Kareem J. Spratling receives national recognition as a "Rising Star" by The Bond Buyer newspaper
K areem J. Spratling has been recognized nationally by The Bond Buyer 
newspaper as one of 24 “2016 Rising Stars” in the nation’s municipal bond industry. Of the young professionals who earned this recognition, five are public finance lawyers.
This is the first year that The Bond Buyer has honored a group of Rising Stars, showcasing the brightest young minds in the municipal finance industry. In addition to public finance lawyers, this group includes government agency leaders, bank executives and financial services experts.
“Since starting with Bryant Miller Olive in 2005 as a law clerk, Kareem has grown to take on a major leadership role with the firm, and we are thrilled to see him recognized at the national level,” said Grace Dunlap, managing shareholder of Bryant Miller Olive. “He is highly skilled with tremendous attention to detail, but manages to keep a touch of humor to make the hard labor seem effortless. These skills, along with a devotion to community and industry involvement, make a powerful combination.”
Spratling is one of only two recipients from the state of Florida, and the only public finance lawyer in the state to achieve the honor.
As a shareholder in the Tampa office of Bryant Miller Olive, Spratling focuses his legal practice primarily in the area of public finance. He has provided counsel on transactions with a combined principal amount in excess of $10 billion, including serving as bond counsel on over $1 billion worth of bonds for non-profit universities in 2015. In the area of litigation, he has served as first chair in the validation of more than $1.3 billion of bonds for various public entities, including three of the largest issuers in the Tampa Bay area.
In addition to his substantive work, Spratling is the 2016 Chair of the Diversity Committee for the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL). The Diversity Committee provides opportunities for attorneys from diverse backgrounds to get more heavily involved with NABL by serving on panels and by writing papers for the organization.
He is also a member of the Board of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.
The Bond Buyer’s Rising Stars program identifies municipal finance professionals under the age of 40 who have demonstrated leadership skills, are excellent collaborators, have displayed innovation and creativity in approaching their jobs, and have made positive contributions to the community. In short, Kareem has been identified as representing the best and brightest of this industry’s next generation.
