CHICAGO — Thompson Coburn LLP is bolstering its public finance team in Chicago with the addition of veteran public finance attorney Thomas Smith.
Smith, 52, joined the St. Louis-based firm this year as a partner. He previously worked at Peck Shaffer & Williams LLP.
Smith joined Peck Shaffer in 2009. He previously worked at Ice Miller LLP, opening the firm's Chicago office. He started his career at Chicago-based Chapman and Cutler LLP. Smith took a two year break before joining Peck Shaffer to work on the development of affordable housing.
Smith has worked over the last two decades as bond counsel, underwriters' counsel, issuer's counsel, borrower's counsel and bond purchaser's counsel for general governments, health care and not-for-profit financings. He's also worked on bondholder workouts of troubled financings.
Smith joins one other public finance specialist in the firm's Chicago office — Rhonda Thomas. The firm employs 10 public finance attorneys, all at the partner level. It operates offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, southern Illinois, and Washington D.C.
"It is great to be part of the firm's expanding Chicago presence, and the firm's breadth of complementary practice areas in Chicago will be of great assistance to my expanding public finance practice," Smith said in a firm statement announcing the hire.
Peck Shaffer ranked 18th last year as bond counsel in Illinois while Thompson Coburn did not rank among the top 50, according to Thomson Reuters.
