Counsel for public agencies across Texas.
Municipalities, counties, special districts, public agencies. Different governing structures, different statutes, different deadlines. Senior counsel for the work that moves Texas public institutions.
Where Texas public bodies need specialized counsel.
Public Procurement
Competitive procurement under Local Government Code Chapters 252 and 271 and Government Code Chapter 2269. Bid protest counsel. Vendor disputes. Construction contracting and CSP/CMR procurement. Cooperative purchasing under interlocal agreements.
Governance & Open Meetings
Open Meetings Act compliance under Government Code Chapter 551. Posting requirements, executive session counsel, meeting management. Ethics, conflicts, and recusal counsel for elected and appointed officials.
Public Information Act
Texas Public Information Act response. Attorney General opinion requests. Confidentiality and privacy exception analysis. Records management and retention policy review.
Employment for Public Bodies
Civil service rules. Public employee discipline and grievance procedures. Title VII matters in the public-employer context. At-will and contract employment counsel for municipal and agency staff.
Interlocal & Cooperative Agreements
Interlocal cooperation agreements under Chapter 791. Joint powers agreements. Shared-services contracts between municipalities, counties, and special districts.
Policy & Ordinance Counsel
Drafting and review of municipal ordinances, agency policies, and administrative procedures. Compliance review against state and federal statutory updates.
Counsel structured for public-body operations.
Outside General Counsel
Monthly retainer for ongoing counsel. Council meetings, day-to-day questions, policy review. The structure most municipalities run on.
Project Counsel
For a specific procurement, a complex interlocal agreement, or a contested matter. Defined scope, flat fee.
Co-Counsel
For complex litigation, regulatory matters, or specialized administrative proceedings. We work alongside existing city or county counsel.
From council request to closed agenda.
Municipal and agency matters move on a posted agenda calendar. We staff every engagement around that calendar so the body never has to defer an item because counsel was not ready.
Engagement and document pull
Initial consultation with the city manager, county judge, or executive director plus the body's general counsel where one exists. Conflict check, engagement letter, document pull including the relevant ordinance, agenda packets, contract files, and prior correspondence. A one-page scope memo lands by end of week with the deliverable and the agenda dates we are working toward.
Statutory analysis and recommendation
Analysis under the Texas Government Code, Local Government Code, and any sector-specific statutes that apply. Written memo to the executive with the recommended path, the statutory and case-law authority, the procedural posture for any closed-session components, and the risk profile if the body advances or holds. Discussion call to lock the path before the agenda is finalized.
Drafting, procurement, hearing prep
Ordinance drafting, contract negotiation, procurement document preparation, closed-session script drafting, public hearing preparation. Counsel sits in on the meeting if the matter warrants. Status updates run to the executive and to the body's general counsel on a weekly cadence with a clean record of what moved and what is queued.
Action documented and filed
Action item recorded in the minutes, contract executed, procurement award documented, ordinance codified, or matter otherwise closed. Closing memo to the executive covering what happened, what the body is on the hook for operationally, and what to flag for the next budget or audit cycle. We close the file with the body holding a record that survives a future audit or open records challenge.
The matters that come up most.
These five matter types account for most of the municipal and agency work we handle for Texas cities, counties, and special-purpose districts.
Open Meetings Act compliance and closed-session work
Agenda template audits, closed-session script drafting, statutory authority citation for executive sessions, rolling-quorum risk reviews, and counsel during contested public meetings. Frequently engaged after a public complaint, an attorney general inquiry, or a new council seating. See our article on Open Meetings Act traps for the three patterns we see most.
Public Information Act response
PIA request triage, redaction guidance, Attorney General opinion requests under Section 552.301, and statutory deadline management. We are positioned to turn around urgent matters inside the 10 business day window, including emergency review of mass requests filed against a body in the wake of public controversy.
Procurement under Government Code Chapter 2269
Construction-manager-at-risk, design-build, and job-order contracting solicitations. Selection criteria drafting, evaluation committee counsel, contract negotiation, and protest response when a losing offeror challenges an award. We position the procurement to survive challenge from day one rather than defending it after the fact.
Interlocal cooperation agreements
Agreements under the Interlocal Cooperation Act for joint services, shared facilities, mutual aid, and multi-jurisdictional projects. Drafting, negotiating, and reviewing interlocal agreements where the body needs to confirm authority, allocate cost, define liability, and protect the body's interest in the event of dispute or termination.
Ethics, recusals, and member conflicts
Counsel on Chapter 171 conflict-of-interest questions, ethics complaints against members, recusal requirements on specific agenda items, and the body's response when a member is alleged to have violated state or local ethics rules. Confidential preparation that protects both the member individually and the body institutionally.
We can open a municipal or agency matter cleanly with these five inputs. Most can be assembled by the executive's office in an afternoon.
- A one-paragraph description of the matter, the parties or constituencies involved, and the action the body needs to take.
- The relevant agenda packet from the most recent meeting where the matter appeared or will appear.
- The underlying file (contract, ordinance, procurement file, PIA request, or correspondence depending on the matter).
- A single point of contact (typically the city manager, county judge, executive director, or the body's general counsel) authorized to make decisions on the engagement.
- The next two agenda dates the matter is expected to appear on so we can align deliverables with the body's calendar.
Go deeper on a specific matter.
- Texas Government Code 2269 procurement counsel: Construction Manager at Risk and design-build procurement under Chapter 2269.
- Texas Public Information Act response counsel: request triage, AG opinion requests, redaction counsel, and the 10-day window.
A complimentary thirty-minute consultation.
Tell us about the matter. We will tell you whether it is something we handle, what the path looks like, and what counsel would cost.
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