As the year 2016 draws to a close, the outlook for the public finance market includes good news of record annual bond volume and a proposed one trillion dollar federal infrastructure initiative, but also uncertainty from rising interest rates, a new administration and proposed major tax reform. For 162 years, Hawkins has been serving its clients through times of change, risk and opportunity. In 1854, Dexter Hawkins founded the Firm at 10 Wall Street. Now, as then, Hawkins stands ready to guide its clients through changing times and the matrix of issues in bond financings and public projects.
Since 1980 (the date from which reliable data have been gathered), Hawkins has completed over one trillion dollars in public finance deals as bond counsel and underwriters’ counsel, according to data collected by Thomson Reuters. Since 1980, Hawkins is the number one ranked underwriters’ counsel firm and number two ranked bond counsel firm in the nation, based on dollar volume. In 2015 and 2016 (to date), Hawkins was ranked first nationally as underwriters’ counsel and second as bond counsel.
In connection with this significant milestone for Hawkins, Howard Zucker, a member of the Hawkins Management Committee, stated that “[o]ur relationships with our clients and the quality and experience of our attorneys are the keys to our achievements. Hawkins is 162 years old, and has been doing public finance for over 135 years, but we know we cannot rest on our laurels – we come to work each and every day to earn and deserve the trust and confidence of our clients.”
Hawkins is the only national law firm in the United States whose practice is devoted primarily to public finance and public projects. Each of the Firm’s specialty areas supports and complements its public finance practice. The Firm has more attorneys engaged in the full-time practice of public finance and projects than any other law firm in the country.