David E. Benz

Practices

• Transportation

Professional Experience

David is an associate in the firm's Transportation practice group. He focuses his practice on matters involving freight railroad regulation, contracting, and strategy. In particular, he assists clients in understanding their rights under federal law, in reducing their rail transportation shipping costs, and in meeting regulatory requirements of the Surface Transportation Board and other federal agencies.

David is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and the commonwealth of Virginia. He is also admitted to practice in the following federal courts:

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia

Education

• University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 2002
• University of Virginia, B. Arch. Hist., 1992

• Transportation contracts - draft, counsel, and advise
• Rail line acquisition, including relevant documents and regulatory requirements
• Railroad rate reasonableness at the Surface Transportation Board
• Rail line crossings, easements, and other property issues
• Railroads' duty to provide service under the common carrier obligation
• Federal preemption issues related to rail transportation
• Rail line abandonments, including relevant documents and regulatory requirements
• Trackage rights agreements, rail line leases, and other agreements related to rail operations