• Government Affairs
  • Administrative and Regulatory
  • Attorneys General
  • Economic Development
  • FOIA/Public Information Act
  • Government Contracts
  • Insurance Regulatory
  • Legislative
• Energy Industry Team
• Internet, eCommerce and Technology Team

Mark Vane’s practice focuses on assisting clients in creating public policy that positively impacts their interests. He also aids clients in navigating the maze of government bureaucracy in order to assure compliance with state, federal and local laws and regulations. Mr. Vane is a partner in the Austin office of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP.

Mr. Vane has represented clients before the Texas Legislature in the areas of taxation, health care, transportation, insurance, financial services, education and consumer protection. He has also represented clients before several state agencies, including the Texas Department of Insurance, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Texas Attorney General's Office, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, State Energy Conservation Office, Office of the Texas Secretary of State, Texas General Land Office, Texas Education Agency and Teacher Retirement System of Texas. His work at these agencies has included rulemaking and policy development, licensing, contested case hearings and general representation of client interests.

Before joining the Firm, Mr. Vane was legislative director for a member of the Texas House of Representatives. He managed the legislative package for the representative, shepherding numerous bills through the Texas Legislature. His work in the Texas State Capitol focused on appropriations, insurance and environmental issues. Before returning to Texas in 1992, Mr. Vane was a reporter in Washington, D.C., covering local government as well as federal courts.

Mr. Vane was raised in Houston and attended public schools. He graduated with honors from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1990. During his senior year, Mr. Vane served as editor-in-chief of the campus student newspaper. In 1992, Mr. Vane returned to Texas to enter the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. His course work focused on Texas state government. In 1995 he received his Master of Public Affairs and enrolled in The University of Texas School of Law. Mr. Vane graduated with his J.D. in 1998.

Mr. Vane was recognized for his Government Relations Practice in the 2008-2013 editions of The Best Lawyers in America published by Woodward/White Inc. The honor is widely regarded as the pre-eminent referral guide to the legal profession in the United States.

Mr. Vane's representative matters include:

• Walmart Stores Inc.
• Texas Caterpillar Dealer's Legislative Council
• Deloitte LLP
• Ernst & Young LLP
• KPMG LLP
• Pricewaterhouse Coopers
• Consumer Electronics Association
• Rent-A-Center
• Teva Pharmaceuticals USA
• Gilead Sciences
• VIA Metropolitan Transit

• J.D., The University of Texas School of Law (1998)
• M.P.Aff., LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin (1995)
• B.A., The George Washington University (1990)
  • Member, The Phi Beta Kappa Society

Publications

• Co-Author with Kimberly A. Yelkin, Val Perkins and Marcus Schwartz, Highlights of the 82nd Legislative Session, Tex. Law., July 11, 2011, at 15.
• Co-Author with Kimberly A. Yelkin and David T. Weber, Lobbying in the State of Texas - Changing the Rules of the Game, 17:9 The Metropolitan Corp. Couns., September 2009.
• Co-Author, Looking For A Favorable Business Climate? Try Texas, The Metropolitan Corp. Couns.
• Author, The Legislative Timetable: Procedures and Information Resources.

Presentations

• Co-Presenter with Val Perkins and Kristina W. Silcocks, Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP Conference: The Future of Open Beaches in Texas - The  Severance Opinion and the 83rd Legislature, Galveston, Texas (Sept. 21, 2012).
• Co-Presenter with Val Perkins, Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP CLE Program: 2011 Legislature Wrap Up, Dallas, Texas (Aug. 2, 2011) (co-authored paper for presentation).

• Member, State Bar of Texas
• Member, Travis County Bar Association

• Recognized, The Best Lawyers in America (Steven Naifeh & Gregory White Smith eds., Woodward/White Inc.) (2008-2013)
  • Government Relations Practice
• Recognized, Texas Rising Stars, Law & Politics Media Inc. as published in Texas Monthly (2005)
  • Political Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Government/Cities/Municipalities

• Board Member, Anti-Defamation League, Central Texas Region
• Board Member, Thomas M. Keel Scholarship Fund for Texas Public Finance
• Former Member, Parks and Recreation Board, City of Austin
• Former Member, Community Relations Council, Jewish Community Association of Austin