Economic Development & Public Finance
Gilpin Givhan’s Economic Development & Public Finance practice group combines deep tax knowledge, financing experience, and decades of work with public and private stakeholders across the Southeast. Our attorneys have extensive experience negotiating and structuring economic development incentive packages for manufacturing facilities, commercial developers, and public entities pursuing growth, investment, and revitalization. We regularly represent automotive and other manufacturers in site-location and development incentives, and we counsel state and local governments seeking to attract and retain major industrial projects within their jurisdictions.
Our work extends across a wide range of commercial and retail development initiatives, including shopping centers, hotel projects, mixed-use developments, and downtown redevelopment efforts. We assist developers and governmental bodies in negotiating and documenting incentives, assembling project financing, and coordinating the public infrastructure necessary to support long-term success. Our attorneys also draft and negotiate development agreements for health care facilities, industrial operations, hospitality projects, and retail developments, and we have experience drafting and reviewing legislation relating to economic-development tools and financing authorities.
As one of the region’s leading public finance practices, Gilpin Givhan serves as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, and underwriter’s counsel for municipalities, counties, public corporations, nonprofits, and other issuers of tax-exempt securities. We have significant experience structuring and closing a wide range of public finance transactions, including construction and equipment financings, advanced and current refundings, cash-flow borrowings, private-activity bonds, tax-anticipation financings, tax-exempt leasing arrangements, and variable-rate credit-enhanced financings. Our attorneys bring advanced tax training and a long history of sophisticated, tax-driven transactions to deliver creative yet practical solutions.
We also have deep experience forming and advising a variety of public authorities and special-purpose entities—including health-care authorities, special health-care finance authorities, medical clinic boards, improvement districts, capital-improvement cooperative districts, downtown-redevelopment authorities, commercial-development authorities, and industrial-development boards. These entities play a critical role in financing, constructing, and operating manufacturing facilities, health-care campuses, commercial developments, and the related public infrastructure.
Whether guiding a government through a major incentive negotiation, assisting a manufacturer in selecting a new site, or structuring complex public finance transactions for hospitals, universities, or local governments, Gilpin Givhan delivers targeted, sophisticated counsel grounded in technical expertise and practical understanding of the economic development landscape throughout the Southeast.
Tax-Exempt Bond Offerings>
Gilpin Givhan is recognized throughout the Southeast for its experience in tax-exempt financing. Our attorneys regularly serve as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, and underwriter’s counsel on behalf of municipalities, counties, public corporations, nonprofits, health-care authorities, and other issuers. We assist clients with structuring and executing a full range of financings—including construction and equipment financings, advanced and current refundings, cash-flow borrowings, tax-exempt leasing arrangements, private-activity bonds, and variable-rate credit-enhanced transactions. With advanced tax training and decades of hands-on experience, we help clients navigate the technical requirements of federal tax law and securities regulation while delivering clear, practical solutions that support long-term project viability.
Municipal Finance & Infrastructure Funding>
Our attorneys work extensively with cities, counties, public boards, and special-purpose districts to finance critical infrastructure and community-development projects. We advise on the creation and governance of entities such as improvement districts, capital-improvement cooperative districts, downtown-redevelopment authorities, commercial-development authorities, and industrial-development boards. Whether financing roads, utilities, public buildings, industrial sites, or major health-care facilities, we address the full spectrum of legal, operational, and financial considerations that support successful project implementation. Our experience allows public entities to secure capital efficiently while ensuring compliance with applicable statutes, constitutional requirements, and municipal-finance practices.
Federal & State Tax Incentives>
Federal and state incentive programs play a pivotal role in attracting and supporting economic development, and Gilpin Givhan has long been at the forefront of structuring incentive packages across the Southeast. Our attorneys negotiate incentives for manufacturing plants, automotive suppliers, industrial expansions, commercial developments, retail centers, hotels, and mixed-use projects. We represent both private companies and governmental entities in securing abatements, tax credits, grants, and infrastructure support, and we regularly draft or review legislation impacting these tools. By integrating incentives with financing structures and project goals, we help clients maximize economic benefit while ensuring transparency and compliance.
Public-Private Partnerships>
Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) allow governments and private developers to jointly deliver large-scale projects, and our attorneys have extensive experience structuring P3 arrangements tailored to project complexity and stakeholder priorities. We counsel public bodies, manufacturers, hospital systems, universities, and private developers on collaborative frameworks that allocate responsibilities, risks, and benefits in a balanced and sustainable manner. Our work includes drafting development agreements, coordinating multi-entity financing structures, guiding the formation of public authorities, and ensuring that governance and operational arrangements comply with statutory and regulatory requirements. We help clients leverage the strengths of both sectors to deliver transformative projects that serve long-term community and business needs.