Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP announced today that Adam Wenner has joined the firm’s market-leading Global Energy & Infrastructure Practice and will serve as partner-in-charge of the firm’s Energy Regulatory Group. Wenner joins the firm’s Washington, D.C. office from Chadbourne & Parke LLP. Amanda Riggs Conner will also join Orrick from Chadbourne and will be Of Counsel.
Adam Wenner is nationally recognized as a leading lawyer in the U.S. energy industry, an area in which he has practiced, first in government and then in private practice, for more than 25 years. As Deputy Assistant General Counsel at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Mr. Wenner was instrumental in the development of the federal programs and policies that fostered the independent power industry, and his experience includes representing independent power generators — including some of the largest wind and solar projects in the U.S. — as well as “merchant” transmission companies, traditional electric utility companies, before FERC, state utility commissions, and NERC Regional Reliability Organizations. Mr. Wenner also advises power project developers and financial institutions in transactions involving the development, financing, sale and purchase of energy projects, and he advises some of the largest US companies in the development and implementation of FERC and NERC compliance programs.
Ms. Conner brings more than a decade of experience in the electric utility practice. She previously worked at the FERC boutique firm Wright & Talisman before joining Mr. Wenner at Chadbourne. She has represented regulated electric utility members of regional transmission organizations in proceedings involving cost allocation among customer classes, elimination of through-and-out charges between contiguous RTOs, and revisions to tariff provisions setting forth formula rates, terms of service, and open access requirements. In addition, she has advised clients in FERC audit proceedings, and she currently represents power project developers in the development and sale of power projects.
“Adam and Amanda add expertise and depth in energy regulation to our practice at a time when our clients are navigating a federal and state regulatory environment that is the most complex in our nation’s history,” said Michael Meyers, co-head of Orrick’s Global Energy & Infrastructure practice. “Their regulatory expertise will add value for the full range of energy industry participants as this market expands to match ever -increasing demand.”
Adam Wenner stated that he is “thrilled with the opportunity to work with Orrick’s superb transactional lawyers, who reside in its Washington, D.C., New York and San Francisco offices,” and is “delighted to join a law firm with such a robust practice, especially in renewable energy, an area in which I have focused for many years.”
