Transportation and Logistics

Major transportation projects are complex undertakings encumbered by political, financial, operational, risk and permitting barriers. At Snell & Wilmer, we believe that early strategic thinking can eliminate many of the stumbling blocks to successful transportation project delivery. We work closely with in-house counsel, engineering professionals and technical consultants, and add value by anticipating legal, policy and business issues before they become obstacles to our clients’ goals.

Our attorneys have the breadth and depth of experience necessary to assist clients throughout the continuum of transportation project development, including visioning and systems planning, corridor planning and alternatives analysis, project refinement, implementation strategies, construction management and operations.

• Asset purchases
• Corridor preservation, right of way and site acquisition
• Design and construction contracts and claims
• Environmental
• Governmental relations and legislation
• Infrastructure transmission and transportation agreements
• Insurance
• Labor and employment
• Litigation and dispute resolution
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Project finance and innovative financing techniques
• Project planning and development
• Public agency and corporate governance issues
• Public procurement, government contracting and protests
• Real estate, land use, planning, zoning and joint development
• Regulatory and development permits and approvals
• Regulatory counseling including Americans with Disabilities Act and Federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Programs
• Risk and liability assessment and mitigation
• Transportation technology
• Utilities and facility relocation

Our transportation and logistics clients include governmental authorities, public agencies, infrastructure developers, financial institutions, project sponsors, private contractors and technical consultants. We have assisted large and small shippers and receivers of freight; regional and short line railroads and rail systems; freight brokers, forwarders and consolidators; passenger carriers; logistics companies; and third party transportation providers.

We represent clients before the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Surface Transportation Board, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, as well as other federal, state and local governments, agencies, tribunals and proceedings.

Industry Experience and Connections: Our attorneys are deeply invested in the health and growth of the transportation sector, and many have firsthand experience in the industry. Because of their expertise and involvement, our attorneys are frequently asked to lecture on the cutting edge issues facing the transportation industry. Staying abreast of issues in the industry through client work and association participation allows our attorneys to meet the complex and evolving legal needs of our clients.

Dynamic Approach: With more than 450 attorneys in 16 locations throughout the western United States and in Mexico, we have the experience necessary to offer our transportation clients services that are sensitive to the complex and often subtle differences in state and local laws. Our transportation law attorneys regularly call on the diverse talents and experience of their colleagues to effectively and efficiently handle complex matters involving business and finance, infrastructure development, real estate, construction, environmental, government relations, land use and development, and federal and state tax issues.

With substantial offices located throughout the growth areas in the Western United States, Snell & Wilmer is uniquely positioned to provide our clients with “one-stop shopping” for transportation legal services. A brief but representative selection of our transportation experience includes:

• Represented a transportation service provider in matters before regulatory agencies, including legislative, regulatory compliance, rate, tariff and Certificate hearings
• Handled several multimillion dollar construction claims for a state department of transportation
• Handled a claim made by a state department of transportation against a national engineering firm
• Provided counsel for a mixed-use, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) constructed along a corridor of a major metropolitan transit system, involving retail, bank pad, office and multi-family development
• Represented a transportation service provider in matters involving medallion allocation and fuel surcharges
• Represented a defendant trucking company in post-trial motions after a multi-million dollar jury verdict was awarded against company
• Represented a transportation provider in freight loss and damage claims, as well as in negotiating and drafting transportation contracts
• Handled several nation-wide franchising matters for a private on-demand ground transportation company
• Represented a large moving equipment and storage rental company in several product liability matters
• Litigated intermodal claims and disputes for a client in the shipping industry
• Collected tariff and transportation charges and handled Carmack Amendment claims for a transportation client
• Advised a client on regulatory issues, including cross-border trucking services between the United States and Mexico, registered compliance, operating authority and hours-of-service regulations