Brian Hughes

Brian Hughes is of counsel and a member of the firm’s Special Districts Practice Group. He advocates for and helps clients develop and comply with land use, water, and other energy-related policies and regulations.

A hydrogeologist by training, Brian comes to BBK from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of the Solicitor, where he was as an attorney-advisor with the Bureau of Reclamation for the California-Great Basin Region. In this role, he routinely handled legal matters and issues involving water contracting and repayments; operations, maintenance and replacement (OM&R); new construction projects, including dams and canal reconstruction; environmental impact statement (EIS) development and review; water-related procurements and grants; FOIA requests; and electrical power sales and transmission construction financing, as well as power cost recoupment. Brian also handled legal matters involving the San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP); negotiated Bureau of Reclamation recreational oversight agreements; and advised local groups on land use, law enforcement and wildfire management.

As a project manager for the Bureau of Reclamation Planning Division, Brian gained significant experience with federal regulations regarding construction projects, including the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, NEPA, reclamation laws, and other legislation related to the management and use of public lands.

In his spare time, Brian likes to fix up vintage Volkswagen cars and race them off-road in rally type events.