“Every individual I have met at Blank Rome is impressive. They are strong in all areas. They are my first choice as counsel and will remain so.”
— Client feedback, Chambers USA
Tax credit programs, such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (“LIHTC”), New Markets Tax Credit (“NMTC”), Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit (“HRTC”), and Renewable Energy Tax Credit (“RETC”), provide critical gap financing for developing underserved communities, historic rehabilitation, low-income housing, and clean energy. These transactions often involve multiple layers of debt and equity that present challenging business, tax, and real estate issues. In order to get your project off the ground, you need legal counsel with deep experience in the industry.
Blank Rome’s tax credit finance attorneys provide legal advice informed by understanding the larger context of your business. Not only do we know the law, but we’re active in key national conferences, industry coalitions, and advocacy groups. This helps us anticipate the steps needed to achieve your business goals and the potential obstacles you may face. Our approach allows us to guide investors, community development entities (“CDEs”), syndicators, lenders, and for-profit and nonprofit sponsors to effectively utilize the appropriate suite of tax credit incentives to meet their needs.
Our tax credit finance attorneys monitor the latest innovations in tax structuring, modeling, and documentation, including the evolving use of the master lease structure for investment tax credit projects, and the combination of HRTC with NMTC, LIHTC, RETC, and other federal and state incentives. We help clients draft, review, and negotiate partnership and operating agreements for ownership entities; tax and general real estate opinions; loan documents; development agreements; and option and guaranty agreements.
How We Can Help
- Creative structuring of tax credit transactions
- Drafting all required legal documents, including entity organizational documents, loan documents, indemnification agreements, and other real estate, syndication, and investment documents
- Preparing and rendering all necessary tax and corporate legal opinions
- Reviewing and advising on any necessary real estate and environmental diligence
- Assisting in compliance and asset management issues
- Negotiating terms with tax credit investors, lenders, or qualified businesses that receive favorable financing through tax credit financing
- Working closely with accountants to ensure the proper treatment of the projected tax benefits.
What Sets Us Apart
- Our tax credit finance attorneys are frequently invited to write and speak on tax and real estate issues at conferences, such as the Novogradac Annual New Markets Tax Credit Conferences and CohnReznick’s Annual New Markets Tax Credit Summit and Conferences.
- Several attorneys serve as adjunct professors or lecturers at the Graduate Tax Program (LL.M.) of Georgetown University Law Center, George Washington University Law School, and the Real Estate Institute at Temple University.
- Further, members of our tax credit finance team have published several books and articles on tax credits, including Joint Ventures Involving Tax-Exempt Organizations.
