Utility Law

Spilman's Utility, Energy & Communications Law Group provides litigation, regulatory compliance, and counseling in every energy and utility area, including electricity, natural gas, communications, cable television, water, wastewater and renewable energy. Our skilled team of utility and energy attorneys serve clients throughout the region from offices in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida.

Our team of attorneys and support staff has many decades of experience in the regulatory arena and beyond. We provide aggressive representation before state public service/utility commissions, arbitration panels, circuit courts, and state courts of appeal in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Virginia, and federal trial and appellate courts, including the United States Supreme Court. Spilman's Utility Law team has appeared in nearly 20 jurisdictions.

Services provided by the Utility Law Practice Group include:

• Representing industrial, manufacturing, institutional and commercial end-users of electricity, natural gas, and other utility services in regulatory litigation (including General Investigation, Rulemaking, and Policy proceedings) before state public utility/service commissions and appellate courts
• Providing legislative assistance and input related to federal and state energy laws and regulations on an as-needed basis for large end-user clients
• Providing advice and counsel to individual large users in contract or service agreement negotiation and quality of service and contract disputes involving the utility providers of such services
• Representing and counseling large users with respect to energy efficiency, demand-response, and on-site generation issues
• Representing developers of generation projects, including on-site generation projects, large-scale renewable (wind and solar) energy projects, and natural gas-fired generation projects
• Representing competitive providers of energy and communications services before state commissions, focusing on due diligence and regulatory compliance, and, as necessary, litigation, including acquisitions, transfers of permits, and complaint defense
• Representing municipal and public service district clients in water and wastewater regulatory matters, including obtaining certificates of convenience and necessity for project construction, approval of rate increases, and approval of contracts
• Providing water and wastewater project management and advice, including assistance in securing water and wastewater project approvals
• Providing management of easement and land acquisition for water and wastewater projects
• Representing municipal and public service district clients in public financing matters

The goal of the Utility Law Practice Group is to assist our clients in anticipating and meeting their business needs as they are affected by utility services and regulation. We provide advice and counsel informed by the current regulatory landscape, and we offer our clients accurate and timely assessments of emerging national and state energy developments and trends. As necessary, we will vigorously represent our clients’ interests in litigation.

To learn more about our Utility, Energy & Communications Law Practice Group, please contact:

Primary Contacts:

Team Roster: