Justin K. Hicks

Justin focuses his practice on public finance, in which he serves as bond counsel, borrower’s counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriter’s counsel, and bank counsel in connection with tax-exempt and taxable financings. Representing a wide range of clients—including cities, counties, public and private education entities, special districts, water authorities, and national investment banking organizations—he counsels on innovative transactions, totaling approximately $2.5B in par amount in the past three years, including fee and utility revenue financings, lease revenue financings, general obligation financings, and conduit financings. He also advises governmental and corporate clients on general public law matters, including elections, open government, and economic development.

Justin has noteworthy experience serving as bond counsel for Texas Water Development Board financings and other water-related projects.

• Bond counsel for cities, special districts, and water supply corporations obtaining financial assistance through various programs administered by the Texas Water Development Board.
• Bond counsel for school districts in the issuance of tax-exempt and taxable school building bonds.
• Bond counsel for cities and counties in the issuance of certificates of obligation, general obligation bonds, and revenue bonds.
• Bond counsel and borrower’s counsel on multi-jurisdictional lease revenue financings for charter schools and non-profit organizations throughout the country.
• Bond counsel and borrower’s counsel on Texas charter school financings, including bonds guaranteed by the Texas Permanent School Fund.
• Bond counsel on a $335M bond issuance to finance a reservoir in Brazoria County, Texas, the first public-private partnership bond issuance by a Texas water supply corporation.
• Disclosure counsel to school districts, special districts, and charter schools in connection with tax-exempt obligations.
• Underwriter’s counsel to national investment banking organizations in connection with transit authority, toll road authority, and charter school tax-exempt and taxable obligations.
• Underwriter’s counsel to Wall Street banks in conducting underwriting due diligence review and preparation of offering documents for a $327M bond financing funding the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority’s first public-private partnership project.
• Counsel to state agencies, political subdivisions, and corporate clients in connection with public law issues involved in various transactions.

• Co-Lead Advisor, Young Lawyers Network, September 2024 – Present; Membership Committee Member, September 2024 – Present; National Association of Bond Lawyers
• Co-Chair, Spanish Committee, August 2024 – Present; Houston Young Lawyers Association
• Member, Houston Pro Bono Committee, May 2023 – Present; Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
• Member, Lawyers for a Beautiful Houston Committee, August 2022 – Present; Houston Bar Association

• Chair, Board of Directors, January 2025 - Present; Vice Chair, Board of Directors, January 2024 – December 2024; Member, Equitable Community Engagement Committee, March 2023 – Present; Docent, August 2022 – Present; Bayou Land Conservancy