Brendan M. Staley

Brendan’s practice focuses on public finance, with emphasis on the areas of federal tax and securities law, state and local government law, economic development incentives and public-private partnerships (P3s). Brendan’s experience includes advising, negotiating and documenting tax-exempt bond transactions for governmental and 501(c)(3) entities. He also has experience structuring public finance and project development transactions for a range of public and private infrastructure and economic development projects, including airports, roads and highways, street lighting systems, broadband infrastructure, convention and conference centers, educational facilities, government administrative facilities and water and wastewater facilities.

Prior to joining Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, Brendan served as a law clerk to the Honorable Henry E. Hudson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Brendan also worked as a Counterterrorism Analyst for the Department of Defense before attending law school.

• Assisted issuers in financing a broad array of projects, including water and wastewater facilities, schools, universities, court facilities, roads and parking facilities, convention facilities and public buildings.
• Served as bond counsel and underwriter’s counsel on community development authority financings to provide public infrastructure in support of residential, commercial and retail developments.
• Advised numerous localities and developers on negotiation of Virginia economic development and tax-related incentives.
• Served as counsel to the lenders (comprising a syndicate of municipal underwriters and a bank lender) in connection with the financing of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s first public-private partnership project, a 13-station rehabilitation initiative.
• Served as bond counsel to the North Carolina Turnpike Authority in connection with the financing and refinancing of elements of its Triangle Expressway System and represented the Authority in the negotiation of related loans from the U.S. Department of Transportation pursuant to the TIFIA Program.
• Served as bond and tax counsel in connection with private activity bonds issued as part of the Fredericksburg Extension of the I-95 HOT Lanes, an approximately $829 million roadway project consisting of managed toll lanes in Northern Virginia pursuant to a long-term P3 concession arrangement. Recognized as the “2019 Deal of the Year – Public-Private Partnership Financing” by The Bond Buyer.
• Served as bond and tax counsel in connection with private activity bonds issued as part of the I-395 HOT Lanes project, an approximately $475 million roadway project consisting of managed toll lanes in Northern Virginia pursuant to a long-term P3 concession arrangement.
• Served as dealer’s counsel in connection with the establishment of the District of Columbia’s first commercial paper program.
• Served as underwriter’s counsel and bond counsel on financings and refinancings for various universities, including Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Michigan and Georgetown University.
• Served as bond counsel to several airports, including an international hub airport and a medium-sized international airport.
• Represented the District of Columbia Office of Public-Private Partnerships in the procurement of a conversion of the City-wide street light network from high pressure sodium to LED lighting and the related integration of smart city technology.
• Represented the Virginia Department of Transportation in the procurement of the I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project.
• Represented localities and other political subdivisions in IRS audits of tax-exempt bonds, all resulting in no change or adjustment to the tax-exempt status of the bonds.

• Recognized as a Leader in Public Finance, Virginia, Chambers USA, 2024

• Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America: One to Watch for Real Estate Law (2021-2024) and Public Finance Law (2022-2024)

• Member, National Association of Bond Lawyers
• Member, Virginia Bar Association
• Member, Virginia Local Government Attorneys Association
• Vice Chair, Richmond Bar Association Pro Bono Committee
• Board Member, Children’s Museum of Richmond