- Find a Lawyer
- /
- United States
- /
- Energy Regulatory Law
Best Lawyers in America for Energy Regulatory Law
Practice Area Overview
- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which licenses nuclear power plants and supervises their safety.
- The Department of Energy, which sets appliance efficiency standards, and authorizes imports and exports of natural gas and exports of electricity.
- The Department of Transportation, which sets fuel economy standards for motor vehicles and regulates natural gas and oil pipeline safety.
- The Department of Interior, which superintends energy development on Federal lands including the Outer Continental Shelf.
Practitioners in the energy regulatory field participate in administrative proceedings before Federal and State regulatory agencies, pursue judicial review of regulatory orders (where necessary), counsel clients on the application of energy regulatory law to their businesses and projects, and assist clients with related compliance, audit, and enforcement matters.
Doug Smith
Van Ness FeldmanSelect a location from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
State
Mr. Alford represents public utilities and other clients in a variety of matters, including commercial and tort litigation, regulatory proceedings, and contract and property issues. Representative cases include construction disputes, securities actions, antitrust and unfair trade practice claims, medical licensing, and consumer litigation. Mr. Alford also counsels clients concerning regulatory compliance, employment, and general business issues. Mr. Alford graduated from Louisiana State Unive...
Pam Anderson, a partner in the Environment, Energy & Resources practice, represents utilities, local distribution companies, energy marketers, producers, and natural gas, crude oil and products pipelines throughout the country. Pam has represented energy clients before the FERC, NERC, CFTC, PHMSA, DOE and various state regulators. A certified public accountant, she combines her legal and financial experience to help clients negotiate complex business transactions and conduct due diligence...
Brooksany Barrowes is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Brooksany represents clients in regulatory litigation and transactional matters that relate to the energy industry and energy commodity markets. She has worked on cases before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, state public utility commissions including the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Department of Energy, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and federal and state courts. She h...
Since 2004, Thomas has solved problems for Lloyd Gosselink clients through his more than 27 years of experience in representing clients before regulatory agencies, the courts, and the legislature. In addition to his focus on utility administrative law, his experience at the legislature, rate proceedings, rulemakings, transmission line licensing applications, and appellate litigation make Thomas a valuable resource for clients with electric, gas, and water utility issues.
Hillary represents energy, water and wastewater utilities, local governments and other business entities, with a primary focus on utility regulatory matters before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC). She also works with municipalities on utility matters, annexations and reorganizations. Hillary represents investor-owned and municipal utilities before the IURC and in court. She advises on general rate cases, periodic rate adjustment (tracker) proceedings, certificate of public co...
Adam Cote is the Leader of the Energy Practice Group and a member of Drummond Woodsum Strategic Consulting. Adam has nearly 20 years of experience serving the legal needs of clients in renewable energy matters, with a focus on renewable energy development, the wholesale purchase of electricity, the development of renewable energy credit policies, renewable portfolio standards, energy storage, demand response and non-transmission alternative technologies. A former renewable energy business own...
Trey Cox a litigation partner with Gibson Dunn. He is an accomplished and sought after advocate and trial lawyer. He has spent his entire professional life as a courtroom attorney and litigator helping clients resolve large, complicated and often high-profile business disputes. His courtroom experience is unusually broad and extensive. He has tried over 35 cases involving trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, securities fraud, product liability, trademark, insurance coverage, energy, oil a...
Jennifer Cranston (formerly Ratcliff) focuses her practice in three primary areas: real estate disputes involving condemnation and valuation issues; insurance coverage analysis and bad faith litigation; and public utility regulation. Jennifer’s objective is to provide sound legal advice, exceptional service, and cost-effective resolution for all her clients. She has successfully negotiated favorable settlements, as well as prevailed for clients at hearings, in arbitrations, at trial, an...
Charlie Denton represents an array of clients in environmental and toxic tort litigation, enforcement defense, regulatory compliance solutions and pollution insurance coverage disputes. He also serves as an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) neutral mediator and arbitrator. Persistent and highly collaborative, Charlie can take complicated issues and challenges and then identify a strategic path to achieve the client’s objectives. Charlie’s representation of industrial, municipal...
Jared des Rosiers' practice focuses on complex energy regulatory, infrastructure development and siting, and litigation matters before the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and state and federal courts around the country. Jared strives to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for success in collaboration with his clients and then to efficiently implement that plan through advocacy, negotiation and creativity. When litigation is necessa...
John DeTore serves as Administrative Chairman of Rubin and Rudman’s Executive Committee and leader of the Energy Practice Group. John’s practice focuses on representing large energy companies before regulatory agencies and courts throughout New England and in New York. His representations include more than twenty major energy projects involving billions of dollars in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York, including eleven cases before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Jo...
