COLUMBIA, S.C. — Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP is pleased to announce that Stephanie M. Smith and Terri Montague have joined the firm as counsel on the Affordable Housing & Tax Credits team. Smith joins the Washington, D.C. office, and Montague joins the Atlanta office, strengthening the firm’s national capabilities in affordable housing finance and community development.

“Stephanie and Terri bring deep technical knowledge, public sector insight, and hands-on development experience,” said Nelson Mullins partner Hollie Croft. “Their backgrounds across federal programs, private capital markets, and community development initiatives enhance our ability to guide clients through complex affordable housing transactions. We are thrilled to welcome them to the team.”

Smith advises developers, nonprofit sponsors, and investors on structuring affordable housing and community development transactions, including those involving the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and Opportunity Zone programs. She previously served as chief of staff and attorney-advisor across multiple programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development division, managing federal-level transactions under Sections 515 and 538. She also worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, supporting improvements to multifamily housing closing frameworks involving layered federal financing.

Montague brings deep business and legal experience in real estate, community development, and affordable housing finance across the private, nonprofit, and public sectors. She has led a large-scale mixed-use, transit-oriented development project and advised on complex real estate transactions, public-private-philanthropic partnerships, and mixed-income and workforce housing transactions involving both conventional capital and federal, state, and local subsidy programs. Her prior experience includes serving as an attorney-advisor at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and holding senior roles with Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., and Lend Lease Real Estate, Inc., where she raised investment capital and advanced placemaking models and strategies for housing affordability and preservation.

Smith and Montague join the firm at a time of growth for its Affordable Housing & Tax Credits platform, reinforcing its commitment to supporting developers, investors, and public entities in advancing housing and community development projects nationwide.