Overview
Robinson Bradshaw has one of the most experienced public finance practices in North Carolina, with approximately 120 years of combined experience in all types of tax-exempt and taxable public finance transactions benefitting governmental, health care, senior living, educational and for-profit entities. From 2005 through 2025, the firm served as bond counsel for bond issues totaling approximately $32 billion. The firm also have extensive experience serving as underwriter’s and borrower’s counsel for a variety of different entities and types of projects. This level of experience enables us to provide our clients with high-quality legal counsel leading industry publications such as Chambers USA and Best Law Firms to consistently rank Robinson Bradshaw among the top North Carolina firms for public finance law.
Additionally, Robinson Bradshaw’s unique business model fosters a culture of collaboration, allowing us to put client’s interests first, and a cost structure that enables clients to get the benefits of a national practice at regional rates. Our ability to deliver excellent service is based on experience, teamwork and talent.
Experience
Health Care Bonds
We have served as bond counsel, underwriter's counsel or borrower's counsel in approximately 240 Medical Care Commission bond issues totaling more than $13.8 billion. Robinson Bradshaw has played a role in financings for almost every major health care system in North Carolina. Additionally, we have extensive experience serving as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel and borrower’s counsel for continuing care retirement communities, both in North Carolina and other states. Specific examples include:
- Since 2018, served as bond counsel in over 15 tax-exempt and taxable financings benefitting North Carolina and South Carolina health care systems through various conduit issuers totaling over $3.8 billion, including multiple acquisition financings.
- Served as bond counsel in 2025 for the largest energy-as-a-service transaction in United States health care history ($855 million of tax-exempt and taxable bonds).
- Served as bond counsel, underwriter's counsel or authority counsel for every bond financing for The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority, beginning with their first issue in 1983, including as bond counsel for tax-exempt and taxable financings totaling over $2.9 billion.
- As bond counsel for The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority, restructured 15 series, totaling more than $1 billion, of insured auction rate and variable rate demand bonds, being one of the first counsel in the country to restructure bonds by surrendering bond insurance in lieu of refunding, saving our clients time and money.
- As underwriter’s counsel in The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority bond issues, prepared official statements for approximately $300 million of fixed rate, variable rate and auction rate bonds using the SEC’s “Plain English” principles for public corporate securities offerings, a national first for tax-exempt health care financings.
- Served as bond counsel for over $2.2 billion in tax-exempt financings for Duke University Health System since 2001, including the conversion or refunding of eight series of variable rate bonds totaling more than $500 million to bank direct purchase modes with four banks and restructuring variable rate debt by wrapping SunTrust liquidity facilities with FHLB confirming liquidity facilities in one of the first confirming liquidity facility transactions in the country.
Governmental Bonds
We have served as bond counsel for nearly $3.7 billion in North Carolina general obligation and limited obligation bonds since 2003 and have served as bond counsel for several North Carolina counties, including Gaston, Guilford and Onslow. We also represent municipalities, authorities and districts located throughout North Carolina. Specific examples include:
- Developed the documentation and program for the state of North Carolina to issue limited obligation bonds for the first time, which has enabled the state to more efficiently issue non-general obligation debt, and served as bond counsel for the first two such transactions.
- Served as co-bond counsel for Guilford County in connection with $570 million of general obligation bonds to finance school facilities, part of a $1.7 billion bond referendum for school facilities projects.
- Served as bond counsel for the first three tranches of Build NC Bonds issued by the state of North Carolina, totaling $1.3 billion.
- Served as bond counsel for the first Build America Bond financing in North Carolina (a $58 million Gaston County general obligation bond issue).
- Served as bond counsel for Mecklenburg County in restructuring almost $500 million of liquidity-enhanced variable rate debt into a combination of unenhanced variable rate bonds (the first governmental Window VRDB deal in the country), fixed rate general obligation bonds and fixed rate limited obligation bonds.
- Developed the documentation and program under which Durham County issued a variable rate general obligation bond anticipation note that functions as a draw-down loan of up to $80 million, a first of its kind in North Carolina that has enabled the county to borrow only as-needed to pay project costs as they are incurred.
Educational Bonds
Robinson Bradshaw has extensive experience in financings for private colleges and universities, UNC system campuses and private secondary schools, serving as bond counsel or underwriter’s counsel in over 190 bond issues totaling around $13.5 billion, including:
- Bond counsel for approximately $5.7 billion in bond issues for Duke University since 2001.
- Bond counsel for Davidson College and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Exempt Facility and Industrial Development Bonds
Our attorneys have served as bond counsel or underwriter’s counsel in hundreds of exempt facility and industrial development bond issues throughout the country, including bonds for multifamily housing, airports, docks and wharves, solid waste disposal facilities and pollution control facilities. Specific examples include:
- Served as bond counsel for approximately $800 million in exempt facility bonds for Duke Energy Corporation since 1999.
- Served as bond counsel for $475 million in environment-friendly financings for Duke Energy’s coal-fired electric plant “scrubbers” and a facility for National Gypsum Company that uses a waste by-product of that scrubbing to produce synthetic gypsum for wallboard.
Variable Rate Demand Bonds
Robinson Bradshaw has extensive experience with variable rate demand bonds. For the past 30 years, we have drafted or maintained VRDB form documents for four different banks and assisted them in the development of new modes and products, including working with Citigroup to develop the Window VRDB product.
Accolades
Honors & Recognitions
- Chambers USA, Band 1 for public finance, 2020-25
- Best Law Firms, national Tier 3 for public finance law, 2017-24; Charlotte Tier 1 for public finance law, 2011-26
