United Tribes ) Michigan - Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians

INDIAN NATIONS
Finance
Godfrey & Kahn's Indian Nations Law Practice Group assists tribes, tribally owned enterprises and tribally owned
corporations in connection with conventional bank financing, government guaranteed or subsidized loans, taxable
bonds and tax-exempt bonds under the federal Indian Tribal Government Tax Status Act. The firm's long tradition of
representing lending institutions, together with our knowledge of the special circumstances relating to Indian country,
enable us to close complex transactions in a timely, cost-efficient manner. Our finance experience includes
representation of tribes in connection with:
• Tribal gaming facilities, hotels, conference centers and related recreational facilities, including expansion
projects, through bank loans and issuance of tribal taxable bonds
• Tribal land acquisitions and government and other public facilities serving essential governmental functions
through issuance of tax-exempt bonds under the Tribal Governmental Tax Status Act
Tribal health clinics, roads, and other government facilities through conventional bank financing and grants
and low interest loans under the United States Department of Agriculture's Community Facilities program
• Tribal water and wastewater systems through grants and low-interest loans under the United States
Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service program
• Affordable housing for tribal members using, in addition to federal block grants, funds provided through
issuance of tax-exempt bonds, low interest loans under the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural
Rental Housing Program, low income housing tax credits and Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing
Program grants
Godfrey & Kahn is a nationally recognized bond counsel firm with an active municipal securities practice. Data
compiled by Securities Data Corporation has ranked Godfrey & Kahn among the top five bond counsel firms in the
North Central States in total number of long-term tax-exempt issues. In addition to our Indian country finance
activities, we provide a full range of legal services to local and regional units of government, as well as private sector
and 50I(c)(3) clients doing business with those entities. Typical public finance transactions include:
• Debt financing for schools
• Municipal projects such as streets, sewer and water improvements; county highways, courthouses and jails
• Technical college buildings and equipment
• Metropolitan sewerage district projects
• Private manufacturing facilities
• Hospital and health care facilities
• Higher education facilities
• Stadium financing (Green Bay Packers, $295 million renovation of Lambeau Field)
In addition to fulfilling the traditional bond counsel role, we have served as counsel to tribal governments, issuers,
underwriters, banking institutions, private sector and 501(c)(3) borrowers, credit enhancers and institutional investors.
Our work in public finance and areas related to the public sector is varied and diverse and includes:
• Bond counsel on traditional municipal debt financing, such as general obligation bonds and notes,
water/sewer revenue bonds, cash flow borrowings, refundings, clean water fund loans and tax-exempt lease
financing.
• Bond counsel, underwriter's counsel, issuer's counsel, bank counsel, borrower's counsel, and credit
enhancer's counsel on tax-exempt financing for privately owned and 501(c)(3) projects including
hospital/health care and higher education facilities. 8