Title: Partner
Firm: Barnes & Thornburg
Age: 35
Ben Vernon, a partner in the public finance practice at Barnes & Thornburg, advises public entities and private participants on tax-exempt and taxable public finance transactions.
His practice focuses on representing investment banks and bond underwriters, helping his clients navigate the complexities of public finance securities laws. Ben's trajectory reflects steady advancement. After building his public finance practice at firms in Atlanta and Los Angeles, Ben joined Barnes & Thornburg as a partner in 2026.
A passion for healthcare is what initially led him into the industry in 2017. "I was doing medical malpractice work and quickly realized that litigation wasn't what I wanted, so I started looking for opportunities where healthcare was still at the center, but finance was a part of the mix," Ben says. "That's what led me to my first job in Atlanta working for a public finance boutique that did hospital financings. After that, the wheels just kept on turning and moving me forward."
Indeed, they did. Beyond hospitals, Vernon has built broad sector experience across more than 20 states, financing multipurpose public and private infrastructure, affordable housing, charter schools, colleges and universities, healthcare, solid waste and renewable energy, energy prepays, transportation, and urban mixed-use development.
Ben has been involved in several notable airport financings, including in 2024, when he and Barnes partner Ben Johnson served on the underwriter's counsel team for $671 million in bonds issued by the Metropolitan Airports Commission to finance improvements at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
"My path was atypical going from Atlanta to Los Angeles. It's all been unexpected, but fun. I am glad I love what I do, and I can continue to do it in various parts of the country," Ben says.
