C. Brian Cassidy is the Managing Partner of the Austin Office. He is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Administrative and Regulatory Practice Group. His practice focuses on the development of transportation and other infrastructure projects by public and private entities.
He advises clients on complex procurements, public-private partnerships (PPPs or P3s), regulatory compliance, and all aspects of the planning, design, financing, operation and approvals required for major infrastructure projects.
He has been involved in the development of toll roads and non-tolled highways throughout Texas, and has been at the forefront of development of legislation authorizing the use of Transportation Reinvestment Zones (TRZs) to fund infrastructure projects.
Brian also works with clients in matters related to government contracting and regulation of business operations. He is Board Certified in Administrative Law and has considerable experience involving state agency rulemakings, contested case hearings, open government matters and judicial appeals of agency decisions.
Representative Experience :
Mr. Cassidy represents several regional mobility authorities (RMAs) in Texas. RMAs are multi-modal transportation entities created by local governments in various regions of the state. Mr. Cassidy has worked extensively on legislation governing the operations of RMAs and the procurement and financing options available to these entities.
He is actively involved in the legislative process related to transportation policy and funding, and has been invited to testify in legislative hearings on a variety of topics. His work with RMAs involves all phases of project development, including financing, procurement, environmental clearance (and related litigation) and compliance with various state and federal requirements related to project financing and approvals.
In connection with project development and financing, Mr. Cassidy works extensively on toll revenue bond issuances and negotiates financial assistance agreements, project development agreements, state infrastructure bank loans, pass-through financing agreements, TIFIA funding agreements and financing involving TRZs.
He has also worked on the implementation of optional vehicle registration fees where authorized, and the leveraging of those fees through bond financings to develop programs for constructing state and local projects.
Mr. Cassidy worked with a technology company on the first driverless car deployment on public roadways in Texas. He advises clients on local, state and federal issues related to autonomous vehicle (AV) regulation and oversight, connected vehicle (CV) technology, and protection of proprietary and trade secret information in connection with AV/CV deployment.
With a thorough working knowledge of government procurement requirements, Mr. Cassidy consults with clients regarding procurement processes, potential procurement challenges, bid protests, protection of information submitted in response to procurements and governmental actions taken in the context or procurements. He has also worked on a myriad of Attorney General opinion requests, Public Information Act disputes, and application of the Open Meetings Act to various actions.
Professional Affiliations and Recognitions :
- Named in The Best Lawyers in America for Administrative / Regulatory Law (2019)
- Real Estate Council of Austin
- Austin Area Research Organization
- Member, State Bar of Texas
- Member, International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association
- Member, San Antonio Mobility Coalition
Education :
- J.D., with honors, The University of Texas School of Law, 1986
- B.S., with distinction, University of Arizona, 1983
Admissions : Texas
Cost
Rate : $$$