Mark E. Foster, Attorney

Mark Foster holds an undergraduate degree in Agricultural Economics from Texas Tech University and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. He has practiced law in Austin since 1982 and has been Board Certified in Administrative Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1990.

Mark served as former Special Counsel to the Public Utility Commission of Texas where he provided legal assistance to the Commissioners and Executive Director regarding utility regulation, administrative law, legislative matters, open meetings, and open records. Mark also served the Railroad Commission of Texas as a Hearings Examiner in the Transportation Division and later as head of the Gas Utilities/LP Gas Section of the Legal Division. At the PUC, as well as the Railroad Commission, Mark provided legal counsel on employment law and litigation.

Mark has more than twenty years experience in contested case hearings, appeals of agency decisions to appropriate courts, settlement negotiations, open records requests, open meetings compliance, and declaratory judgment actions against government agencies. Mark's skills have been further enhanced through service as an administrative law judge and hearings examiner for the Texas Board of Medical Examiners, the Structural Pest Control Board, the Texas Health Facilities Commission, and the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation. As a lobbyist before the Texas Legislature, Mark has used his administrative law background and reputation to enhance legislators' understanding of complex regulatory issues.

He has considerable experience in group representation through advocacy for associations such as the Texas Association of Business and Chambers of Commerce, the Truck Renting and Leasing Association, and the Texas Association for Competitive Transportation. Mark has incorporated and served as general counsel for the Texas Association of Licensed Facility Administrators (nursing home administrators) and the Texas Independent Movers Association (small household goods movers.) Mark has organized over a dozen competitive local exchange companies into client groups to arbitrate for new interconnection terms with incumbent providers in order to maximize effectiveness and lower costs to individual participants.