Nossaman Expands Infrastructure Practice with Addition of Market-Leading Attorney Brent Butzin
Los Angeles, CA and Denver, CO—Nossaman is pleased to announce Brent Butzin has joined our Infrastructure Group. He will serve as a partner in the Firm’s newly opened Denver office.
Brent’s practice focuses on advising public agencies on the structuring, procurement, negotiation, financing, construction and delivery of their most innovative, unconventional and challenging projects. He has extensive experience in the use of public-private partnerships and other alternative contracting tools and brings an emphasis on delivering value to the public through the entire project lifecycle. Brent’s current work includes a broad array of projects ranging from the development of new public facilities, including hotels, conference centers and arenas, to transportation projects, including new passenger rail systems, airport facility modernizations and autonomous vehicle-based public transit. Brent is a nationally-recognized project development attorney, including recognition by Chambers USA in the area of projects/public-private partnerships and from Best Lawyers in America® for his expertise in construction law.
Before going into private practice, Brent served as general counsel to the Colorado Transportation Investment Office (CTIO), formerly known as the High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE), a government-owned business and division of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the office responsible for pursuing public-private partnerships and other innovative means of project finance and delivery. Prior to that, he worked as a City Management Advisor for the U.S. State Department based in Iraq, where he served as a senior advisor to mayors and district councils on the delivery of infrastructure projects and the development of local governance capacity.
“Brent’s deep experience in the P3 market coupled with his public agency background enables him to have an immediate impact for our clients,” said Elizabeth Cousins, chair of Nossaman’s Infrastructure Group. “His addition to the Infrastructure Group helps grow our national footprint and adds to our already deep roster of best-in-class infrastructure attorneys. We are excited he is joining the Firm.”
Nossaman’s Infrastructure Group helps clients deliver first-of-their-kind projects. The Group’s members have handled the nation’s first multi-modal design-build project, developed the nation’s first availability payment contract and the world’s first fully-automated toll road using electronic transponders to collect tolls. The Group also negotiated the first toll concession agreement in Texas history, the first procurement under California’s P3 law and are currently helping Colorado revolutionize safety enforcement on its express lanes network. Its members have extensive local and global experience planning, procuring and financing award-winning transportation, public building, water and wastewater projects. Clients appreciate Nossaman’s experience leading signature engagements, not only for public agencies in the United States, but also for private enterprises and for public agencies in Canada, Australia and Asia. The Firm is one of only handful of firms ranked in Band 1 by Chambers & Partners in the US Projects sector, and has been recognized by P3 Bulletin, IJ Global, PFI, ARTBA, DBIA, the Legal 500, Law360 and the National Law Journal for its accomplishments in the industry.
“Brent is a fantastic addition to the Infrastructure Group and the Firm,” added David Graeler, managing partner of Nossaman. “He is one of the most respected practitioners in the industry, and his long experience has allowed him to develop deep, lasting connections with many leaders throughout the sector. This will serve our client base well.”
Commenting on his move to Nossaman, Brent said, “I am energized by this move. Nossaman’s Infrastructure team is the premier practice in the projects space today, and its national scope provides me with the ideal platform to serve my clients.” He added that he is “looking forward to working with the Firm’s outstanding, talented group of attorneys to help shape the alternative delivery landscape.”
Brent holds a J.D. from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, and an M.S. and B.S. in Civil Engineering, as well as a Bachelor of Environmental Design (B.Envd) in Planning from the University of Colorado Boulder.
