Nixon Peabody Adds O'Donnell As It Expands P3 Practice

WASHINGTON - Nixon Peabody LLP is expanding its public finance practice with the addition of Neil O'Donnell as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office.

Coming from a corporate background, O'Donnell was previously a partner at Kelley Drye & Warren, where he represented governmental and private-sector developers in limited-resource financings across a number of industries, including power, telecommunications, and transportation.

In his new position, O'Donnell's focus will be on project financings as the firm begins handling more public-private partnerships.

"I'm thrilled to be here, because it really has a feeling of growth," O'Donnell said yesterday.

Mitch Rappaport, a partner with Nixon Peabody and member of the firm's public finance and tax practice groups, said with the inclusion of P3s into the tax-exempt arena, O'Donnell's background will be a boon.

"A lot of the public finance transactions that have project finance elements are expanding beyond public finance," Rappaport said. "What the firm has been doing reflects the changing nature and aspects of the public finance world, in that there's a move to greater public-private partnerships."

Arthur F. McMahon Jr., head of the Nixon Peabody's public finance group, called O'Donnell a "great addition" to the firm.

"His vast experience in dealing with corporate and commercial transactions, especially in the energy area, will be a valuable asset for serving our diverse client base," McMahon said in a release.

"We're thrilled to welcome an attorney with Neil's credentials to the team," said Laurin H. Mills, managing partner of Nixon Peabody's Washington office. "His dedication to delivering excellent results combined with his proven knowledge base and expertise will not only strengthen the office, but the firm."

Nixon Peabody currently has 54 public finance attorneys on staff, and six are based in Washington, D.C.

O'Donnell received his law degree from the University of North Carolina in 1996 and obtained his bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in 1991.

 

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