Richard A. Manley, Jr.

Rick serves as bond counsel to cities, towns, school districts, and various special purpose districts in Massachusetts and throughout New England. He focuses his practice on the issuance of taxable and tax-exempt debt to finance capital projects for local governments, including significant projects in the water, wastewater, airport, and sports venue sectors.

Rick also represents leading national and regional investment banks in underwriting municipal debt. His clients include the New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank and the cities of Brockton, Fall River, Lowell, Newton, Pittsfield, and Worcester, MA.

Rick navigates the intricacies of municipal finance, helping clients to secure efficient and effective funding for their projects.

• City of Worcester, MA: Acted as bond counsel for the issuance of more than $100 million in taxable and tax-exempt general obligation bonds for the construction of Polar Park, home of Minor League Baseball’s Worcester Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, formerly the Pawtucket Red Sox.
• City of Quincy, MA: Acted as bond counsel for $9.6 million general obligation bonds utilizing distributed ledger technology (blockchain), the first issue of this kind in the nation utilizing this technology.
• City of Brockton and Quincy, Town of Andover, MA: Acted as bond counsel for $301.8 million, $475.0 million, and $165.0 million pension obligation bonds, respectively.
• Town of Hingham, MA: Facilitated the issuance of $111.2 million general obligation water bonds to purchase the Hingham Water Company, transitioning the water system to public ownership after more than a century of private operation, ensuring local control and management.
• City of Nashua, NH: Guided the issuance of $150.6 million general obligation Pennichuck Corporation Acquisition Bonds, enabling the city to acquire all publicly traded shares of Pennichuck Water Company, thereby becoming its sole shareholder and securing municipal control over water resources.
• City of Manchester, NH (Airport): Developed the first general airport revenue bond resolution for Manchester Airport, creating a new capital structure and achieving substantial savings through a forward swap for synthetic fixed-rate refunding of previously issued bonds, enhancing financial stability.
• City of Manchester, NH (Water Works): Engineered a stand-alone revenue bond structure for Manchester Water Works, making it fully self-supporting and eliminating the need for general obligation debt for water system improvements, promoting fiscal independence.
• City of Manchester, NH (Verizon Center): Served as special counsel for the development of the Verizon Center, an 8,000-seat sports and entertainment venue, and the city’s 4,000-seat minor league baseball stadium, contributing to the city’s cultural and recreational infrastructure.

• Business Today: Top 10 Massachusetts Public Finance Lawyer (2023)
• The Best Lawyers in America®: Public Finance Law (2006-2026)
• Chambers USA: Public Finance Law (2015-2025)
• The Best Lawyers in America®: Boston Public Finance Lawyer of the Year (2015)