Katherine S. McManus

Principal

Practice Areas

Public Finance
Transportation
Bank Products
Derivatives
Project Finance
Securities Offerings
Federal Loan/Grant Programs

Education

State University of New York, Potsdam
Hofstra University Law School
Juris Doctorate

Professional Affiliations

New York Bar Association
National Association of Bond Lawyers
Women in Public Finance
Government Finance Officers Association
National Federal of Municipal Analysts

Admissions

New York

Prior Affiliations

NYC Housing Preservation and Development
Moody’s Investor’s Service
Fitch Ratings
MBIA 
CIFG
Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Kathie is a principal of Hardwick Law and has practiced for more than 20 years, serving as counsel to issuers, conduit borrowers, bond purchasers, underwriters and credit/liquidity providers.  She serves as one of the Firm’s lead attorneys in representing various New York State agencies and authorities and the State of Connecticut.  Since joining Hardwick, Kathie has been the lead attorney for New York State Empire State Development Corporation and has worked as bond counsel or underwriters’ counsel on the TOGA and American terminal projects at JFK, the Delta transaction for the new La Guardia Airport (all of which are partnership which are public private transactions); the Moynihan TIFIA project which is the extension of Penn Station, an extension to the Jacob Javits Center; and the refinancing of the Brooklyn Barclay Center bonds.

 Prior to joining the Firm, Kathie was Deputy General Counsel for one of the largest transit agencies in the United States, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).  In her role as Deputy General Counsel, Kathie worked with the finance team to bring over $10 billion in financings to market annually and manage a fixed and variable rate debt and swap portfolio of over $40 billion in outstanding par.  She restructured auction rate and variable rate debt issuances; negotiated/renegotiated interest rate swaps and energy hedges; substituted counterparties for various financial instruments for debt issuances and the Authority’s insurance subsidiary; prepared documentation for a unique 144a secondary market catastrophic insurance product; prepared documentation for a loan from the Federal Railroad Administration, drafted revised reimbursement agreement and standby bond purchase agreement to reflect market standards, negotiated bank agreements and direct bank loans; prepared tender documents for the tender of the MTA certificates of participation; drafted a new bond resolution to leverage a new payroll mobility tax; prepared the annual disclosure document, and prepared guidelines and training programs for staff and board members on municipal disclosure and tax issues.

Prior to working at the Authority Kathie worked at rating agencies and bond insurers in senior legal and credit roles and has experience in credit underwriting and the drafting and review of legal work on all types of US and non-US Public Finance transactions.  Over the years she has been recognized as an industry leader who has worked on transportation issues, toll roads, prisons (public and private), project finance (toll roads, airports, prisons, stadiums), higher education (including off balance sheet dormitory transactions), hurricane/catastrophe bonds, solid waste, water and sewer, public power, municipal leases including lease pools, municipal guarantee programs, higher education, Native American financings, federal loan and grant structures, bank products, commercial paper, Build America Bonds, stadium transactions, tender offerings, 144a transactions, Chapter 9 bankruptcy generally and strategies to avoid Chapter 9 transactional risk, municipal receivable transactions, interest rate and commodity swaps, caps, collars and floors, and secondary market derivative products.

Kathie has extensive experience on disclosure matters.  While working at rating agencies and bond insurers Kathie worked on various industry taskforces that included participants from the SEC, disclosure counsel, GASB, underwriters, financial advisors and investors.  During her tenure at the MTA, she prepared the annual disclosure document and prepared disclosure guidelines and training material for MTA employees, management, and Board members.  Kathie also participated on a NABL disclosure panel representing municipal issuers.