Allen Robertson Receives Distinguished Service Award from National Association of Bond Lawyers

Robinson Bradshaw public finance attorney Allen K. Robertson is the 2025 recipient of the National Association of Bond Lawyers’ Frederick O. Kiel Distinguished Service Award. He was honored at NABL’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., for his extraordinary service to the organization, which has spanned decades.

“Allen has pursued excellence in every endeavor he has undertaken,” said Alice Pinckney Adams, chair of Robinson Bradshaw’s Public Finance Practice Group. “His commitment to helping others understand the intricacies of important topics in the public finance space is impressive, and his willingness to go the extra mile makes his dedication all the more deserving of recognition.”

For more than 30 years, Robertson has advised nonprofit health care providers and educational institutions on tax-exempt and taxable financings and strategic transactions, and he is one of only two North Carolina lawyers to have served as NABL president. As president during 2013-14, he led NABL in responding to key regulatory and enforcement issues – including proposed issue price regulations, the final SEC municipal advisor rules and the SEC’s MCDC enforcement initiative – helping shape guidance that impacted the industry on a national level.

Robertson’s other leadership roles within the organization include serving six years on the board of directors; serving six years on the steering committee for the Bond Attorneys’ Workshop (including serving as chair in 2009); serving as NABL’s representative to the Working Group on Legal Opinions Foundation since 2009; and co-chairing major publications such as the 2011 third edition of “The Function and Professional Responsibilities of Bond Counsel” and the 2024 fifth edition of the “Model Bond Opinion Report.”

Robertson led Robinson Bradshaw as managing partner from 2015-25. He is regularly recognized by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers, including being named the 2026 Charlotte Public Finance Law Lawyer of the Year, and he is a fellow of the American College of Bond Counsel. Robertson earned his law degree magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and his undergraduate degree with highest honors in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar.