Biography

Lillian A. Plata, Esq., serves as Of Counsel at Pearlman & Miranda. She is an attorney with over 20 years of experience structuring and implementing complex, multimillion-dollar financings at both the local and national levels. She has practiced at several prominent law firms in New York and New Jersey and is one of the few Latinas in New Jersey specializing in Federal and State Tax Incentive Structured Finance.

She is the founder of TUS Advisory Group LLC (“TUS”), a Special Tax Counsel services firm.  Lillian advises corporations, partnerships, developers, non-profits, government entities, and law firms on a range of complex financings. Her focus includes Opportunity Zones, New Markets Tax Credits, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, and other federal and local tax credit and incentive programs. Her projects span Puerto Rico, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. 

Lillian has been instrumental in helping clients leverage both public and private sources of funding. She has represented corporate entities and investment firms in corporate acquisitions, infrastructure and redevelopment projects, construction of professional athletic facilities, and the negotiation of intercreditor agreements and credit facilities. She also advises clients on all aspects of tax-exempt bond financing, as well as the formation of nonprofits, corporations, and partnerships.

Prior to founding TUS, Lillian served as General Counsel of a national affordable housing development company. She has coordinated with developers, issuers, underwriters, financial advisors, and state and local government agencies to structure and implement complex financings. These included taxable and Section 103 tax-exempt general obligation bonds/notes, mortgaged back securities, conventional and revenue financings with fixed rate, variable rate, auction rate, and hybrid structures, as well as interest rate swap agreements and other derivative products.

Lillian is actively engaged in professional, community, and political efforts. She currently serves on the Board of Open Access and has previously held board positions with the Don Pedro Development Corporation and New Jersey Community Capital, where she was a member of the New Markets Tax Credits Advisory Committee.

She has held leadership roles with several organizations, including:

• Trustee, Executive Women of New Jersey (EWNJ)

• Chair, Endorsement Committee for the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association

• Vice President, LUPE Fund, Inc.

• Vice Chair, Roseville Community Charter School

• Chair, Latinas United for Political Empowerment Political Action Committee

• Member, New Jersey Supreme Court Ethics Committee, District XII

Throughout her career, Lillian has received numerous honors, including the 2024 Policy Makers Award from EWNJ and the 2021 Top 50 Women in Business Award from NJBIZ. She was also named a 2021 Leader in the Law by NJBIZ, received the Legacy Award from the Association of Latin American Law Students in 2018, the Top Lawyers Under 40 Award from the Hispanic National Bar Association, and the Social Justice Advocate Award from the Morris County Organization for Hispanic Affairs in 2017—among many others.

Lillian earned her LL.M. in Taxation from New York Law School, her Juris Doctor from Rutgers University School of Law–Newark, and her B.A. in English from Drew University. She is admitted to practice law in New Jersey, New York, and the District of Columbia. 

Outside of her legal practice, Lillian enjoys giving back to her community, running, reading, networking, dancing, and music.