Commitment to Clients and Communities

I became a tax attorney in order to use tax credits as a tool for community development. I always approach complex structures and technical issues with this big picture in mind. I love the variety and impact of my work, having represented borrowers, developers, community development entities, lenders, investors, and syndicators in real estate transactions all over the country, including affordable housing, schools, health centers, homeless shelter and service facilities, mixed-use developments, and job-creating industrial facilities. The people and organizations behind these projects are truly inspirational. Attending a ribbon-cutting and spending time with clients and community members touched by a project fills me with energy and pride. I am also the firm’s internal engagement partner and co-chair of the firm’s Social and Wellness Committee. When I’m not working, I can usually be found around my own community in Logan Square, with my wife, Alison and our two cats Digby and Winston.

Career Overview

Current Focus: I am tax counsel on projects with a focus on new markets tax credits (NMTC) and low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC). I am proud to specialize in representing QALICB borrowers, CDE lenders, and affordable housing developers, as well as nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations. I also represent tax credit investors and work with historic rehabilitation tax credits and certain state tax credits.

Highlights: A few projects that I have felt privileged to work on include a facility in Los Angeles providing shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services for homeless families; a trauma center at The University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park; a manufacturing facility in East Moline, Illinois using plastic pulled out of the Mississippi River to make recycled pallets for industrial use; and an early childhood education center in Flint, Michigan designed to help address the impacts of the water crisis. I also enjoy speaking and writing, and the work I point my clients to most is Pushing the Limits: Nonprofit Guarantees in LIHTC Joint Ventures, 22 Journal of Affordable Housing & Community Development Law 79 (2013). I landed my dream job at Applegate in 2012, after working at an affordable housing legal clinic, two affordable housing firms in Washington, DC, and Business and Professional People for the Public Interest in Chicago. I haven’t looked back.

Professional Affiliations

American Bar Association

• Member, Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law
• Member, Section on Taxation

Member, New Markets Tax Credit Coalition

Member, Novogradac New Markets Tax Credit Working Group

Advisory Board Member, Former Vice President, VGA Foundation d/b/a VGA Gallery