Joshua L. Payton is an associate attorney with Cunningham, Vogel & Rost, P.C.  He represents municipal clients in governmental finance, land use, real estate, and other general municipal issues.

Prior to joining the firm, Josh was an associate attorney with Gilmore & Bell, P.C. and with Kutak Rock, LLP in Kansas City, Missouri where he worked as bond counsel, underwriters’ counsel, disclosure counsel and special tax counsel on tax-exempt and taxable bond financings for local governments and political subdivisions, including financings involving general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, leasehold revenue bonds, industrial revenue bonds, qualified private activity bonds, certificates of participation, tax-exempt lease financings, and notes in anticipation of bonds or other revenues.  He has experience in bond financings for cities, counties, school districts, water and sewer districts, library districts and other special districts.

Josh also has experience representing local governments and political subdivisions in public/private partnerships, redevelopment projects and other municipal financing options such as Tax Increment Financing (TIF), tax abatement (Chapter 353), Neighborhood Improvement District (NID), Community Improvement Districts (CID), and Transportation Development Districts (TDD).  Josh advises clients on the structuring of municipal financings, preparation of redevelopment plans and implementation of capital improvement projects to best capture and utilize benefits of tax-exempt financing.

Before attending law school and joining the Missouri Bar, Josh worked for the Missouri Governor’s Washington, D.C. office as assistant to the executive director and policy analyst representative to the Missouri congressional delegation and the National Governors Association.  Prior to joining the Governor’s Office, Josh was an analyst for the national political polling firm Bennett, Petts & Blumental, located in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Josh received his J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law and his B.S. degree, cum laude, from Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri.  While in law school, Josh was a member of the UMKC Law Review, a volunteer for Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA), and a teaching assistant for the legal writing program. 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

National Association of Bond Lawyers

The Missouri Bar

Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association

BAR ADMISSIONS
Missouri