America's Leading Lawyers for Business 2008: Energy: Electricity

Chambers & Partners has compiled its independent and objective list of America's Leading Lawyers for Business based on comments gathered from thousands of interviews with clients and lawyers from Maine to Hawaii. This guide — which is designed to reflect market opinion — contains a view of the firms and attorneys who are considered leaders in their field.

In Chambers' 2008 review of national legal talent in the area of "Energy: Electricity," our Firm and our lawyers are listed among the best in the country.

Chambers' comments:

District of Columbia Ranking: Tier 3

The Firm: This highly capable, diversified practice offers a comprehensive menu of services. A leading adviser to IPPs such as Tenaska, USPG, Calpine, Dynegy and LS Power, its expertise spans M&A, energy trading, complex litigation, restructuring and regulatory issues. Advice on private equity and hedge fund investment is a specialty, while its counsel on corporate governance and compliance, allied to its client representations before federal agencies such as FERC, the Department of Energy and the CFTC, exemplifies its regulatory muscle. As one satisfied client noted: "You name it, they do it, whether it be advice on energy hedges, contract work, management services, FERC or the preparation of potential IPOs." In addition to the breadth of the firm's offering, interviewees confirmed that the teamwork exhibited was worthy of praise: "We worked with the entire team and they moved things down through the chain efficiently, which saved us a lot of money." Impressed clients confirm that they "completely trust the team's judgment and value its ability to handle matters without alienating the other side's counsel."

The Lawyers: Energy group co-head Mitch Hertz focuses on energy M&A transactions and is considered "more than just a typical lawyer — he will not only deliver legal risk analysis but also provide strategic acumen." Regulatory specialist Neil Levy is praised for his representation of IPPs and proves "responsive, intelligent and very technically sound." Skilled at drafting, he also "possesses a fine sense of what is achievable once in negotiation."

Clients/Work Highlights: High-profile M&A work includes representing Astoria Generating on its $5 billion merger with EBG Holdings to form US Power Generating, while on the litigation front it has acted for Dynegy in the Bridgeport RMR contract proceedings. The team is a popular choice for advice on hedging strategies to mitigate risk in energy M&A, and demonstrates its regulatory prowess through the provision of federal and state level advice to clients in all six major US power markets.

Reprinted with permission from Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business 2008 — www.chambersandpartners.com.