Walter St. Onge

Walter J. St. Onge III

Partner
RELATED SERVICES

Walter St. Onge serves as bond counsel, disclosure counsel or counsel to underwriters throughout New England and elsewhere for states, municipalities and public authorities for transportation, water and sewer, health care, educational, solid waste, industrial development and general governmental purposes.

Walter St. Onge serves as bond counsel, disclosure counsel or counsel to underwriters throughout New England and elsewhere for states, municipalities and public authorities for transportation, water and sewer, health care, educational, solid waste, industrial development and general governmental purposes.

Walter has been named a Fellow by The American College of Bond Counsel and served as President of the National Association of Bond Lawyers in 2005-2006.

Walter's representative experience includes: 

  • Served as bond counsel to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in connection with establishment of its $1.5 billion federal highway grant anticipation note program to finance a portion of the cost of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project in Boston. This program was one of the first bond programs of its type to be undertaken in the country. The Firm drafted the necessary special legislation to carry out this unique program and worked with Commonwealth representatives and their investment bankers to structure the program as an asset-backed securitization financing
  • Serves as bond counsel to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, including in connection with the refinancing of over $2 billion of outstanding bonds originally issued by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which bonds have included fixed and variable rate structures and interest swap novations and terminations
  • Serves as bond counsel to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the States of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Bond counsel services to Vermont and New Hampshire include primary responsibility for preparation of disclosure documents. Services to Vermont and New Hampshire also include bond counsel services for the New Hampshire Turnpike System and Vermont’s Transportation Infrastructure Bonds
  • Served as disclosure counsel to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Also served as underwriters’ counsel in connection with the issuance of general obligation bonds and special obligation bonds of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, State of Connecticut, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and Massachusetts School Building Authority
  • Served as special counsel to Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation in connection with the conversion, remarketing and refunding of pollution control revenue bonds issued by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority on behalf of Niagara Mohawk.
  • Served as bond counsel and underwriters’ counsel to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (the "MBTA") and special counsel to the MBTA in connection with its participation in various leasing transactions
  • Served as bond counsel to the Town of Rochester, Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency for the SEMASS waste-to-energy facility in Rochester, Massachusetts, and underwriters’ counsel in connection with financings for a waste-to-energy facility undertaken by the Solid Waste Disposal Authority of the City of Huntsville, Alabama
RELATED EXPERIENCE
RELATED EXPERIENCE
RELATED NEWS & EVENTS
CREDENTIALS
Education
  • J.D., Columbia Law School, 1981
  • B.A., cum laude, Yale University, 1978
Bar Admissions
  • Massachusetts, 1981
Court Admissions
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
Professional Affiliations
    • Member, Boston Bar Association
    • National Association of Bond Lawyers Securities Law and Disclosure Committee
      • President (2005-2006)‎
      • President-Elect (2004-2005)‎
      • Treasurer (2003-2004)‎
      • Member, Board of Directors (2001-2007) ‎
      • Former Chair and Vice Chair, Board of Directors ‎
    • Fellow and Member, The American College of Bond Counsel
Awards & Recognitions
    • Recognized, Top 10 Massachusetts Public Finance Lawyer, Business Today (2023)
    • Named, The Best Lawyers in America®, Public Finance Law (2005-2024)
    • Recognized, ESG/Green Financing Deal of the Year, The Bond Buyer (2022)
    • Named, Boston Public Finance Law “Lawyer of the Year,” The Best Lawyers in America® (2016, 2019, 2021)
    • Recognized, National Deal of the Year, The Bond Buyer (2014)
    • Named, Chambers USA, Public Finance Law (2012-2023)
    • Named, Massachusetts Super Lawyers®, Government Finance (2005-2020)