Bonita K. Black is a partner at the firm's Charlotte office. She is a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions practice group. Bonita's practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions law and corporate, structured, and public finance law. She also has a non-profit counseling practice. She has experience in general corporate law including mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures and sales of businesses and business interests. She has advised on corporate governance compliance issues, municipal securities law, tax-exempt financings, securitization transactions, debt and equality offerings, and governmental bonds. She often serves as borrower’s counsel or trustee’s counsel in public finance transactions as well. Bonita also has experience in telecommunications regulatory issues and real estate finance, and has assisted local and regional nonprofits with legal issues such as formation, governance, and miscellaneous operational issues. Bonita’s experience also includes domestic and international project financings and leasing transactions. She has also served as outside corporate counsel to several nonprofit and for profit organizations. She counsels churches on governance, financing options, and operations issues.
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.
- Peer Review Rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell
- 2018 Business Women First, Woman of Influence, Louisville Business First
- Kentucky Super Lawyers® (2012–present)
- Sullivan Medallion Recipient
- Williston Competition Winner
- American Bar Association, Affordable Housing and Community Development Committee and Corporate and Taxation Committees
- Kentucky Bar Association
- Louisville Bar Association, Member of Board of Directors January 2021–present; Editorial Board Bar Briefs 1997–present, past chair and Corporate Law Section
- New York State Bar Association
- New Jersey Bar Association
- National Bar Association
- Hispanic National Bar Association
- English Speaking Union Scholar, Oxford University, Exeter College
- National Association of Bond Lawyers
- Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Municipal Affairs Committee, and Housing and Urban Development Committee
- New York County Lawyers Association
- Center for Non-Profit Excellence, Member
- Kentucky Country Day School Board of Trustees 2020–present
- Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession, Chicago, IL, Member Advisory Board of Directors, 2012–present
- Community Foundation of Oldham County, Board of Directors (2014–2020 and Emeritus Board Member 2020–present), former Vice Chairman and former Treasurer
- Community Foundation of Louisville, Board Member 2004–2013, Board Development Chairman; Grants, partnerships, and strategies committee member (2013–present)
- University Of Louisville Board of Trustees January 2017– September 2020, former Secretary; Trusteeship, Governance, and Nominating Committee Chair; Chair-Presidential Search Committee Listening Tour; Former Secretary-University of Louisville Research Foundation
- Westport Road Church of Christ, Benevolence Committee Chair
- Transition Team Leader for Cabinet for Health and Family Services for Governor Matt Bevin 2016–2017
- St. Francis School Board, 2008–2018 Former Vice Chair, Governance Chair; Search Committee Chair
- Family and Children's Place, Member Board of Trustees, 2012–Present; Board Development Co- Chairman, 2014–2016
- Business Diversity Network of Kentucky, Board Member and General Counsel, 2004–2014
- Women Influencing Louisville, former founding member and General Counsel, 2012–2014
- Louisville Urban League, Board of Directors, 2007–2010
- Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Board of Directors, Co-Chairman Nominating Committee and Member, Finance Committee, 2001–2007
- Louisville Deaf Oral School, Board of Directors, 2001–2007
- Heuser Hearing Institute Institutional Review Board Member, 2011–2013
- Speaker, Louisville Bar Association Public Finance and other financial Incentives
- Panelist, Lexis-Nexis seminar: Females and Rainmaking
- Panelist, Sixth Circuit Limits Amount of Medicare Reimbursements for Kentucky Hospitals
- Speaker, Non-profit Board Governance Issues
- Speaker, Church Project Financing
- Speaker, Corporate Governance Issues
- Panelist, Bond School
