John is Kutak Rock's Chair. He practices in the Omaha Public Finance Department and has represented issuers, credit enhancers, lenders and underwriters in connection with taxable and tax-exempt financings in the housing, military housing, higher education, electric energy and project finance sectors. He has worked as a member and leader of Kutak Rock attorney teams to address structuring and operational issues touching on a broad range of legal disciplines, including tax, real estate, securities regulation, bankruptcy, government contracting and environmental law.
Housing/Military Housing
In the housing sector, John’s practice includes low-income housing, student housing and taxable military housing financings. He has acted as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, borrower’s counsel and credit enhancer’s counsel on private activity bond housing financings, 501(c)(3) transactions, governmental transactions, student housing financings and military housing transactions. He has represented clients in various capacities on FHA- and GNMA-insured transactions, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac financings, letter of credit-backed deals, Section 8 subsidized transactions, unenhanced real estate-backed financings and bond-insured transactions.
In addition, John is among the most experienced attorneys in the privatized military housing market, and was a primary participant in the development and implementation of the United States Department of the Treasury’s New Issue Bond Program and Temporary Credit and Liquidity Program.
- Participated as bond counsel, issuer’s counsel, underwriter’s counsel and credit enhancer’s counsel in numerous early FAF refunding transactions.
- Acted as credit enhancer’s counsel in two of the first military housing privatization transactions, and has subsequently participated in over a dozen such transactions in a variety of capacities.
- Involved in the first military housing transaction for unaccompanied military personnel, and the first privatization of military lodging facilities.
- Played a significant role in the development and implementation of the United States Department of the Treasury’s New Issue Bond Program and Temporary Credit and Liquidity Program.
- Participated in the financing of numerous privatized student housing facilities, using a variety of financing structures.
Energy Finance
John’s public power experience includes work as bond counsel or issuer’s counsel in connection with over a billion dollars in taxable and tax-exempt financing for the Omaha (Nebraska) Public Power District and the Lincoln (Nebraska) Electric System. His work in the public utility sector has included bond counsel work on long-term debt and commercial paper transactions, subordinated debt financings, “minibond” transactions and project-specific revenue financings. He has also worked with issuer clients to negotiate liquidity facilities and lines of credit, to draft public utility debt-related legislation and to design and help implement disclosure and tax compliance policies and procedures. In addition, John has worked as underwriters’ counsel in connection with a range of tax-exempt public power transactions.
Project Finance
In addition to his work in the public power and housing sectors, John has worked as underwriter’s or issuer’s counsel on several complex project financings, including solar power project securitizations, PILOT transactions for “green” infrastructure improvements and a first-of-its-kind United States capital markets transaction to finance the development of a nuclear waste storage facility in Ukraine.
John was selected as a Fellow of the Nebraska State Bar Foundation in 2021, which honors attorneys and judges who demonstrate integrity and character, contribute to charitable works and community education, and are dedicated to improving the administration of justice.
