Emilie R. Ninan is a founding Co-Chair of Ballard Spahr’s national Finance Department, serving on the firm’s Senior Leadership Team for over a decade. Her leadership roles have included Office Managing Partner and Chair of the Public Finance Department, which preceded the formation of the Finance Department. In her legal practice, Emilie assists clients secure cost-effective capital by representing financial institutions, nonprofit organizations, government entities, and corporations in a wide range of tax-exempt and taxable public finance and commercial lending transactions.
Projects financed by Emilie’s work span across the education, health care, housing, manufacturing, solid waste, transportation, and energy sectors. She serves as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, lender’s counsel, and borrower’s counsel in general obligation and revenue bond financings. She also advises clients on debt restructurings and bond defaults, providing strategic guidance through complex negotiations and documentation.
Services
- Finance
- Public Finance
- Energy
- Real Estate Finance
- Health Care Finance
- Education
- Infrastructure
- Commercial Finance
- Project Finance
- Bioenergy and Biomanufacturing
- Bridge Lending
- Corporate Trust Services
- Independent, Parochial and Charter School Financings
- Distressed Assets and Opportunities
- Banking and Financial Services
- Sports and Entertainment
- Health Care
- Data Centers
- Senior Living and Long-Term Care
- Housing
Representative Experience
Representative Matters
- Served as bond counsel, borrower counsel, or bank counsel on direct purchase bonds issued for the benefit of nonprofit organizations such as Academy of Dover, YMCA of Delaware, Exceptional Care for Children, and Delaware Bay and River Cooperative
- Served as bond counsel on P3 Student Housing and Dining Facility Revenue Bonds (CHF-Dover, L.L.C. - Delaware State University Project)
- Served as bond counsel to the Delaware Economic Development Authority and special counsel to the borrower in connection with the issuance of $45 million in tax-exempt 501(c)(3) revenue bonds to finance the construction and equipping of a law school building and convocation center for Wilmington University
Professional Highlights
Professional Activities
American College of Bond Counsel, Fellow
National Association of Bond Lawyers
Association of Public Finance Professionals (DC-MD-VA)
Delaware State Bar Association (DSBA): Executive Committee (2012-2013); Chair, Commercial Law Section (2008-2010), UCC Subcommittee
Recognition & Accomplishments
Chambers USA, Public Finance (District of Columbia), 2025
The Best Lawyers in America, Banking and Finance Law, Commercial Transactions/UCC Law, Public Finance Law (Wilmington), 2023-2026; "Lawyer of the Year," Banking and Finance Law (Wilmington), 2026
Freda Johnson Award for Trailblazing Women in Public Finance (2022)
Speaking Engagements
Emilie is a frequent speaker and presenter on topics focused on the financial services industry, municipal bond market, and professional development in the legal profession. Her speaking engagements include:
Panelist, "Future-Proofing Your Career: Navigating Change with Agility and Purpose," GFOA WMA, Washington, D.C., April 23, 2025
Moderator, "The Rise of Private Credit and Public Resources," Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC), Washington, D.C., November 14, 2024
Panelist, "Resilience and Reinvention: Navigating Your Practice and Business Development in Uncertain Times," Ballard Client Event, July 10, 2024
Board Memberships & Community Service
Easterseals Advisory Board
Delaware Prosperity Partnership
C100 Economic Development Committee
Delaware Commission on Indian Heritage and Culture
Publications
Author, "A Lower Cost Way of Financing Capital Projects," Delaware Business Magazine, May/June, 2023
Co-author, "10 Characteristics of Inclusive Leadership, American Bar Association, Business Law Section," Business Law Today, April 21, 2020
Credentials
Education
Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.)
Member, Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics
Georgetown University School of Business (M.B.A.)
Temple University (B.B.A., summa cum laude)
Admissions
Delaware
District of Columbia
U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware