PLDW’s Municipal Infrastructure Practice Strengthens Team with Veteran Transportation Industry Attorneys
Pannone Lopes Devereaux & West LLC (PLDW) Municipal Infrastructure Team leader and principal, Teno A. West, announced the addition of veteran transportation industry attorneys, Robert Bergen and William J. Estes. Bergen is the former Executive Vice President of the MTA New York City Transit, the largest public transportation agency in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world. Estes served as General Counsel to the New York State Thruway Authority and Canal Corporation, one of the nation's longest and busiest tolled roadways and oldest canal systems.
PLDW’s Municipal Infrastructure Team provides representation to public and private sector clients in multiple areas of law, including public finance, project management, public-private partnerships, real estate, contract maintenance, business law and other disciplines to solve complicated legal issues, from conception to completion. The firm’s municipal infrastructure attorneys are at the forefront of new developments in efficient methodologies for water and sewer treatment, solid waste management, advance bio-mass technologies and renewable energy, municipal buildings, recreational facilities, transportation and other public infrastructure projects.
“We are pleased to welcome Robert Bergen and William Estes to our team of highly skilled and seasoned municipal infrastructure attorneys,” said Teno West. “Transportation and multi-modal project development across the nation are experiencing rapid growth and are projected to accelerate in the next several years. This industry requires a combination of knowledge, skill and experience in all aspects of transit, rail, roadway, waterway or multi-modal project development that both lawyers will bring to our clients.”
Robert Bergen joins the firm as Of Counsel. He has devoted virtually his entire career to the representation and counseling of government entities, private sector companies and their leadership and staff. He has worked as an attorney both in government and in international law firms and also served as a senior executive, advising on and handling a broad range of commercial, infrastructure, finance, outsourcing, in-sourcing, legislative, and regulatory matters. Bergen has handled arbitrations as well as litigation and appeals in administrative agencies and state and federal courts and has also been involved in transactions both large and small. In his position with the MTA-NYC Transit, he was involved with all aspects of the operations of the massive transit agency, including protection and restoration of service during hurricanes Irene and Sandy. He also had responsibility for a dozen of the agency's support divisions. These included procurement, finance, budget, revenue, operations planning, logistics, human resources, government affairs, and others. Bergen earned his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and a B.A. from Rutgers University. He is admitted to practice law in New York State, the U.S. Supreme Court and in various U.S. federal Circuit and District Courts. Bergen can be reached at 914-898-2400.
William Estes joins the firm as Senior Counsel. His practice focuses primarily on the procurement, construction and financing of infrastructure for the transportation, water and energy sectors. He has vast experience in working closely with federal and state agencies, public authorities and local governments on legal matters arising out of the maintenance and operation of tolled roadways, waterways and municipal facilities. He has advised on legal issues regarding construction, litigation, procurement, finance, real property, permitting and contracting, advertising, labor and employment, environmental, and governance matters. He also participated in the $3.9 billion design-build procurement and financing of the replacement Tappan Zee Bridge; pursued claims involving the authority-owned fiber-optic system and cell tower portfolio; negotiated disputes with travel plaza concessionaires; and, advised on water rights pertaining to hydropower projects, a water authority and a private developer. In 2014, the New York Law Journal recognized his leadership with an "Outstanding Legal Department" award. Estes earned his J.D. from the Emory University School of Law and his B.A. in English from Northwestern University. He is admitted to practice law in the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and the United States District Courts in the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of New York and the District of New Jersey. Estes can be reached at 914-898-2400.