Rebecca "Elissa" Wilson

Elissa is of counsel in Vorys Columbus office, where she is part of the firm’s national economic development incentives practice, which is one of the largest law firm-based incentives practices in the country.  Elissa has experience negotiating a wide array economic development incentive packages and public-private partnership agreements. 

Prior to re-joining Vorys, Elissa was an assistant city attorney for the City of Columbus, where she served as general counsel to the Director of the Department of Development and the Economic Development and Housing Divisions of the Department of Development, as well as to the City Auditor and the Income Tax Division of the Auditor’s Office.

Her notable experience includes:

• Serving as lead counsel in the negotiation of state and local incentives for a multibillion dollar megaproject. 
• Serving as lead counsel in the negotiation of incentives agreements and other public-private partnership agreements relating to Lower.com Stadium and Astor Park. 
• Representing the City of Columbus in the negotiation of incentives for the development of The Scioto Peninsula in Downtown Columbus.   
• Representing the city in connection with the establishment of tax increment financing districts and the negotiation of tax increment financing agreements. 
• Negotiating real property tax abatements for new business facilities in the city, and counseling the city on its multifamily residential tax abatement policies.

Elissa also has experience in complex commercial litigation, including securities fraud, RICO, class action certification and settlement, contract law and zoning disputes.

Elissa served as a law clerk for the Honorable Ralph K. Winter on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Elissa received her J.D. from Yale Law School and her B.A. from Emory University.