Holland & Knight LLP

Partner

William P. Byrne practices primarily in the area of transportation, with extensive experience in rail, road, intermodal (multimodal) and ocean transportation, including federal/state compliance issues; motor carrier, broker, truckload, less than truckload and intermodal (multimodal) agreements; equipment management, i.e., chassis, container, railcar and trailer leasing, acquisition, interchange (AAR and UIIA) and M&R agreements; and charter parties. Mr. Byrne has similarly extensive experience in shared freight and passenger rail corridors and has represented buyers and sellers in mergers, acquisitions and restructuring transactions, including the sale and/or lease of rail lines for and on behalf of all classes of rail carriers. He has broad experience handling a wide variety of contract and corporate and commercial matters. Mr. Byrne also regularly assists clients involved with litigation and arbitration and uses his background to help them assess and solve business disputes. Mr. Byrne is a member of the firm's elected Directors Committee and serves on the leadership team of the firm's Transportation and Infrastructure Industry Sector Group.

Mr. Byrne began his career in the transportation business in New York City in 1980 and has acted both as outside counsel as a maritime lawyer and on the business side as CEO of a New York based commercial representative of a Brazilian ship-owning and chemical group engaged in trade to and from the U.S., Europe and the Far East.

Mr. Byrne has served as an arbitrator in a number of maritime arbitrations in New York and is a certified Circuit Court mediator in Florida. His active participation in industry organizations and his recognition by Chambers and others is identified under the Credentials tab.

Upon passing the Florida bar exam in 1999, Mr. Byrne was invited by the Florida Supreme Court to speak on behalf of the candidates at the ceremony for the induction of candidates for admission to The Florida Bar at the Florida Supreme Court.