Transportation and Infrastructure

The turbulence of the past few years has led to significant changes in the transportation and infrastructure sector. A complex regulatory environment, political and economic volatility, new technologies, and the effects of the global pandemic have collided, forcing companies to make difficult decisions in order to remain relevant. Our team brings decades of collective experience to the task. We offer the full spectrum of regulatory, transactional, and litigation support clients need to succeed in a rapidly evolving business environment.

Lewis Roca’s transportation and infrastructure industry lawyers are well-versed in the technical, legal, and business issues facing clients both in local markets and nationwide. Our work has been lauded by a wide range of publications and rankings organizations, including Chambers USA, U.S. News – Best Lawyers®,  Benchmark Litigation, Super Lawyers®, and Arizona Business, among others. As industry thought leaders, we also frequently contribute to industry groups, legal and regulatory associations, and legal publications. 

Services

Our lawyers take a creative, multidisciplinary approach that never loses sight of our clients’ business objectives. We assist a diverse range of clients, including airlines, leasing companies, major aerospace and defense clients, operators, financiers, cargo and freight companies, and warehousing support operations, as well as utilities, and real estate developers. Among others, we handle issues relating to:

• Acquisitions and sales, secured financings, and cross-border transactions
• Corporate governance and operations
• Patent portfolio management and counseling
• Protecting, ​securing, and enforcing intellectual property rights
• Registration and deregistration of fleets, leases, and ownership and security interests with the Federal Aviation Administration, the International Registry, and other registries worldwide
• Transportation and infrastructure-related contracts
• U.S.-based and international leasing transactions

Our Experience

• Engine Manufacturer. Represented a U.S. subsidiary of a major international engine and turbine manufacturer that carries out the maintenance for certain helicopter engines. A suit was filed against our client and other defendants, including a former employee. We filed an answer and cross-complaint for equitable indemnity, fraud, and declaratory relief. We were able to show that, although plaintiffs believed the employee had been retained even after they informed the client of a fraudulent scheme, the client had in fact severed ties with the employee after learning of the facts. After informal discovery and negotiation, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint withdrawing our client as a defendant, effectively a dismissal without prejudice from the case.
• Spacecraft Parts Manufacturer. Prosecuted and oversaw a worldwide patent portfolio directed to the creators of an experimental, air-launched, rocket-powered spacecraft and its hybrid rocket system, named by Time magazine as an “Invention of the Year.”
• Vehicle Equipment Developer. Defending a worldwide vehicle access control equipment developer in a patent infringement action. Our client’s operative complaint alleges infringement of patented technology relating to shallow mounted bollards that are installed around buildings, such as government buildings and sporting venues, to prevent vehicles from entering such areas.
• Utility Infrastructure. Representing the special purpose subsidiary of a domestic utility company in structuring an $85 million investment in the development of infrastructure required for the delivery of electric power, potable water, and wastewater treatment services to a large multiuse resort development in Mexico.
• Tribal Nation Development. Assisted an Arizona tribal nation through all legal aspects of a buildout of a $120 million resort. Our responsibilities included working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to secure the land into trust; assisting with infrastructure design; negotiating the necessary easements for infrastructure improvements, including telecommunications, water, access, wastewater disposal, and other construction issues; handling the final construction of the project; and providing advice on sovereign immunity and other contract matters.
• Aircraft Company. Advising on the acquisition, leasing, subleasing, sale, and financing of passenger and cargo aircraft in cross-border transactions in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. In particular, our lawyers have extensive experience in rejection and restructures of leases in bankruptcy, repossession of aircraft, and international registry filings for transactions covered by the Cape Town Convention.