Mark Foster

Mark Foster left state government in 1990 in order to represent businesses and individuals before regulatory agencies and licensing boards. He has been Board Certified in Administrative Law by the  Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1990, and has over 30 years' experience practicing Administrative Law in various capacities, including as Administrative Law Judge, state agency counsel and hearings examiner. 

Mark has experience representing clients in contested case hearings, rulemaking, 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 Medical Board, 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. 

At the heart of successful public policy work is a network of relationships. Mark Foster has been a visible presence within the Austin legal community for over thirty years. In that time, he has developed legislative and administrative relationships in many different areas, from the Texas State Capitol to state agencies to private regulated professionals and businesses. Mr. Foster has lobbied for various interests, such as trucking deregulation, electric utility competition, nursing home administrators and telecommunications.  

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. 

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 Section of the Legal Division. At both the PUC and the Railroad Commission, Mark provided legal counsel on employment law and litigation matters.