Profile
Lorraine M. Tyson focuses her practice on public private partnership and public finance transactions and government law. She represents insurance companies, pension funds, banks, finance companies, and other institutional investors on corporate finance transactions. She also advises governmental clients on general corporate matters and legislation.
Lorraine has acted as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, remarketing agent counsel, issuer’s counsel, borrower’s counsel, or letter of credit counsel in connection with financings by the City of Chicago; the State of Illinois; the Regional Transportation Authority; the Illinois Finance Authority; the Illinois Housing Development Authority; Cook County, Illinois; and the Board of Education of the City of Chicago. She has advised clients on term loans, standby purchase agreements, and revolving credit facilities. Lorraine has also advised clients on various types of tax-exempt and taxable bonds, including general obligation bonds, alternate revenue bonds, limited tax bonds, debt certificates, revenue bonds, Build America bonds, qualified 501(c)(3) bonds, student housing bonds, recovery zone facility bonds, recovery zone economic development bonds, variable rate bonds, and current and advance refunding bonds.
Concentrations
- Public-private partnerships
- Public finance
- Domestic and cross-border institutional private placements
- Corporate finance
- Conventional secured and unsecured debt finance
- Project finance
- Government law
Capabilities
Experience
- Underwriter’s Counsel for $610,300,000 Michigan Strategic Fund Limited Obligation Revenue Bonds (I-75 Improvement Project), Series 2018.
- Lenders’ counsel for $679,000,000 senior secured notes of Plenary Properties LLC (UC Regents of California DBFOM Academic, Residential, and other Facilities for UC Merced Campus Expansion). Selected as IJ Global 2016 “North American Social Infrastructure Deal of the Year.”
- Lenders’ counsel for Outer Suburban Arterial Roads Project - Melbourne. A$400,000,000 senior secured notes of Netflow OSARS (Western) Pty Ltd.
- Co-disclosure counsel (lead role) to The City of Chicago, Illinois, on its:
- $503,690,000 General Obligation Bonds, Series 2023A (Chicago Works); and
- $20,110,000 General Obligation Bonds, Series 2023B (Chicago Recovery Plan).
- Co-disclosure counsel (lead role) to The County of Cook, Illinois, on its:
- $268,530,000 General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2022A;
- $9,175,000 Taxable General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2022B;
- $153,195,000 Sales Tax Revenue Bonds, Series 2022A;
- $57,950,000 Sales Tax Revenue Bonds, Series 2022B;
- $190,575,000 General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2021B;
- $57,525,000 Taxable General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2021C;
- $330,495,000 General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2021A; and
- $169,280,000 Sales Tax Revenue Bonds, Series 2021A.
- Co-disclosure counsel (lead role) to The County of Cook, Illinois, on its (a) $101,820,000 General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2018; and (b) $115,630,000 Sales Tax Revenue Bonds, Series 2018.
- Underwriter’s Counsel for (a) $415,825,000 Illinois Finance Authority Revenue Bonds, The University of Chicago, Series 2015A; (b) $573,645,000 Illinois Finance Authority Revenue Bonds, The University of Chicago, Series 2014A; and (c) $149,090,000 Illinois Finance Authority Revenue Bonds, The University of Chicago, Series 2013A.°
- Bond Counsel for $4,300,000 The County of Cook, Illinois, Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds (Prairie View Apartments Project), Series 2014.°
- Issuer’s Counsel for $400,000,000 Illinois Finance Authority Revenue Bonds, Series 2013 (multiple series) (Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago).°
- Co-Bond Counsel (lead role) for (a) the issuance of $367,925,000 City of Chicago Second Lien Water Revenue Bonds, Project Series 2014 and (b) the Credit Substitution and Remarketing in 2014 of $355,575,000 City of Chicago Second Lien Water Revenue Bonds, Project Series 2004.°
- Co-Underwriter’s Counsel for $141,700,000 Illinois Finance Authority State of Illinois Clean Water Initiative Revolving Fund Revenue Bonds, Series 2013.°
°The above representations were handled by Ms. Tyson prior to her joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Public Finance Law, 2025
- Listed, IFLR1000, “Notable Practitioner,” Banking, Capital Markets: Debt, 2019-2024
- Listed, Crain’s Chicago Business, “Chicago’s Notable Minority Lawyers,” 2018
- Listed, Leading Lawyers Network, 2013-2024
- Top 100 Women Real Estate-Related Lawyers in Illinois, 2017, 2019-2020
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Illinois Super Lawyers, “Rising Stars,” 2013-2014
- The Top Women Attorneys in Illinois, 2013
- Governors State University Board of Trustees
- Past Vice Chair, Board of Trustees
- Past Chair, Budget and Finance Committee
- Past Member
- Member, Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago
- Board of Directors, Women in Public Finance, 2013-2015
- Member, IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities, 2013-2015
- National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL)
- Member, Board of Directors, 2015-2016
- Board Liaison, Diversity Committee, 2016
- Chair, Diversity Committee, 2017-2018
- Chair, Tax and Securities Law Institute, 2015
- Vice Chair, Tax and Securities Law Institute, 2014
- Member, Nominating Committee, 2013
- Member, Steering Committee for the Bond Attorneys’ Workshop, 2011-2013
- Member, Associates Forum, Illinois Government Finance Officers Association, 2013
- Member, Celia M. Howard Fellowship Committee, 2006-2016
Credentials
- LL.M., Taxation, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, 2009
- J.D., University of Illinois College of Law, 1999
- B.A., Northwestern University, 1996
- Illinois
- New York