A lawyer with more than 30 years of experience in public finance, currently of Counsel with Ballard Spahr, and he serves as the chair for The Workshop in 2024. He’s a life-long learner and NABL volunteer. Meet David J. Fernandez.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, including how you found your way to working in bond law.

In 1996, I left my role as counsel in the New York State Assembly to become an Assistant General Counsel at the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York. DASNY, as many know, which is annually one of the nation’s leading issuers of tax-exempt bonds. Here we are twenty-eight years later, and I find myself having spent almost my entire career in the field of Public Finance. I can say, that while I had no idea what I was getting myself into back then, it has been an amazing and truly satisfying career move.

As Chair of The Workshop, what’s new at this year’s conference?

The highlight of highlights is the update to NABL’s Model Bond opinion. The changes will be highlighted in a few panels starting with the General Session, and I am certain that attendees will get a lot of insights from the scriveners of the new model to faculty throughout the conference which will be covering its release.

Which sessions are you most excited about attending this year?

Aside from the General Session on the Model Bond opinion, I am truly excited to attend “The Ethical Reality of Artificial Intelligence: Competence, Conflicts and Confidentiality” on Friday morning and the “Super Session: Could 2025 be the next 2017? Tax Reform and the New Congress” on Thursday with Brian Egan covering the potential impact on our industry as a result of the upcoming November elections.

From all the past Workshops you attended, what is one new idea or strategy you used in your work?

Believe it or not, I walk away every year from the conference with new insights and practice tips from ALAS, as well as insights from our colleagues, underwriters and governmental officials. I can honestly say that without exception I walk away with some new practice tips and good practice ideas from each panel I attend.

You have been a NABL volunteer for many years. How has your experience helped you in your career and what advice would you give members on the importance of giving back to the profession?

NABL is an amazing organization filled with amazing people from all over our country who all love our field and who are willing to help their colleagues. Over the course of my time as a NABL member, I have made some very close friends and amazing contacts who are all willing to share experiences and provide insights as to how we can make our practice better. The collegiality of our bar is second to none, and I believe it is what makes NABL a model for any bar association to emulate. I always look forward to NABL conferences, webinars, and research papers because I know that some amazingly intelligent colleagues are going to share their experiences with all of us as we endeavor to make our practice stronger.

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