issues; stadium and convention center financings; private and public secondary education, and college and university issues; governmental pooled financings including revolving fund programs; industrial development and exempt facility bonds; and tax credit bonds.

Cooper is AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell, and has been listed in Ohio Super Lawyers. Cooper was also featured in the 2013 edition of Top Lawyers in Ohio and the 2012 and 2013 editions of Who’s Who in Greater Cincinnati Law. He is the current Vice-Chair of the Tax Exempt Financing Committee of the American Bar Association Tax Section and is a Fellow and board member of the American College of Bond Counsel. Cooper received both his J.D. and M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.

Cooper joins from Squire Patton Boggs, where he previously served as a tax partner in its Cincinnati office.

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About Locke Lord LLP
Locke Lord is a full-service, international law firm of more than 20 offices designed to meet clients’ needs around the world. The Firm has a history that spans more than 125 years and is a worldwide leader in the middle market sector. Locke Lord advises clients across a broad spectrum of industries including energy, financial services, fund formation, health care, insurance and reinsurance, private equity and venture capital, real estate, and technology, media and telecommunications, while providing a wealth of experience through its complex litigation, intellectual property, regulatory and transactional teams.