Overview
Eric Hunter is a partner and member of Chapman's Public Finance Department. He represents issuers, underwriters, and other participants in municipal finance transactions, serving as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriter’s counsel, and special counsel.
Eric focuses his practice on structuring, drafting, negotiating, and reviewing a wide range of public finance transactions. He has advised on financings across sectors, including electric, gas, water, sewer and solid waste utilities; public transportation and telecommunications; charter schools and other 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations; cities and counties; higher education and school districts; special districts; joint action agencies; municipal building authorities; redevelopment agencies; and private activity and industrial development bonds.
In addition to his transactional work, Eric has drafted and contributed to municipal finance legislation adopted by the Utah legislature.
Eric has practiced law at Chapman his entire career.
Representative Matters
- Represented the underwriters in connection with the issuance by the Utah Transit Authority of $700 million in sales tax revenue bonds to finance commuter rail facilities.
- Advised the Central Utah Water Conservancy District on an $80 million water conservancy revenue bond issuance, financing the largest-ever public purchase of water rights in Utah. The transaction included four concurrent series of fixed- and variable-rate taxable and tax-exempt bonds tailored to the district’s financing objectives.
- Served as bond counsel and disclosure counsel to the City of Provo, Utah, in the issuance of $36 million in wastewater revenue bonds, financing sewer and wastewater improvements.
- Served as bond counsel and disclosure counsel to Southern Utah Valley Power Systems in the issuance of $50 million in electrical transmission system and substation revenue bonds, financing electric utility infrastructure improvements.
- Served as bond counsel and disclosure counsel to the Utah State Charter School Finance Authority in the issuance of $10 million in charter school revenue bonds, issued to finance facilities for Summit Academy.
Practice Focus
- 501(c)(3) Not-for-Profit Finance
- Bond Counsel
- Broadband Finance
- General Obligation Bonds
- Governmental Revenue Bonds
- Municipal Building Authorities and Public Building Commissions
- Private Activity Bonds
- Public Finance
- Solid Waste, Sewage and other Environmental Disposal
- Special District Bonds
- Transportation
- Underwriter's Counsel
Admitted
Utah, 2000
Education
Brigham Young University - J. Reuben Clark Law School, J.D., magna cum laude, 2000
- Law Review, 1998 to 2000
Brigham Young University, B.S., Business Management/Psychology, summa cum laude, 1995
Notable Engagements
Innovations in Broadband AccessChapman served as underwriter’s counsel in a series of bond transactions that financed the expansion of business and residential broadband access in Utah, particularly in underserved rural areas, by a community-owned open access fiber optic network.
University of Utah Green BondsChapman served as underwriters' counsel in the public offering of green bonds to finance several innovative, energy efficient projects at the University of Utah.
Insights
Publications
- Co-Author, "Potential Federal Tax Reissuance Concerns Involving a Transition from LIBOR to an Alternate Rate," Futures & Derivatives Report, July/August 2021
- Co-Author, "Potential Federal Tax Reissuance Concerns Involving a Transition from LIBOR to an Alternate Rate," Chapman Insights, July 2020
- "Securities Law Considerations for Higher Education Bonds," Chapman and Cutler LLP White Paper, November 2014
