The NABL Member Spotlight initiative is a volunteer-based program. All featured members participate voluntarily and are selected to highlight their contributions and achievements within our community. Participation in the spotlight does not imply endorsement by NABL. If you would like to be featured, please contact us! Now, let’s meet Justin Hicks and learn more about his public finance journey:

What inspired you to become a NABL member and how did your career in Public Finance start?

My journey to public finance was serendipitous, and began on my first day of my 1L summer clerkship at Hunton. I spent the first half of that summer rotating with the public finance group, and quickly learned about the type of work that the group undertook. Not only did I enjoy working with my colleagues, but I was also excited about working on projects which benefit the public. I returned to Hunton my 2L summer and again rotated with the public finance group, and received a full-time offer to return after graduation. Next month I will begin my fifth year at the firm. I am based in Houston, Texas.

During my 2L summer clerkship, I frequently referred to the NABL Blue Book (The Fundamentals of Municipal Bond Law)—which I still have in my office today. Following that summer, I officially joined NABL as a student member. I took advantage of NABL’s webinars, outlines, and other online resources to try to prepare myself for full-time public finance practice. Law school teaches you little about public finance, and few law schools even have a class on the subject. So, NABL produces the best material, by far, on the practice.

I consider myself fortunate to practice public finance. It melds well with my desires to make a positive social impact, complete sophisticated transactions, and exercise my passion for geography (Texas alone has 5,500+ political subdivisions!). It also helps that public finance attorneys are collegial, and the practice promotes a comparatively good work-life balance. I always recommend public finance to law students whom I mentor.

What led you to get involved with NABL’s Young Lawyers Network?

I have been involved in NABL since my practice began, including volunteering to help on a project with the Securities Law and Disclosure Committee in 2022. In late 2023 through early 2024, I volunteered with NABL’s Member Services Committee task force to develop the Bonds and Beverages program. During those meetings, I got to know NABL’s Board Members and other members of the Member Services Committee. In late 2024, current NABL President Jason Akers invited me to co-lead the new Young Lawyers Network, and the rest is history.

Having attended both The Essentials and The Workshop, how have these conferences helped develop your expertise?

I found The Essentials extremely helpful. I had already practiced for seven months before going to The Essentials for the first time, and the conference sessions connected the dots on terminology and deal structuring that I had observed but not necessarily experienced yet firsthand. It also opened my mind to the typical responsibilities by the various roles of counsel, including Bond Counsel, Borrower’s Counsel, Issuer’s Counsel, Underwriter’s Counsel, Disclosure Counsel, etc. Most importantly, though, it was one of my first times meeting other junior public finance attorneys from around the country, some of whom I still keep up with today. I attended The Essentials a second time, which helped solidify many of the sessions from the first time and my work on deals.

So far, I have attended The Workshop one time. While some of the sessions were a helpful review of my work experience thus far, I took away more from the emerging/current issues in our practice and the advanced topics. These sessions improved my confidence in more complex issues. I often find myself referring to outlines from The Workshop. And, I was able to network with more-senior NABL members. I plan to attend The Workshop in D.C. this year and whenever I can in the years to come.

What YLN events or initiatives should newer attorneys be excited about this upcoming year?

YLN continues to develop its programming during its first year. We have already hosted two virtual events and an in-person happy hour at The Essentials this year. We plan to host another virtual networking event later this month (and perhaps one more later this year), host a group walk in D.C. during The Workshop, and post virtual content that we hope will be helpful to YLN members. We have also been discussing hosting a book club, with more to come! Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you want to join YLN.

What is a fun fact that people might not know about you?

My wife, Mónica, and I met in college while studying abroad in Santiago, Chile. We frequently travel back to Chile to visit friends, take walks in nostalgic neighborhoods, and explore new regions.

We have been married for over eight years, and are expecting our first baby at the end of September. We also have an almost 2-year-old talking dog named Baxter (@doodleboybax), who knows over ninety words and who we have taken to nine states.