Successful Legal Affairs Seminar Brings Transportation Lawyers Together in Philadelphia

General Counsel
APTA

APTA’s Legal Affairs Seminar, held March 15-17 in Philadelphia, PA, was a resounding success, made possible by the collective support, engagement, and participation of transportation lawyers from across the country. The seminar once again served as a premier forum bringing together transportation lawyers, practitioners, and professionals to engage in thoughtful dialogue on the key legal and policy issues shaping public transportation.

This year’s program covered a wide range of timely and important topics, including updates and perspectives from current and former USDOT leadership; legislative and regulatory developments; litigation trends; safety and security; local ballot measures; labor disputes; and ethics. Participants also explored emerging and evolving areas of practice such as autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence, major and mega event planning and preparedness, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) updates, rail mergers, tariffs, and strategies for building and sustaining collaborative partnerships across the industry.

Each session offered valuable insights and practical perspectives, contributing to a deeper understanding of the legal and operational challenges facing public transportation today. The high quality of the panels reflected the depth of experience, expertise, and commitment of the speakers and participants, and underscored the importance of staying current with the legal and policy developments influencing our industry.

We are especially grateful to the Legal Affairs Committee leadership—Jonathan Hunt (Chair), Shayna M. van Hoften (Vice-Chair), Cleveland Ferguson (Secretary), and Bill Moseley (Immediate Past Chair)—as well as all of the speakers and panelists who generously shared their knowledge and experience throughout the program.

Special thanks are also extended to FTA Chief Counsel Matthew Cahill and FRA Chief Counsel Kyle Fields, keynote speaker Leslie Richards of the University of Pennsylvania, and additional leadership from USDOT, SEPTA, NJ Transit, Amtrak, and many others for contributing their valuable perspectives and insights. We also thank Thompson Coburn LLP and Kaplan Kirsch LLP for their sponsorship and support of this year’s seminar. Lastly, we would like to recognize and extend sincere appreciation to all of the APTA staff whose participation and support were instrumental to the seminar’s success.

Thank you again to everyone who attended and contributed to the Legal Affairs Seminar. Your engagement, expertise, and perspectives were essential to its success. We look forward to seeing you at our next 2027 Legal Affairs Seminar in Nashville, TN.