Joan Drake has assisted clients for over twenty years as a lawyer on utility regulation and environmental permitting matters. In utility matters, Joan represents clients on matters involving state and federal regulation of electric and gas utility rates and service, facility siting, wholesale and retail sales, utility acquisition, renewable energy and Qualifying Facilities ("QF"), electric transmission and interconnection, gas pipelines, power purchase and service agreements, and energy effic...
Greg Duplantis’ legal practice centers on oil and gas property title examination with an emphasis on analyzing and rendering complex opinions concerning title that is held by production. He frequently calculates varying royalty interests, overriding royalty interests, and proportionately burdened net revenue interests. Greg routinely renders “stand up” title opinions that require physically searching the indices of courts' conveyance records and executing opinions on site. H...
Frank's practice is focused on utility-related regulation and litigation, with an emphasis on matters involving the electricity and telecommunications industries. He also has significant experience in a range of environmental law issues. His work in the utilities industry has included issues involving electricity, telephone, gas and water regulation before the South Carolina Public Service Commission, where he has appeared for 30 years. In the environmental field his experience includes resol...
William K. Fahey is a Michigan lawyer serving public utilities and municipalities for more than 32 years. He represents electric and natural gas utilities in administrative, regulatory, commercial and appellate matters, and has been involved in nearly every major matter affecting Michigan public utilities over the last three decades. Mr. Fahey has represented more than 100 Michigan municipalities throughout Michigan, both as municipal attorney and as special counsel, principally handling muni...
David C. Fixler’s practice focuses on assisting energy companies with navigating the complex regulatory landscape that, together with sweeping technological changes, is changing the manner in which electricity is generated, distributed, sold, managed, stored, and consumed in the United States. David has wide-ranging experience representing developers of renewable and traditional energy facilities in permitting, siting, interconnection, zoning, property tax and other matters in front of ...
Steve Greenwald’s practice has focused for more than 30 years on energy transactional, regulatory, and dispute resolution matters at the state and federal levels. He assists clients with debt and equity financing, acquisitions, power purchase and sale agreements, obtaining regulatory approval for power purchases, and utility rate and certificate proceedings. Steve's clients include geothermal, biomass, wind, solar and natural gas power projects and financing parties; regulated electric ...
Steve Griffin facilitates infrastructure initiatives across the United States. He works with investor-owned electric utilities, independent power producers, energy developers and energy services contractors to structure contracts and implement large-scale energy projects. With more than 20 years of experience in the electrical energy sector, Steve has a comprehensive understanding of the business and legal landscape. He provides clients with practical, efficient and business-oriented advice. ...
Mr. Griggs represents clients’ interests in legal actions concerning environmental matters brought by private parties and government agencies. He practices before administrative agencies, in state and federal trial courts, and in appellate tribunals. Mr. Griggs' litigation practice includes defense and prosecution of cases arising under federal and state environmental statutes, toxic tort cases, CERCLA and UST disputes, civil penalty proceedings, appellate practice, and FIFRA arbitration proc...
Paul Guarisco practices in the areas of administrative law, business and finance, telecommunications, energy and utilities, and regulatory and governmental matters. He practices primarily before the Louisiana Public Service Commission, representing telecommunications and pipeline carriers, and electric, gas, sewer and water public utilities in all aspects of regulation, including certification, compliance, tariffs, litigation, hearings, audits, rate cases, rulemakings, dispute resolution/medi...
Roger G. Hanshaw concentrates his legal practice on the environmental and technical issues that arise in business transactions, as well as regulatory compliance matters and litigation for a diverse client base. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame. This advanced science degree is critical in representing clients in the science driven field of environmental law. Roger is a certified professional parliamentarian and regularly counsels government bodies and nonprofit o...
Peck Hayne's practice centers on oil and gas, pipeline and other energy-related transactions and regulation and on federal appellate litigation. Peck regularly negotiates, drafts and advises clients on complex purchase and sale agreements, operating agreements, mineral leases, right-of-way agreements, transportation and interconnection agreements, gas storage agreements and settlement agreements in complex litigation and other disputes. He also frequently renders title opinions on complex pet...
Michael B. Heister is a managing member at Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC, with extensive experience in regulatory, environmental, and complex commercial litigation. Mr. Heister’s practice focuses on electrical utility regulatory proceedings, environmental enforcement/compliance, and defending clients who do business in highly regulated industries. His recent experience includes: Advising and representing clients in matters before the Arkansas Public Service Commission, including e...
