Bonita Black

Bonita K. Black is a partner with K&L Gates, an AmLaww100 law firm, where she is a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions practice group. Her practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions law and corporate, structured, and public finance law. She has also served as outside corporate counsel to several nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

Prior to joining the firm, Bonita was former bond counsel to New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, New York State Housing Finance Agency, State of New York Mortgage Agency, Kentucky Housing Corporation, Brooklyn Union Gas, and Consolidated Edison Company in New York. She was in-house as senior corporate attorney at LG&E Energy Corp., now LG&E and KU Energy (a PPL company), and worked on the acquisitions of Kentucky Utilities Company, Western Kentucky Energy Company, Powergen, E.ON US, PPL, and the Big Rivers bankruptcy. While in house at LG&E, she also supported the company’s wind farms in California, Spain, and Texas. In addition to those roles, Bonita did bond counsel work for Duke Energy and was bond counsel for Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District and Louisville Water Company, including the proposed merger of Louisville Water Company and Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District. She served as the inaugural managing partner of a regional firm’s Louisville office. Bonita served as telecommunications regulatory counsel to some public utilities and has served as Special HUD counsel on single and multi-family housing transactions.

Black holds a bachelor’s degree with highest honors from the University of Kentucky and is a Harvard Law School graduate. She appears on the list of 2022 Best Lawyers in America.