Brian Thornton

Brian Thornton is a senior public affairs advisor in Holland & Knight's Austin office, bringing nearly a decade of senior-level experience advising leading members of the Texas House and Senate, the Austin City Council, as well as executive director of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA). A seasoned Texas government relations professional, Mr. Thornton has a deep understanding of state and local legislative processes and a strong track record of advancing complex policy priorities through collaborative, results-oriented advocacy.

Throughout his legislative career, Mr. Thornton has drafted, negotiated and helped advance priority legislation and analyzed thousands of bills, providing vote recommendations grounded in substantive policy considerations and weighing competing stakeholder interests.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Thornton founded and led a boutique lobbying firm and represented clients on a wide variety of complex state policy needs, including property tax law, zoning and land use, highly regulated industries and legislative procedural rules. Previously, he served as deputy committee director for the Texas Senate Committee on Local Government and chief of staff for a member of the Austin City Council, giving him a comprehensive perspective on the intersection of federal, state and local authority administration and funding.

As a fifth-generation Texan, Mr. Thornton's Texas roots run deep and inform his bipartisan approach to public policy and government relations. During law school, he was active in extracurricular political engagements that helped forge his path toward real-world policymaking in Austin.