Overview
Representative Matters
Insights
Awards

Chris is the managing partner of the Washington, D.C. office and leads the firm’s 20+ member federal energy practice. Consistently recognized as a leading energy attorney by Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, and Legal 500, Chris represents clients in the energy industry before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and federal courts.

Chris has a wide-ranging energy practice. He represents electric utilities, holding companies, investors, and other market participants on matters relating to federal regulation of the nation’s electricity system. Chris has particular experience in energy market design, competition-related issues related to mergers and acquisitions, and FERC’s market-based rate program. In addition, Chris works on transmission-related issues such as transmission rate cases, reactive power compensation, generator interconnections, affiliate transactions, OATT compliance and Standards of Conduct, as well as FERC compliance and audit defense matters.

Chris also has considerable appellate experience, which includes successfully having briefed and argued consequential energy law cases before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and elsewhere.

Energy M&A

  • Served as FERC counsel on multiple large utility mergers and acquisitions.
  • Counseled multiple utilities on asset transfers and corporate transactions requiring FERC approval under Sections 203 and 204 of the Federal Power Act.
  • Counseled multiple utilities on acquisitions and dispositions of transmission assets.
  • Counseled multiple utilities on acquisitions and dispositions of generating facilities.
  • Counseled multiple utilities on upstream changes in control.

Transmission and Generation Cost-of-Service/Rate Cases

  • Served as lead counsel in cost-of-service transmission rate cases.
  • Represented multiple generators in the negotiation of reliability-must-run cost-of-service contracts and in related FERC proceedings.
  • Counseled multiple transmission owners on formula rate design and associated protocols and compliance.
  • Represented a transmission owner in its application for incentive transmission rates.

Energy Markets

  • Represented western RTO in drafting and defending a new market tariff based on locational marginal prices.
  • Represented a merchant-generating arm of a utility holding company in a FERC complaint against an eastern RTO relating to its capacity market and generator interconnection queue.
  • Represented a vertically integrated utility in a FERC hearing regarding generation market power issues.
  • Served as counsel in three different RTO markets on “buyer-side” market power proceedings at the FERC.
  • Represented several vertically integrated utilities in the defense and maintenance of market-based rate authority.
  • Counseled a merchant generator regarding RTO market design issues.
  • Represented a western RTO in multiple tariff amendments regarding market design issues.

Other Transmission/OATT Issues

  • Represented midwest transmission owners in multiple disputes with interconnection customers.
  • Represented multiple utilities with respect to reforming their generator interconnection procedures.
  • Represented renewable energy developers in FERC compliance efforts.
  • Legal 500 United States: Energy Litigation: Electric Power (2023-2025), Energy Regulation: Electric Power (2023-2024) and Leading Lawyer (2025), and Energy: Energy Regulation: Oil and Gas (2025)
  • Next Generation Partner Ranking in The Legal 500 United States for Industry Focus: Energy Regulation: Conventional Power (2022)
  • Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer (2018, 2020-2021) – independently rated lawyers
  • Best Lawyers in America®: Energy Law (2019-2026)
  • Chambers Global USA, Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation), Nationwide (2024-2025)
  • Chambers USA: Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation), USA Nationwide (2019-2025)
  • Super Lawyers: “Rising Star” in Energy and Resources Law, Washington, D.C. (2013-2015)

Chris is the managing partner of the Washington, D.C. office and leads the firm’s 20+ member federal energy practice. Consistently recognized as a leading energy attorney by Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, and Legal 500, Chris represents clients in the energy industry before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and federal courts.

Chris has a wide-ranging energy practice. He represents electric utilities, holding companies, investors, and other market participants on matters relating to federal regulation of the nation’s electricity system. Chris has particular experience in energy market design, competition-related issues related to mergers and acquisitions, and FERC’s market-based rate program. In addition, Chris works on transmission-related issues such as transmission rate cases, reactive power compensation, generator interconnections, affiliate transactions, OATT compliance and Standards of Conduct, as well as FERC compliance and audit defense matters.

Chris also has considerable appellate experience, which includes successfully having briefed and argued consequential energy law cases before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and elsewhere.

