Regulated energy sector entities routinely submit confidential and proprietary business information to Texas state agencies, including the Railroad Commission (Texas’s incongruously named oil and gas regulator), the General Land Office, the Public Utility Commission, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (“ERCOT”), often assuming it is “for regulators’ eyes only.” But Texas agencies have limited power to prevent the disclosure of information sought pursuant to the Public Information Act (“PIA”).
Sebastian Waisman
With a focus on public law, Sebastian represents state, regional and local governmental entities, as well as clients who do business with the government.
Sebastian has experience counseling both public and private clients regarding a wide range of matters, including land use and development regulation, municipal finance, redistricting and elections, and Freedom of Information Act and Public Information Act disclosure. He has also assisted in the handling of complex litigation involving challenging questions of constitutional law and governmental structure, statutory interpretation, administrative law, and federal jurisdiction and procedure.
Sebastian previously served as an Assistant City Attorney with the City of Charlottesville, Virginia. His years in Charlottesville gave him an in-depth understanding of local government and the unique concerns and challenges with which local officials routinely grapple. He knows how public officials and entities think and operate, positioning him well to represent both local governments and those who need to do business with them. Sebastian’s experience in Charlottesville also taught him how outside counsel can play a critical role in supporting public client needs.
He has served as a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge Janis L. Sammartino of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.