Kenneth Held is an experienced trial attorney who focuses his practice on business litigation in state and federal courts, arbitration and regulatory enforcement matters, with a particular emphasis on securities litigation, energy litigation and class action defense. His clients range from individuals to publicly traded and privately held companies, as well as private equity firms and hedge funds. Mr. Held has significant experience in securities litigation and defending corporate and individ...
Lee D. Hoffman is chair of Pullman & Comley's Regulatory, Energy and Telecommunications Department and is a member of the firm's Executive Committee. Lee litigates and advises clients in the areas of environmental law, energy and utility matters and toxic tort suits. Lee advises clients on various environmental matters including counseling them on environmental compliance issues, the redevelopment of contaminated properties (“brownfields”) to productive use, assisting with fac...
Practicing law since 2004, Taylor Porter Partner Eddie Hughes serves as the Chair of the Oil/Gas/Regulated Industry practice, and as a member of the Firm's Executive Committee. Eddie's primary areas of practice include Commercial Litigation, Oil and Gas Litigation and Transactions, Toxic Tort Litigation, and Insurance Defense and Casualty Litigation. He brings his unique experience as a former independent petroleum landman to counsel clients on both transactional and litigation matters involv...
Stephen J. Humes concentrates his practice in environmental, energy, public utility and infrastructure law. He advises clients on energy regulatory, renewable energy project development, and environmental issues, including those associated with power plant, solar photovoltaics, cogeneration, liquefied natural gas and pipeline facilities, telecommunications towers and other utility facility siting matters. His energy-related environmental experience includes advising on climate change issues. ...
Jerry N. Jones is a partner in the Baton Rouge office whose practice includes assisting private and public entities with local, state, and federal governmental regulation; lobbying and governmental relations before local and state stakeholders; zoning; environmental permitting and compliance; public works contracts; contract negotiations, disputes, and administration; and energy, oil & gas. He has assisted domestic and international clients in the development, construction, and operation ...
Todd Kantorczyk is a partner at the environmental and energy law firm of Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox. He has extensive experience advising clients on complex issues related to regulatory compliance, litigation, and transactional matters, particularly in the areas of wetlands and stormwater permitting, chemical regulation, air, climate change, and energy. Todd’s practice has included matters related to chemical regulation under the Toxic Substances Control Act, as well as natural gas ...
Andrew Kaplan’s contributions to the energy industry have been nationally recognized. A leader in energy law and policy, he was a major architect of the current energy storage industry and an advocate for many of the regulations and rules that created today’s energy marketplace. With over 25 years of experience from multiple perspectives, Andrew’s reputation as a trusted advisor and advocate has earned him credibility before federal and state regulators. As a former Chief of...
With a commitment to understanding fully each client's mission, Nick Kile focuses on adding value to help them accomplish it. He seeks innovative solutions that are grounded in the law and fact, and align with the big picture business goals. Nick is co-chair of the firm’s Energy, Telecommunications and Utilities team, which was ranked “Tier 1” on U.S. News-Best Lawyers Best Law Firms 2019 list in Indianapolis for energy law. Nick concentrates his practice in two distinct sub...
Ms. Koonz focuses her practice in the areas of environmental and energy law, with an emphasis on environmental permitting and compliance, development and transfer of electric generation facilities, renewable and clean energy projects, coastal and port-area projects, and A-901 licensing. For over 25 years, Ms. Koonz has advised domestic and overseas businesses with respect to New Jersey state and federal environmental permitting, regulatory compliance and requisite scientific data to best mana...
Neil L. Levy focuses his practice on energy-related regulatory and transactional matters. He represents independent power producers, electric power and natural gas marketers, merchant transmission developers, interstate pipelines and local distribution companies before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), state public utility commissions and the courts of appeal. Neil regularly represents private equity clients in merger and acquisition transactions in the energy sector. He also f...
Catherine Little counsels clients on energy-related environmental and administrative law at all levels of federal, state and local government, with particular emphasis on regulatory compliance, enforcement defense and administrative adjudication under the Pipeline Safety Act, Clean Water Act (including wetlands) and the Oil Pollution Act. Catherine regularly advises clients with respect to pipeline safety regulatory compliance issues, permitting, spill and release reporting, as well as natura...
Curt Long has more than forty years of experience in energy and telecommunications, representing clients in state and federal courts, and before regulatory commissions. His practice is concentrated on litigation and regulation of the natural gas, electric and telecommunications industries. Mr. Long's experience also includes retail and wholesale contracts for natural gas, electric, telecommunications, water and process water discharge services. Mr. Long’s clients include utilities, pipe...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.