How Arnold Law Firm Assists Florida Schools with Educational Facility Financing

Updated

Arnold Law Firm serves as borrower’s counsel for Florida schools seeking to finance a new educational facility. According to the firm’s website, its financing work covers deals involving tax-exempt bonds, traditional bank loans, and other financing structures. This service sits within the firm’s broader education law practice for public charter schools, private schools, virtual schools, virtual instruction providers, management companies, and education-related vendors across Florida.

What “Borrower’s Counsel” Means in a School Facility Deal

In a financing transaction, the school (the borrower) and the lender each need their own legal representation. Borrower’s counsel represents the school’s interests: reviewing and negotiating loan or bond documents, checking that the terms match what the school’s governing board approved, and flagging obligations the school would take on. The firm’s site describes this role specifically as serving as borrower’s counsel—not as counsel to the lender or underwriter.

Financing Structures the Firm Lists

Structure What it typically involves Why the school needs counsel
Tax-exempt bonds Debt issued through a governmental or conduit issuer, with the school as borrower Bond documents, covenants, and compliance obligations are lengthy and bind the school for years
Traditional bank loans A direct loan from a bank or other lender Loan terms, security, and default provisions need review against the school’s budget and charter
Other financing structures Alternative arrangements the firm does not itemize on its site Terms vary, so the school needs transaction-specific review

The firm’s site names these three categories but does not publish rates, timelines, or minimum deal sizes. Those details would need to be confirmed directly with the firm.

Who This Service Is For

The financing service is aimed at schools planning a new educational facility—for example, a charter school that has outgrown its space and needs to build or acquire a campus. The firm states it represents more than 300 schools across Florida, in over 42 counties from Pensacola to the Keys, including charter, private, and virtual schools. A school outside that footprint, or one whose financing is already underway with other counsel, would want to confirm fit before engaging.

How Financing Fits the Firm’s Wider School Practice

Facility financing is one of several education law areas the firm lists. Its site also describes:

  • Charter applications and contracts — advising on applications, negotiating, and appeals
  • Litigation — trial, appellate, and administrative matters
  • General school representation — contract negotiations, employment disputes, school district disputes, funding disputes, public records, Sunshine Law compliance, policy development, and legal compliance

That overlap matters in practice: a facility loan often intersects with charter contract terms, district disputes, or public-records obligations, so a school may prefer counsel already familiar with those issues.

Practical Steps for a School Considering This Service

  1. Define the project and amount. Know whether you are building, acquiring, or refinancing, and the approximate financing size. This determines whether bonds, a bank loan, or another structure is realistic.
  2. Confirm the structure with your lender or issuer first. Borrower’s counsel reviews a deal; it does not originate financing. Having a lender or conduit issuer in mind makes the first conversation more productive.
  3. Check for conflicts. If the firm already represents your management company or another party in the transaction, ask how it handles that before engaging.
  4. Contact the firm. The site lists the phone number (904) 731-3800 and a contact page. Ask specifically about borrower’s counsel engagement for your project type and timeline.
  5. Verify scope and cost in writing. The site does not publish fees, so request an engagement letter that states the scope of representation and how fees are calculated.

Common Pitfalls to Watch

  • Assuming the firm represents the lender. Its stated role is borrower’s counsel; the lender will have separate counsel.
  • Treating the website as a fee quote. No pricing information appears on the page, so budget expectations must come from the firm directly.
  • Waiting until documents are signed. Borrower’s counsel is most useful during negotiation, not after closing.
  • Overlooking related compliance. Bond financing can trigger ongoing disclosure and public-records obligations; ask whether those are covered in the engagement.

For a Florida charter, private, or virtual school planning a facility project, the firm’s stated borrower-side financing practice is a reasonable starting point—provided the school confirms scope, conflicts, and fees before engaging.