Energy M&A

  • Served as FERC counsel on multiple large utility mergers and acquisitions.
  • Counseled multiple utilities on asset transfers and corporate transactions requiring FERC approval under Sections 203 and 204 of the Federal Power Act.
  • Counseled multiple utilities on acquisitions and dispositions of transmission assets.
  • Counseled multiple utilities on acquisitions and dispositions of generating facilities.
  • Counseled multiple utilities on upstream changes in control.

Transmission and Generation Cost-of-Service/Rate Cases

  • Served as lead counsel in cost-of-service transmission rate cases.
  • Represented multiple generators in the negotiation of reliability-must-run cost-of-service contracts and in related FERC proceedings.
  • Counseled multiple transmission owners on formula rate design and associated protocols and compliance.
  • Represented a transmission owner in its application for incentive transmission rates.

Energy Markets

  • Represented western RTO in drafting and defending a new market tariff based on locational marginal prices.
  • Represented a merchant-generating arm of a utility holding company in a FERC complaint against an eastern RTO relating to its capacity market and generator interconnection queue.
  • Represented a vertically integrated utility in a FERC hearing regarding generation market power issues.
  • Served as counsel in three different RTO markets on “buyer-side” market power proceedings at the FERC.
  • Represented several vertically integrated utilities in the defense and maintenance of market-based rate authority.
  • Counseled a merchant generator regarding RTO market design issues.
  • Represented a western RTO in multiple tariff amendments regarding market design issues.

Other Transmission/OATT Issues

  • Represented midwest transmission owners in multiple disputes with interconnection customers.
  • Represented multiple utilities with respect to reforming their generator interconnection procedures.
  • Represented renewable energy developers in FERC compliance efforts.
  • Legal 500 United States: Energy Litigation: Electric Power (2023-2025), Energy Regulation: Electric Power (2023-2024) and Leading Lawyer (2025), and Energy: Energy Regulation: Oil and Gas (2025)
  • Next Generation Partner Ranking in The Legal 500 United States for Industry Focus: Energy Regulation: Conventional Power (2022)
  • Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer (2018, 2020-2021) – independently rated lawyers
  • Best Lawyers in America®: Energy Law (2019-2026)
  • Chambers Global USA, Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation), Nationwide (2024-2025)
  • Chambers USA: Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation), USA Nationwide (2019-2025)
  • Super Lawyers: “Rising Star” in Energy and Resources Law, Washington, D.C. (2013-2015)

Top areas of focus

  • Director of business development, Cassidy & Associates Government Relations, 2002-2004
  • Director of business development, SWR Worldwide Opinion Research, 2000-2002
  • Special assistant to the candidate, Elizabeth Dole for President, 1999
  • Special assistant to the president, American Red Cross, 1998

 

Education

  • George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, J.D., 2004, Civil Rights Law Journal
  • The College of Wooster, B.A., 1997

Bar Admissions

  • District of Columbia

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
  • Speaker, “Power, Privacy, and Protection: Unpacking Security Challenges in the Energy Sector,” Energy Law Insights, July 31, 2024.
  • Speaker, “Electricity Markets: A Regional Perspective,” Energy Law Insights, August 15, 2023.
  • Moderator, CEO Panel, 2017 Energy Bar Association Mid-Year Review.
  • Panelist, 2017 Gulf Coast Power Association Annual Meeting.
  • Speaker, “Competition – What Is the Future of FERC’s Review of Competition Through Its Section 203 Authority and Market-Based Rates?,” Troutman Energy Conference 2018 (Chicago), June 28, 2018.
  • Speaker, “Transmission Rates: Risks and Trends,” Troutman Energy Conference 2017 (Chicago), June 28, 2017.
  • Speaker, “Market Development 2018,” Troutman Energy Conference 2018 (Chicago), June 20, 2018.
  • “FERC Order No. 890 The Next Generation of OATT Transmission Service,” Troutman Sanders Conference 2007.
  • Moderator, 2008 American Bar Association panel discussion on the Supreme Court’s Decision in Morgan Stanley v. FERC.