Gray Reed is excited to announce the launch of the GRIDS Initiative, the firm’s dedicated effort to serve the rapidly growing Texas data center market. GRIDS stands for Government Relations, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Development and Security (Cyber & Data) and brings together Gray Reed attorneys, the legislative and regulatory expertise of GRPR, and the cybersecurity and data privacy capabilities of Gray Reed Advisory to serve landowners, investors, data center developers and operators.
Texas is in the middle of a data center gold rush. Billions of dollars in infrastructure are being planned, permitted and built across the state, and the legal complexity surrounding these projects, from land acquisition and water rights to power agreements and regulatory strategy, is substantial and growing.
"Data centers are the emerging story in Texas, but the legal work behind them is something Gray Reed has been doing for a long time," Gray Reed Managing Partner Kyle Sanders says. "Our attorneys bring experience across every phase of a data center project — from the earliest land and water rights decisions through construction, power arrangements, tax structuring and ongoing compliance. Gray Reed Advisory and GRPR round out that offering with capabilities that go beyond traditional legal services."
Key Initiative Members
Stephen Cooney, Partner
Cooney is a board-certified commercial real estate lawyer and Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers with deep expertise in Texas water law. He serves as Course Director for the State Bar of Texas’s Changing Face of Water Law course and has been active on the State Bar’s Water Rights Committee through nine consecutive Texas legislative sessions. His practice covers groundwater ownership, GCD regulation, severed groundwater estates, Surface Use Agreements and alternative water supply matters.
Ned Crady, Partner
Crady is a veteran transaction lawyer with decades of experience representing energy companies and strategic investors in power generation, LNG, pipeline and infrastructure transactions across the U.S. and Latin America. His practice encompasses large-scale plant development and financing, power purchase agreements, project financing structures and the acquisition and divestiture of energy assets across the U.S. and internationally.
Adam Leggett, Managing Director of Government Relations, GRPR
Leggett brings two decades of public service experience and extensive knowledge of the legislative process at the state and federal levels. He has served in senior roles in the Texas legislature, the Office of the Governor under Rick Perry and as a trusted aide in both the U.S. House and Senate. He is recognized in Capitol Inside’s 2025 Texas Lobby Power Rankings among the top lobbyists in Texas.
The GRIDS Initiative draws on the full depth of Gray Reed's legal capabilities including real estate, energy, tax, M&A and construction, and is further supported by Gray Reed Advisory and its government relations division, GRPR.
To learn more about the GRIDS Initiative, click here.
About Gray Reed
Gray Reed is a full-service Texas law firm with a comprehensive range of litigation and transactional practices. Gray Reed’s more than 160 attorneys focus on understanding our clients’ businesses and industries, supporting companies and high-net-worth individuals with sophisticated legal needs. Through our subsidiary, Gray Reed Advisory Services, we extend our support with expert consultants who provide strategic business solutions tailored to each client’s objectives. Learn more at www.grayreed.com and www.grayreedadvisory.com.