Justin Hicks

Overview

Justin focuses his practice on public finance, serving as bond counsel, borrower’s counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriter’s counsel, and bank counsel to a broad range of clients in connection with tax-exempt and taxable financings in Texas and throughout the United States. He has particular experience advising on bonds financing water-related infrastructure, especially bonds privately placed with the Texas Water Development Board.

As bond counsel, Justin represents issuers across Texas, including cities, counties, independent school districts (ISDs), municipal utility districts (MUDs), water control and improvement districts (WCIDs), municipal management districts (MMDs), water supply corporations (WSCs), drainage districts, economic development corporations (EDCs), levee improvement districts (LIDs), and water authorities. He also has served as bond counsel in exempt facility financings for Fortune 500 companies and qualified 501(c)(3) financings for nonprofit corporations nationwide.

As underwriter’s counsel and bank counsel, Justin represents national investment banking firms and financial institutions across the country in a wide range of tax-exempt and taxable transactions.

Justin also advises clients on a variety of complex and innovative financings, including general obligation financings, conduit financings, subject-to-appropriation revenue financings, fee and utility revenue financings, lease revenue financings, and solid waste revenue financings, as well as transactions involving combinations of these structures. He further counsels governmental and corporate clients on public law matters, including elections, open government, and economic development.

Experience

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.
Bond counsel on a $100 million exempt facility green bond issuance for the construction of solid waste disposal facilities.
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.

Accolades

Honors & Recognitions

Received President’s Award, Houston Bar Association, 2026

Affiliations

Professional

Co-Lead Advisor, Young Lawyers Network, September 2024–Present; Membership Committee Member, September 2024–Present; National Association of Bond Lawyers
Co-Chair, Lawyers for a Beautiful Houston Committee, August 2025–Present; Houston Bar Association
Member, Houston Pro Bono Committee, May 2023–Present; Hunton Andrews Kurth

Civic

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