Michael A. Vaccari is the Practice Group Leader of the Public Finance Group and Co-Head of Nixon Peabody’s Infrastructure Finance Team. With more than 30 years of experience, he has served as counsel in hundreds of financings covering a broad range of projects and finance structures.
He is the former Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the largest transportation provider in the country. He represents the USDOT on its TIFIA credit assistance program and advised USDOT on the drafting and structuring of its template loan documentation. He represented USDOT on the first transportation PPP project in the U.S. (SR 125), the first transportation PABs and HOT lanes financing (Capital Beltway),the first combined use of TIFIA and RRIF in Denver Union Station and on SH 130 in Texas. Michael has represented lenders, sponsors, underwriters and governmental entities on projects throughout the country, such as Goethals Bridge, Doyle Drive, I-595, IH-635, Denver Eagle P3 and the Dulles Metrorail Extension.
Mr. Vaccari began his legal career in public finance with the New York City Law Department in 1978. Four years later, he joined the public finance group at the law firm of Brown & Wood, where he remained until joining the MTA in 1989. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law, where he teaches Public Finance Law and Finance.
Mr. Vaccari has been recognized for his exceptional standing in the legal community in the area of Bonds/Government Finance in the 2010 edition of New York Super Lawyers.