Michael C. Barnes

Michael C. Barnes is a Member in the Banking and Financial Services group at Clark Hill, with a concentration in Public Finance, where he serves as bond counsel, borrower’s counsel and underwriter’s counsel on finance matters involving states, municipalities, nonprofit entities, developers, economic development authorities, universities, independent schools and school districts. 

Michael has specific experience helping health care systems, hospitals and continuing care retirement communities with their financing needs and has served as counsel to nonprofit health care borrowers on public offerings, private placements and bank loans, for both investment grade rated entities and unrated borrowers.

Michael's experience also extends to tax increment financings, special assessment and special tax bonds, neighborhood improvement district and neighborhood improvement zone bonds and other economic development financings. Michael has served as underwriter’s counsel on the public offering of tax increment financing (TIF)/neighborhood improvement district (NID) bonds and developer’s counsel to privately-held and publicly-traded entities on transactions involving the public offering or private placement of NID Bonds and TIF/NID bonds.

Michael has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating guaranteed investment contracts (GICs) and repurchase agreements (repos) and regularly serves as counsel to an affiliate of a global financial institution that offers GICs and repos to borrowers and issuers of tax-exempt and taxable bonds. He is knowledgeable in the implementation and unwinding of swaps and other derivative transactions.

Prior to his legal career, Michael worked as a stagehand and rigger for the International Alliance of Theatrical State Employees, Local #8. He is the fourth generation of his family to work as a union stagehand in the theaters, amphitheaters and concert halls of Philadelphia.

Awards & Achievements 

• Selected to the 2019 and 2020 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers - Rising Stars List.
  • The Rising Stars list is issued by Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business. A description of the selection methodology is available here. No aspect of this communication has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.