Brown McCarroll Attorneys at Law

Our objective is to make our clients’ voices heard by those who count at every level of government.  By integrating our business and government experience, we offer comprehensive governmental and legislative affairs counsel that makes the public policy process work better for you.

Strategic Advocacy

The key to our success is that we have built the legislative and administrative relationships with public policy makers that give us credibility and allow us to help shape new legislation and serve as effective advocates in the agency rulemaking process.

Members of our team have served as Texas legislators, key legislative and executive branch staff members, counsel for municipalities, and members of various boards and commissions. This experience gives our team the insight to be able to offer you more effective strategic advocacy to help you reach your goals.

We are skilled at reputation management and effective at building coalitions and public support for policies that reflect our clients’ needs.

Governmental Affairs Process

We represent clients at each step in the governmental affairs process and regularly:

• Provide comments, ideas and input to help develop agency rulemaking that affects our clients
• Represent our clients in agency licensing, ratemaking and enforcement proceedings
• Pursue appeals of agency decisions through administrative channels and the courts
• Lobby legislators and their staffs to help shape new legislation

State Governmental Affairs

We have a direct advocacy and lobbying practice in the Texas State Capitol and can quickly address legislative or regulatory issues that may affect your business.  Our attorneys have held positions in many agencies of state government, as well as in the Texas legislature, so we know how to better manage the legislative and administrative processes for our clients' benefit through advocacy with state government contacts. 

Our representation with key leaders at executive agencies is on-going.  We work on issues during legislative sessions, as well as between sessions, when important interim committee work is being done. This enables us to identify and help shape governmental actions that can have an impact on our clients’ business. 

Federal Governmental Affairs

While our focus remains on Texas, our work in Washington, D.C.and with federal agencies has increased significantly in recent years. Our work with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has expanded into regular interaction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and we have had a major impact on regulations and public policy involving cross-border air emissions and water issues that affect South Texas. 

We are skillful advocates for health care clients at the federal level - in dealing with the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services and its agencies, especially the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the Inspector General. We also have an understanding of the interactions between Texas electric companies and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Local Governmental Affairs

Our attorneys represent clients in land use concerns throughout Texas– from substantial regulation and public comment in Austin and Dallas, to subdivision regulations in the Houston area.  Using our knowledge of local markets and administrative processes to deal with city and county governments, zoning boards and boards of adjustment, we offer advice on the interpretation and enforcement of land use regulations.  In addition, we monitor proposed ordinances affecting land development, and can ensure that our clients’ voices are heard by participating in the ordinance adoption process.

We also do considerable work helping clients secure franchises and contracts with local governments.  We represent land developers and other real estate clients who wish to work with Texas counties and municipalities to create special taxing, road, or water districts.  For these and other clients, our knowledge of open records and open meetings laws is especially helpful in working with municipal governments.  When necessary, we help clients contest the validity or interpretation of local ordinances and regulations.

Political Action Committee

The firm participates in the political process through its Political Action Committee (PAC). The PAC gives the firm and our clients the opportunity to make significant contributions to state and local campaigns.

Emphasis

Our clients span a wide range of industries and associations throughout Texas, but we have an emphasis on representing health care and electricity clients before the Texas Legislature and various state agencies. Real estate developers and landowners also depend on our counsel for land use matters. And many companies in manufacturing and oil and gas production receive our help with environmental law concerns.

Electric Utilities

We played a leading role in the creation of the state’s deregulated electric power industry, and today provide effective utility industry representation at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), at the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), and before the Texas Legislature.  Our attorneys handle regulatory proceedings involving rates and conditions of service, secure approval for power plant construction and utility ownership transfer, and pursue appeals of regulatory decisions at the Office of Administrative Hearings.

Our industry insight, knowledge of agency procedures and relationships with PUC commissioners and key staff members combine for effective client representation. And our experience at public policy advocacy involving the Texas state legislative and regulatory bodies means we can analyze and help improve proposed energy legislation and regulations.

Health Care

Our attorneys’ past experience as regulators and legislators gives us close working relationships with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Department of Insurance and state licensing boards, as well as with enforcement officials in the Attorney General’s office.  Clients rely on us for help with investigations and enforcement issues. 

Meanwhile, we work to effectively shape new policies that reflect the health sector’s complex economic realities, having been prime movers behind Texas legislation relating to pharmacy and medical practice, and helping create the state’s HMO framework.