Ben Morse Email & Phone Number

Austin, Tx, Us

Austin, Texas, United States

I am a Texas public law attorney who devotes the bulk of my practice to public finance matters. I have served as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, disclosure counsel and special counsel on virtually every type of public finance transaction. Throughout my career, I have worked on over 200 public finance transactions with an aggregate par value in excess of $20 billion. While my public finance practice is wide-ranging, I have a particular passion for working with public school districts, particularly as bond counsel.I am well versed in the laws and strategies related to the conduct of bond and other special and general elections. I have had a primary role in some of the largest bond elections in the State of Texas, including the $3.5 billion Houston METRO Bond Election held in November 2019, the $2.5 billion Harris County Flood Control District Bond Election held in August 2018 in response to Hurricane Harvey, and the $2.49 billion Austin ISD Bond Election held in November 2022. I also have experience with other common special elections involving school districts, including voter-approval tax rate elections (also known as VATREs or TREs) and attendance credit elections. I have also provided counsel to governmental entities in connection with general elections.I have experience negotiating a variety of economic development agreements involving special districts, economic development corporations (EDCs), cities, tax increment reinvestment zones (TIRZs) and other governmental entities. I represented the City of Webster and the Webster Economic Development Corporation in connection with their recruitment of the Houston area’s first Great Wolf Lodge. I am very familiar with the Texas EDC Act and have been involved in the preparation and negotiation of a variety of performance agreements and other contracts involving Type A and Type B EDCs.

Austin, Texas, United States

Houston, Texas Area

Houston, Texas Area

I joined Orrick's public finance group in February 2018 with 19 other attorneys from Andrews Kurth. I have served as bond counsel, underwriter's counsel, disclosure counsel or special counsel for school districts, junior college districts, cities, counties, special districts, tax increment reinvestment zones, local government corporations and other governmental entities. I am also regularly involved in economic development matters.I have also been active in municipal restructuring matters. I was a part of the Orrick team that served as co-counsel to a coalition of senior Puerto Rico Sales Tax Financing Corporation (commonly known as COFINA) bondholders in connection with COFINA's restructuring and its exchange issuance of approximately $12 billion in restructured bonds.

Houston, Texas Area

I focused my practice on public finance, primarily in assisting with tax-exempt financings for school districts, junior college districts, cities, counties and special districts. In connection with these transactions, I served as bond counsel, underwriter's counsel, disclosure counsel and special counsel. I also served as general counsel to municipal utility districts, municipal management districts, tax increment reinvestment zones and other political subdivisions. In addition, I regularly worked with governmental entities holding elections, and represented real estate developers in the negotiation of economic development and other agreements with governmental entities.

Houston, Texas Area

My practice primarily involved serving as general counsel and bond counsel to municipal utility districts and other special purpose districts and assisting real estate developers affected by such entities.

Houston, Texas Area

My practice focused on general commercial, director/officer, bankruptcy, insurance and environmental litigation.

Houston, Texas Area

Interned in the litigation and corporate practice groups.

Houston, Texas Area

Responded to denials of trademark registrations; assisted in drafting of patent non-infringement opinions.

Interned for David W. McKeague of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit; drafted memoranda and performed legal research to assist judge and his clerks.

Reviewed, considered and performed legal research on appellate briefing; drafted bench memoranda and legal opinions.

Doctor Of Law (J.D.), Law

Activities and Societies: Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review; Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Sociology

Education record

Activities and Societies: National Honor Society, Tennis Team