CHICAGO — Wisconsin-based Michael Best & Friedrich LLP has hired public finance attorney Gregory Tears for its Milwaukee office as part of the firm’s ongoing effort to rebuild its bond counsel and underwriters’ counsel business.
Tears formerly worked for Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, where he spent five years. He also worked at Nixon Peabody LLP.
Tears joined Michael Best as a partner earlier this month.
“He has served as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, trustee counsel and bank counsel on general obligation and revenue bond financings for state and local governments and authorities and on bond financings in the areas of public power, higher education, health care, housing, and transportation,” the firm said.
The firm previously was a top-ranked bond counsel in its home state until a string of veterans left for competing firms beginning in 2004. Last year it renewed its commitment to public finance with the hiring of Charles Katz over the summer in its Chicago office and its decision to rebuild its practice. The firm’s goal is to rebuild its Midwestern practice and then branch out to other regions. Katz and Tears were colleagues at Drinker Biddle.
Tears and Katz work exclusively on public finance with the help of a handful of other attorneys that cover public finance and other areas. Tears said he was attracted to Michael Best by the opportunity to help rejuvenate its practice.
“The goal is to build out and it’s nice to be part of a firm that taking a long term approach,” he said.
