Laura Bilas

Laura L. Bilas is a partner and business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. She is the chair of the firm’s Finance and Public Finance Practices and focuses her practice on public finance, healthcare finance and structured lending matters.

Ms. Bilas’ experience includes serving as bond counsel, borrower’s counsel, underwriter’s counsel, disclosure counsel, and credit enhancement provider’s counsel for numerous public finance and other structured transactions, including general obligation, special service area, special assessment, tax increment, multi-family housing, health care and industrial development financings.

She is a member of the firm’s Finance & Financial Institutions, Health Care Finance, and Public Finance Practices, as well as the Health Care Industry Team.

Ms. Bilas’ practice includes service as bond counsel, borrower’s counsel, underwriter’s counsel and credit enhancement provider’s counsel for 501(c)(3) financings, including financings for health care, cultural, educational and assisted living institutions. She also represents developers and other market participants on PACE (property assessed clean energy) financings.

Ms. Bilas has served as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, disclosure counsel and issuer’s counsel to the Illinois Housing Development Authority, other state and local housing authorities, and to lending institutions on housing financings, aggregating in excess of $1 billion. She has also served as credit enhancer’s or liquidity provider’s counsel for over 250 tax exempt bond financings for domestic and foreign bank clients.

Education :

Ms. Bilas received her law degree from the University of Minnesota (J.D., cum laude, 1985) and her undergraduate degree from Valparaiso University (B.A., highest distinction, 1982).

Admissions and Professional Memberships :

Ms. Bilas is a member of the American Bar Association and the National Association of Bond Lawyers. She is admitted to the Bar in Illinois and Michigan.

Affiliations :

Ms. Bilas has served on the board of directors of Women In Public Finance, is a member of the Women Presidents’ Organization, and previously served on the governing body of Athena Power Link.