Kostas Poulakidas focuses on project and public finance, providing legal and strategic guidance to clients involved in complex infrastructure and real estate projects, particularly those utilizing government financing and public-private partnerships. He advises on structuring transactions to maximize value through legal financing arrangements.
Kostas has deep project finance experience, advising businesses from startups to Fortune 500 companies, as well as real estate developers, private equity funds, and investors on real estate development, infrastructure projects, public-private partnerships, tax increment financing, and leveraging federal, state, and local incentives.
Additionally, with his experience in public finance, Kostas has played key roles in a wide range of projects involving municipal and state tax-exempt and taxable bonds. He has served as bond counsel, bank counsel, underwriter’s counsel, and issuer’s counsel, as well as handled advisory work on tax incentives and economic development structures.
Kostas also brings deep government experience to his practice to assist clients navigate projects that involve partnerships or oversight by government officials. He previously served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Chief Counsel of the Federal Aviation Administration, advising on legal and strategic matters. At the state level, he held several positions in Indiana government, including Special Assistant to Gov. Evan Bayh, Executive Director of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, and Deputy Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.
In recognition of his service, Kostas was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash, Indiana’s highest civilian honor, by two governors. He also served as a federal law clerk to the Hon. Lawrence S. Margolis on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and is a graduate of the Venture Capital Institute and the Private Equity and Venture Capital program at Harvard Business School.
Judicial Clerkships
•Hon. Lawrence S. Margolis, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 2001-2002
Recognition & Leadership
Awards & Accolades
•Selected, Opportunity Zone magazine, “Top 25 Most Influential Opportunity Zone Attorneys,” 2019-2021
•Recipient, Sagamore of the Wabash (Indiana Governor Bayh and Governor Kernan)
