Professional Experience
Judith Blank practices on state and local government finance, representing governmental agencies issuing general obligation and revenue bonds and representing borrowers, lenders, underwriters, trustees, and issuers of private activity bonds. Financings have included tax-exempt leases; variable-rate put bonds with swaps; Dutch-auction redemptions; advance refunding bonds with float contracts; and bonds backed with financial insurance, letters of credit, or standby purchase agreements.
Judith has also provided counsel to various Connecticut municipalities on nonfinancing matters ranging from election law and Freedom of Information Act compliance to tax levy and assessment matters. She has also provided advice to, or served as counsel to, the charter establishment or revision commissions in several Connecticut towns.
Representative Matters
· $30,000,000 Revenue Bonds, Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority (CHESLA Loan Program) 2009 Series A. The Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority (CHESLA) issued its $30,000,000 Revenue Bonds (CHESLA Loan Program) 2009 Series A in August 2009. The bonds were sold on a negotiated basis, underwritten by Goldman Sachs and supported by a State-backed Special Capital Reserve Fund. The bonds are revenue bonds issued on a parity with seven prior series of bonds outstanding under CHESLA's 1990 General Revenue Bond Resolution. The issue of the 2009 Bonds involved CHESLAs return to its 1990 General Revenue Bond Resolution and abandonment of a more modern Master Resolution due to the market limitations involved with use of monoline insurance under the more recent resolution. This bond issue involved a number of complex issues resulting from market volatility generally and in the student loan sphere specifically. Day Pitney was sole Bond Counsel.
· $22,190,000 Town of Cheshire, Connecticut General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Issue of 2004; served as bond counsel; prepared tax analysis of multi-series advance refunding; prepared Escrow Agreement and negotiated terms of Float Contract for refunding escrow.
· Bond counsel for numerous government issuers in the State of Connecticut.
· Development of a tax-exempt leasing program.
· Financings throughout New England and the United States.
News, Publications & Presentations
· Co-author, "Expiring Tax Provisions Dramatically Change Municipal Finance Landscape," Day Pitney Alert, January 6, 2011
· Co-author, "Expiration of Certain Municipal Bond Tax Provisions," Day Pitney Alert, December 1, 2010
· Co-author, "Municipal Advisors Must Register With The SEC By October 1," Day Pitney Alert, September 2, 2010
· Co-author, "The Rules of Continuing Disclosure are Continuing to Change," Day Pitney Alert, June 2, 2010
· Co-author, "Moody's and Fitch Credit Rating Recalibrations May Trigger SEC Rule 15c2-12 Material Event Filing Obligations for Towns and Cities," Day Pitney Alert, April 28, 2010
· Co-author, "Jobs Bill Extends BAB-style Direct Payments to QSCBs, CREBs, QZABs, and QECBs," Day Pitney Alert, March 18, 2010
· Co-author, "IRS Launches Compliance Check on Governmental Bond Financings," Day Pitney Alert, February 5, 2009
· Speaker, "Are You Smarter Than a Bond Lawyer?" dramatic presentation of recent public finance disclosure issues to Connecticut Government Finance Officers Association, February 7, 2008
· Co-author, "Final Regulations for U.S. Treasury Securities, State and Local Government Series ('SLGS')," DBH Alert, July 14, 2005
· Co-author, "NRMSIR Filings Made Easy," DBH Alert, November 22, 2004
· Speaker, "Our Town Follies," dramatic presentation of IRS and SEC issues in connection with municipal finance to New England Government Finance Officers Association, September 22, 2000
Professional Affiliations
· National Association of Bond Lawyers
· Government Finance Officers Association of Connecticut
· Governmental Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada
Awards and Achievements
· Recognized as a Connecticut Super Lawyer, 2006
(Also at New York, New York Office)