Ms. Riess is an associate in our Corporate Section. Her primary areas of practice are commercial finance, real estate finance, public finance, corporate finance and corporate transactions.

Ms. Riess has experience representing borrowers and lenders in the structuring, negotiation and documentation of credit facilities secured by various types of Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) collateral and real estate. Megan has represented clients in numerous commercial transactions utilizing a variety of economic development financing incentives, including state and federal new markets tax credits, state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits, Louisiana motion picture tax credits, Louisiana angel investor tax credits, state and federal renewable energy tax credits and grants, community development block grants, HUD-insured loans and gulf opportunity zone bonds. Ms. Riess has also represented clients in corporate matters such as formation, capitalization and financing, negotiation and drafting of operating agreements and other organizational documents, and negotiation and drafting of employment and independent contractor services agreements. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Riess practiced at Richards, Layton and Finger, P.A. in Wilmington, Delaware where her practice focused on securitizations and other structured finance transactions.

• Representation of leverage lender and construction lender in $36 million financing of first green film and media production studio, utilizing new markets tax credits, motion picture infrastructure and production tax credits, historic rehabilitation tax credits and solar energy tax credits
  
  
• Representation of lender in $132 million acquisition and redevelopment of 186-room hotel and mixed-use residential and commercial building utilizing new markets tax credits, historic rehabilitation tax credits and GO Zone Bonds
  
  
• Representation of bridge lender in $37 million redevelopment of mixed use residential and commercial rental building utilizing new markets tax credits, historic rehabilitation tax credits and HUD-insured loan
  
  
• Representation of two lenders in $65 million drawdown bond facility financing improvements to the Louisiana Armstrong International Airport
  
  
• Representation of nonprofit sponsor and borrower in $14 million new markets tax credit transaction 
  
  
• Louisiana counsel to new markets tax credit investor in various new markets transactions

Megan received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Tulane University Law School, where she was a member of the Moot Court Board and the chair of the Intra-school Moot Court Open Competitions. Prior to attending law school, Megan earned a B.S. in finance from the University of Delaware.

Ms. Riess is a member of the American Bar Association, Delaware State Bar Association and the Louisiana State Bar Association.  She teaches a “Drafting Corporate Documents” skills course at Loyola Law School and serves as the program director of the US Green Building Counsel’s Louisiana chapter.  She is the author of “Noncompetition Clause Invalidated Due to Superfluous Language”, Louisiana Bar Journal, Vol. 57, Number 4 (December 2009/January 2010).