John T. Kelly

John T. Kelly, a shareholder of Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A., has concentrated his practice in public and corporate finance transactions since he began practicing law in 1982. A seasoned transactions-focused lawyer, Mr. Kelly has participated in more than 500 financings completed by numerous cities, counties, agencies, authorities and other political subdivisions in the State of New Jersey and elsewhere throughout the nation.

Mr. Kelly has served as bond counsel, underwriters’ counsel, disclosure counsel, general counsel and trustee’s counsel on virtually every type of tax-exempt and taxable financing completed in the public finance market, including numerous forms of revenue bonds and lease/lease-purchase financings, variable rate demand bonds, auction rate securities, commercial paper programs, general obligation bonds, tax and revenue anticipation notes, pooled loan transactions and asset-backed securitization financings. He has extensive experience representing governmental and related entities in connection with interest rate swap agreements, call rights and other derivative financial instruments.

Mr. Kelly has participated in financings that have funded a wide variety of projects and facilities, including highway, bridge, tunnel, commuter rail, subway and other transportation projects and facilities, educational and student housing facilities, hospitals and other health care related facilities, electrical power generation and transmission facilities, solid waste and resource recovery facilities, co-generation and renewable energy facilities, water and wastewater treatment facilities, hotels and convention centers and various economic development and redevelopment projects. 

Over the past two decades, Mr. Kelly has served as bond counsel or underwriters’ counsel on multiple financings completed by the State of New Jersey and numerous State authorities and agencies, including the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority, the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority, the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the New Jersey Building Authority, the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, New Jersey Transit Corporation, the South Jersey Transportation Authority, the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission and the South Jersey Port Corporation.

Mr. Kelly’s corporate finance experience also includes serving as counsel to issuers and underwriters/placement agents in connection with the public offering and/or private placement of various securities issued by private corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and other entities, including providing advice and guidance with respect to compliance with all federal and state securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission applicable thereto.

Mr. Kelly has been a speaker at numerous seminars relating to public finance issues, and serves as a panelist at the National Association of Bond Attorneys’ Workshop and the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Since 2021, he has been ranked in the Best Lawyers in America list for Public Finance Law, including the 2025 "Lawyer of the Year" list. Mr. Kelly was also selected for inclusion in the Super Lawyers list in 2005, and 2012-2019.

Best Lawyers in America® (https://www.bestlawyers.com/methodology) is published by Best Lawyers.

Super Lawyers® (http://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process_detail.html) is published by Thomson Reuters.

A description of the selection processes may be accessed via the above links. The aforementioned organizations are private peer review organizations, not court-specific, public certification vehicles. No aspect of this advertisement has been submitted to or approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.