Peck Shaffer Lures Veteran Lawyer Thomas Smith to Its Chicago Office

CHICAGO - Cincinnati-based public finance law firm Peck, Shaffer & Williams LLP has added a third attorney to its office in Chicago - veteran bond lawyer Thomas Smith - who is returning to the practice of law after working for the last two years on the development of affordable housing.

Smith joined the firm last month as a partner. Smith started his law career more than 20 years ago at Chicago-based Chapman and Cutler LLP. He later moved to Indianapolis and worked for Ice Miller LLP, returning to Chicago in 1997 to open Ice Miller's Chicago office. He left the firm two years ago to work on affordable housing development.

"I was ready to get back into the practice of law and Peck Shaffer offered a good opportunity to do so," Smith said yesterday. Smith has served during his career as bond counsel, issuer's counsel, and underwriters' counsel on general government, development, private-activity, and senior, single-family, and multifamily housing deals.

"He has extensive experience in both new-money and refunding issues and in assisting bondholders in working out troubled financings," read a statement from Peck Shaffer announcing his hire. Smith holds a law degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Peck Shaffer has offices in Cincinnati, Columbus, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, and Covington, Ky. The firm earlier this year announced the addition of three lawyers - Erin A. Sutton, Lewis Diaz and Romana Kaleem - to its Columbus and Cincinnati offices. The firm earlier this year also lost five attorneys from its Columbus office after they moved over to Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP.

Peck Shaffer worked on a total of 127 issues in the Midwest worth $4.2 billion for a third place ranking last year, up from eighth a year earlier, according to Thomson Reuters.

The firm said it was ranked fifth nationally among law firms for total number of combined bond counsel and underwriter's transactions and 18th nationally for volume last year.

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