David Unkovic has been a municipal bond lawyer in Pennsylvania for over 40 years. He has served as bond counsel on debt offerings by all sizes of governmental entities, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, state agencies, counties, townships, boroughs, cities, school districts and authorities. He also focuses his practice on the legal aspects of developing and implementing recovery plans for distressed municipalities and improvement plans for non-distressed municipalities.
For most of his career he has worked at private law firms, but he has also served as chief compliance officer at PFM Asset Management, and, in the Corbett Administration, as chief counsel of the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and as the first state appointed receiver for the City of Harrisburg.
David joined McNees Wallace & Nurick in 2013 and practices in the Devon and Lancaster offices. He was born in Pittsburgh and resides in Montgomery County. David received his B.A. in political science, summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a former president of the Pennsylvania Association of Bond Lawyers and is a fellow of the American College of Bond Counsel.
David has been active over the years in organizations which promote the availability of civil legal services to all citizens. He has served as board chair of Pennsylvania Legal Services (now the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network), the Pennsylvania Lawyer Trust Account Board (IOLTA Program), the Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program (VIP) and the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. He currently serves on the board of trustees of the Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust in Philadelphia. He is a recipient of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation’s Louis J. Goffman Award. David serves as an adjunct professor at Widener Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg where he teaches a course on contract drafting.
Served as bond counsel to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority in its sale of almost $400 million of revenue bonds issued to fund critical water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure improvements. McNees’ team, together with PWSA’s leadership team, financial advisors and investment bankers, helped the Authority navigate the high volatility of the bond markets and refinance its existing debt to save both the Authority and Pittsburgh ratepayers money.
January 12, 2017 - Bond Issue Disclosure: When Politics and the Law Intersect
The Bond Buyer
January 1, 2015 - Municipal Distress: Reflections of a Receiver
Widener Law Journal
July 2, 2014 -
Public Finance Alert
Bank Loans Grow In Municipal Market While Bond Issues Shrink
April 23, 2014 - Regional Stormwater Systems: How Should They Be Structured and Financed?
April 18, 2014 - Securing Public Deposits Under Pennsylvania's Act 72
March 12, 2014 - Anatomy of a Bond Issue: The Participants and The Steps
December 23, 2013 - McNees Client Alert
SEC Issues Final Municipal Advisor Registration Regulations
December 21, 2013 - Some Thoughts on Puerto Rico and Other Distressed Issuers
November 18, 2013 - The Role of Issuer's Counsel In A Bond Issue
September 25, 2013 - The Challenges of Being a Municipality Under the Laws of Pennsylvania
August 31, 2013 - Commentary - General Obligation Debt: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
December 9, 2022 - Issuer’s Counsel: Help Avoid Targeting by the SEC in Municipal Bond Offerings
May 26, 2022 - Pennsylvania Legislative Update
June 24, 2021 - Issues Arising in Secondary Market Disclosure for Municipal Bonds
April 6, 2021 - All I Really Need to Know About Legal Ethics I Learned in Elementary School
May 24, 2018 - Ethics Panel: Ethics and Technology
February 22, 2018 - Ethics and Technology
January 31, 2018 - Municipal Distress in Pennsylvania
October 14, 2017 - IMLA 82nd Annual Conference
November 2, 2016 - Stormwater Regulations and Local Implementation
October 19, 2016 - Ethics: A Week in the Life of Bond Counsel Betty
September 28, 2016 - Fundamentals of Municipal Finance and Borrowing
May 26, 2016 - Ethical Issues for Bond Lawyers
May 6, 2016 - Ethical Issues for Solicitors
March 17, 2016 - Ethics and Leadership
November 4, 2015 - Latest Developments in Municipal Debt
October 15, 2015 - Securing Public Deposits under Pennsylvania’s Act 72
May 31, 2015 - The Experiences of a Municipal Receiver
May 17, 2015 - Ladies First, Mid-Atlantic Women's Annual Public Finance Forum: Municipal Distress
December 8, 2022 - Ethical and Practical Issues Confronting Counsel to the Board of a Public Body
December 9, 2022 - Issuer’s Counsel: Help Avoid Targeting by the SEC in Municipal Bond Offerings
November 18, 2021 - American Recovery Plan Act Funds – Best Practices for Municipalities
December 7, 2020 - Addressing Budget Shortfalls as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic