Nixon Peabody boosts infrastructure reach through Squire Patton Boggs hires

Nixon Peabody LLP is ramping up its infrastructure focus with the hiring of Christopher J. Reitzel and Jeffrey Pohl to expand the law firm’s public finance group.

Reitzel was added as a partner in the firm’s New York City office while Pohl is working as counsel in its Albany office. The duo arrived from Squire Patton Boggs where they worked closely together on a number of complex deals involving public-private partnerships and design-build strategies.

“What we’re seeing is that in a number of cases issuers with limited borrowing ability are looking for more P3s, design-build and sharing of risk,” said Ken Lind, leader of Nixon Peabody’s Project Finance and Public Finance practice. “We want to expand our resources for being available for P3s and other complex financings.”

The additions of Reitzel and Pohl comes a year after Nixon Peabody hired P3 attorney Roderick Devlin as a partner for the firm’s infrastructure practice. Devlin also previously worked at Squire Patton Boggs.

The new hires bring Nixon Peabody’s Project Finance and Public Finance group up to 49 nationwide attorneys. The firm’s public finance lawyers are spread out among eight metropolitan areas in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Albany and Rochester, New York.

Reitzel has been bond counsel, disclosure counsel and underwriters’ counsel on municipal bond deals in the areas of transportation, infrastructure, healthcare, housing, public power and the environment. He has regularly worked on financing for the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, the Environmental Facilities Corp., Empire State Development, the Transportation Development Corp., the Long Island Power Authority, Metropolitan Transportation Authority and New York City.

“Seeing how committed the firm was to traditional public finance and on top of that complex project finance along with the combination of already knowing people here made it a great marriage,” Reitzel said. “When they reached out I was receptive in large part because of how much I know them and respect them.”

Pohl’s practice has focused largely on public finance matters involving legislation, procurement, public authority governance and municipal law. Prior to a seven-year stint at Squire, Pohl spent 15 years as general counsel at DASNY where he advised on a broad range of public finance and procurement matters related to the conduit issuer’s clients. He previously was deputy counsel to the New York State Office of the State Comptroller where he provided analysis of local finance transactions and drafted regulations relating to local governments’ debt issuance.

“We are excited to welcome Chris and Jeff to our practice who, through our national platform, will be well-situated to work on some of the most innovative deals not just in New York but across the U.S.,” Andrew Glincher, CEO and managing partner of Nixon Peabody, said in a statement.

Nixon Peabody ranked 10th in the nation last year among bond counsel firms credited with $6.1 billion from 70 issues, according to data from Refinitiv.