Page 12 - NYLJ Professional Excellence 2021

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

DAN MATHEWS

PARTNER AT ORRICK HERRINGTON & SUTCLIFFE

Considered one of the founding fathers of Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) in the United States, Dan

Mathews has spent the last 20 years solving for our country’s most critical infrastructure needs by forging
multi-billion dollar projects, utilizing a unique partnership structure between public owners and investors
designed to bridge funding gaps and harness the innovative power of the private sector.

Dan’s intellect, uncanny business acumen and improved the lives of so many who rely on
creative drive are legendary among clients and the nation’s infrastructure to travel, work and
counterparties alike. provide for their families.
There are now many attorneys claiming Dan has advised on the vast majority of
to be infrastructure experts. But Dan stands, major greenfield P3 projects in the United
and will always stand, in a category all his States, starting with the first ever to close in
own. Dan laid the legal foundation for P3s the country—the South Bay Expressway toll
in the United States, having designed and road in San Diego—to his more recent high-
BY YOUNG shaped many of their principles in the inau- profile engagement to build the Daniel Patrick
LEE gural projects of the early 2000s that now Moynihan Train Hall in Midtown Manhattan.
form the building blocks of all P3 projects. Dan has advised private equity funds, strategic
In 2002, Dan created a first-of-a-kind frame- operators, commercial banks and underwrit-
work that allowed a federal lending program ers, builders, states and municipalities. He has
called TIFIA to provide funding into the first advised on projects involving airports (such
major U.S. P3 toll road project in the Unit- as the $5 billion redevelopment of the termi-
ed States. That framework has allowed for nals at LaGuardia Airport), rail (such as the
financing of dozens of projects over the years, $1.9 billion Denver FasTracks commuter rail
and without which roads, bridges and mass network), high-speed broadband (such as the
transit vital to this nation’s well-being would KentuckyWired project in rural Kentucky), and
not have been built. Dan’s contribution to so many others.
P3s is especially timely, given the success Orrick is deeply grateful to Dan for his
of the Biden plan heavily relies on P3s. His leadership within the firm. He is a member of
groundbreaking work in this space will serve the firm’s Board of Directors, and currently
as the blueprint and the nation’s best chance serves as the Lead Director at the request of
to achieve the greatest revitalization of U.S. the Board, the highest expression of confidence
infrastructure since the FDR administration. one can be bestowed in management by fel-
It is indisputable that Dan’s influence in this low partners. He serves as the Global Head of
space extends well beyond advancing the firm’s Infrastructure practice and Head of the
country’s infrastructure. In many ways, his Energy & Infrastructure Business Unit. Numer-
work has supported the creation of countless ous partners and associates have sought Dan’s
jobs, fostered community development, and mentoring and guidance over the years. Dan
was an ally for my own professional develop-
ment years before the term became a buzz-
Young Lee is a partner in Orrick’s Energy & Infra- word. Since 2001, I have had the privilege of
structure Group, based in New York. emulating the “dean of P3s”—as one » Page 109

10 October 2021 |