Overview

Lillian A. Plata maintains an engagement with the Firm to advise on federal tax compliance and structured finance matters. Ms. Plata focuses her practice on federal and state tax incentive structures and tax-exempt financing, including Section 103 tax-exempt bonds, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, New Markets Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, and Opportunity Zones, as well as related compliance considerations. She helps clients structure transactions efficiently while navigating complex regulatory requirements.

Ms. Plata is an attorney with more than 20 years of experience structuring and implementing complex, multimillion-dollar financings at both the local and national levels. She has practiced at several prominent law firms in New York and New Jersey and holds an LL.M. in Taxation, with a specialized focus on federal and state tax incentive structured finance.

She advises corporations, partnerships, developers, nonprofit organizations, governmental entities, and law firms on tax-advantaged financing programs, including Opportunity Zones, New Markets Tax Credits, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, and Historic Tax Credits. Her work enables clients to access and maximize available incentives while mitigating risk and leveraging both public and private funding sources across projects in multiple jurisdictions.

Her experience includes advising on tax-exempt bond financings, corporate and infrastructure transactions, redevelopment projects, and affordable housing initiatives. She has represented corporate entities and investment firms in complex transactions involving acquisitions, infrastructure development, and large-scale construction projects, including negotiating intercreditor agreements and credit facilities. Ms. Plata regularly works with issuers, underwriters, financial advisors, and government agencies to structure and execute financings efficiently, including transactions involving taxable and Section 103 tax-exempt bonds, mortgage-backed securities, and derivative products such as interest rate swaps.

Ms. Plata also brings significant in-house experience, having served as General Counsel of a national affordable housing development company. This experience provides her with a practical, business-oriented perspective that allows her to align legal strategies with client objectives and support successful project outcomes.

In addition to her professional practice, Ms. Plata is actively involved in community and professional organizations. She has served on multiple boards and advisory committees, including those focused on affordable housing and economic development, and has held leadership roles in organizations such as the Executive Women of New Jersey and the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association.

Ms. Plata has received numerous recognitions for her leadership and impact, including the 2024 Policy Makers Award from the Executive Women of New Jersey and NJBIZ’s Top 50 Women in Business and Leaders in Law honors.

She earned her LL.M. in Taxation from New York Law School, her J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law – Newark, and her B.A. from Drew University. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, and the District of Columbia.