Kimberly M. Copp

Kim focuses her practice principally in the areas of general corporate and securities law matters, including corporate and public finance. She serves as chair of Taft’s Debt and Structured Financings group.

Kim also serves as co-chair of the Gaming group. She has extensive experience representing cities and states (including regulatory bodies) on casino gaming matters including drafting legislation and related regulations, negotiating host community agreements between local governmental units and casino developers, conducting competitive selection processes for casino opportunities, and negotiating and providing counsel on casino development projects. She further represents casino companies on mergers and acquisitions, financings and licensing and regulatory matters. Kim also represents investment companies, private equity funds and other lenders to casino projects on financing structures for casino projects and licensing and regulatory matters.

Gaming

• Represented the New York State Gaming Facility Location Board in conducting its competitive selection process for the issuance of up to four gaming facility licenses in Upstate New York.
• Represents the City of Springfield, Massachusetts in negotiating a host community agreement for an anticipated $800 million casino project.
• Represents the City of Taunton, Massachusetts in negotiating an intergovernmental agreement with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe for an anticipated $500 million project.
• Represented the Town of Milford, Massachusetts in assessing impacts of a potential $1 billion casino development and negotiating a host community agreement.
• Represented a multi-jurisdictional casino company in the sale of its casino complex in Colorado.
• Represents the City of Detroit in connection with its three casinos. Most recently represented the City in connection with successful restructuring of one casino in bankruptcy.
• From time to time, advises the City of Chicago on casino matters including drafting legislation for a city-owned casino.
• Represented a large institutional investor in connection with reorganizing the capital structure of an entity owning casinos in multiple jurisdictions in Canada.
• Advised two states in drafting casino enabling legislation and on related matters.
• Represents multi-jurisdiction casino operators in the purchase and sale of certain casino assets.

Banking and Finance and Securities/Corporate

• Represents commercial banks such as BMO Harris Bank, FirstMerit Bank, JP Morgan Chase, and Wintrust Financial Corporation in connection with commercial middle-market loan and other financing transactions.
• Represented a NYSE-listed real estate company in a going private transaction.
• Advised a corporate borrower on an asset-backed lending transaction led by SunTrust.
• Assisted an e-tailer with its $132 million initial public offering of common stock and listing on the NASDAQ Global Market.
• Assists Board of Director members (including Audit Committee members) of various NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ publicly-traded companies in connection with corporate governance and securities matters, the establishment of internal controls and procedures, conducting internal investigations related to various matters reported to the Boards (or Audit Committees) and other corporate matters.

Public Finance

• Represents borrowers, underwriters, banks and/or issuers in bond issues by the City of Chicago, City of Chicago Board of Education, City of Detroit, State of Illinois, Illinois Housing Development Authority, Illinois Finance Authority, and various municipalities.