Ft. Lauderdale, FL – September 26, 2019 – Lee A. Weintraub, Chair of Becker’s Public-Private Partnership (P3) Practice, was invited by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) to share his expertise in a series of P3 training workshop on behalf of the U.S. federal government for governments of eight Asian countries.
The workshops were held in Nepal and Singapore between September 9 – 18, 2019.
The training workshops were organized through the U.S. Embassies in the eight nations invited to attend. Their purpose was to train Asian countries on how to develop policies and legal frameworks to increase foreign investors’ interest in the South Asian and Southeast Asian P3 infrastructure markets.
Continued downward pressure on government budgets combined with mounting need for improvements to roads, sewers, schools and other public assets create business opportunities for private companies to partner with public entities to fill that void with P3s.
Lee discussed key considerations regarding regulatory requirements, procurement strategies, deal structures and contract negotiations of P3s.
Lee Weintraub said, “It was rewarding to meet with foreign governments and teach them how to best meet their needs with P3s through a combination of private financing and ingenuity. P3s will allow these countries to transfer some of the project risks from the public sector to the private sector and leverage the expertise of their private sector partners. The experience was even more humbling because I was training on behalf of the U.S. federal government.”
Becker’s Managing Shareholder said, “The firm is proud of Lee for sharing his deep P3 experience and knowledge with Asian governments. It is an honor to help promote our wisdom overseas.”
Lee and colleague Jennifer Bales Drake co-lead a multi-disciplinary team of professionals experienced in development, construction, government, real estate, corporate, finance, procurement, and land use. He helped draft, negotiate and advocate for the P3 legislation that became law in Florida in 2013 and all its subsequent amendments. Lee is also a founding member and former Chair of the Florida Council for Public/Private Partnerships, a non-profit consortium of public and private sector organizations working together to further P3 opportunities.
Becker established its P3 practice team with attorneys having proven public and private sector knowledge, experience and contacts in order to assist governmental entities and businesses seeking to partner on public facilities in overcoming dwindling government funds and ever-increasing demands for improved roads, sewers, schools, civic buildings and other public assets.
About Becker
Becker, with headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is a multi-practice commercial law firm with attorneys, lobbyists and other professionals in offices throughout the East Coast. More information is available at www.beckerlawyers.com.