Seema G. Patel

Seema Patel is Senior Counsel in Chapman’s Illinois Public Finance Department. Seema started her career at Chapman in 2008 after participating in the firm's summer associate program, and she rejoined the firm in 2013 after spending a year traveling the world.

Seema serves as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriter’s counsel, purchaser’s counsel, and placement agent’s counsel in a variety of public financings around the country. Her experience includes financings related to general obligation debt, specific revenue pledges, utilities, exempt facilities, tax increment financing, and property assessed clean energy financings. She routinely advises issuers, investment banks, commercial banks, investors, and municipal advisors on state law, federal tax law, and securities law matters related to the structure and sale of municipal securities.

She also devotes a significant amount of her practice to new and developing areas of finance, including broadband finance and property assessed clean energy (PACE) finance.

She is a frequent panelist and speaker on public finance and regulatory topics, including broadband, PACE, state law matters relevant to local governments, particularly municipalities, and disclosure matters such as post-issuance compliance.

Seema is passionate about the firm’s pro bono program and has assisted clients in attaining asylum, applying for employment authorization documents and maintaining DACA status.

Seema is heavily involved with the firm’s diversity and recruiting initiatives and is a frequent panelist and participant in diversity programming in Chicago. She is also a member of the Chapman Diversity Scholarship Committee.