Jenner & Block Strengthens Nationally Recognized Energy Practice with Addition of Leading Energy Law Team

CHICAGO, April 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Jenner & Block is pleased to announce that a team of eight leading energy lawyers has joined its nationally recognized Energy Practice, providing the group with additional strength in electric, gas and water utilities experience as well as significant state regulatory and litigation capabilities.  The team, which includes former regulators and a former energy company vice president, is comprised of four partners, two associates and two counsel, all of whom will be based in the firm's Chicago office. 

The team includes Partners Michael Guerra, Anne W. Mitchell, E. Glenn Rippie and John E. Rooney; Associates Hanna M. Conger and Marjorie R. Kennedy; Of Counsel Carmen L. Fosco and Special Counsel Maris J. Jager.  Chambers USA has ranked their practice in Band 1 in Illinois for Energy & Natural Resources since 2011.

"Since its formal launch in 2017 with the addition of former FERC Commissioner Suedeen Kelly and General Counsel Max Minzner, our Energy Practice has grown its reach and reputation as a go-to team of lawyers," said firm Chair Craig C. Martin.  "Adding these established practitioners builds on our reputation and allows us to immediately expand our offerings to clients."

Jenner & Block's Energy Practice, which was named a Law360 2018 Practice Group of the Year, is known for its cutting-edge strategic guidance, nationally recognized litigation track record, public policy advocacy and deep transactional experience.  The group has a unique diversity of knowledge and experience from which they draw upon to assist clients with their most significant matters. 

"Our Energy Practice goal has been to create a destination practice for our clients and we continue to demonstrate that capability by adding a respected team with significant industry experience," said Randy Mehrberg, co-chair of the practice with Suedeen Kelly, who was recently recognized as one of Law360's 10 "Influential Women in Energy Law."  Mr. Mehrberg rejoined Jenner & Block in March 2016 following nearly 15 years of combined service as Executive Vice President at both Exelon and Public Service Enterprise Group.  "This team is a very strong strategic fit with our practice – our Jenner & Block team has successfully worked with its members on common client matters for two decades," he said.

Before joining Jenner & Block, the team worked together at a Chicago-based energy law firm. 

In addition to Ms. Kelly, Mr. Mehrberg and Mr. Minzner, they join long-time firm partners David W. DeBruin, a former US Supreme Court clerk for Justice John Paul Stevens who provides extensive first-chair trial experience and deep proficiency in commercial and appellate litigation in the energy industry, and Matthew E. Price, a former US Supreme Court clerk for Justice Stephen Breyer who is recognized nationally as a Law360 2018 Energy MVP.

"I speak for our entire team in saying that we are excited about the opportunity to join Jenner & Block, allowing us to take our experience and skills and immediately add value to a top-tier growing practice, serve common and new clients and be part of a recognized culture of excellence, diversity, inclusiveness and pro bono commitment," said Mr. Rooney.

ABOUT THE TEAM

PARTNERS

Michael Guerra represents natural gas and electric industry clients before regulatory agencies and state courts.  Mr. Guerra has multifaceted utility experience that includes presiding over high-visibility cases as an administrative law judge, litigating major rate cases and rulemakings as outside counsel for utilities and developing strategic regulatory direction when he served as vice president of regulatory policy and strategy at Commonwealth Edison Company.  Mr. Guerra received his JD from The John Marshall Law School.  He received his BA in public accounting from Loyola University Chicago.

Anne Mitchell focuses her practice primarily on regulatory counseling, trials and appeals involving clients in the natural gas and electric industries, as well as general business litigation.  Crain's Chicago Business recognized her among the "Most Influential Women Lawyers in Chicago" in 2017.  Ms. Mitchell received her BA in French and History from Agnes Scott College, with honors, Phi Beta Kappa and her law degree from Northwestern University School of Law.

Glenn Rippie counsels electric and gas industry clients concerning strategic, regulatory, operational, and commercial matters and litigates disputed energy issues before state and federal agencies and trial and appellate courts.  Chambers USA has consistently named him a #1 rated Illinois energy lawyer; he is the only Illinois lawyer to have been so rated for 10 consecutive years.  He received his AB and MA from Northwestern University (mathematics and economics) and his law degree from the Yale University Law School.

John Rooney focuses his practice on regulatory counseling, trials, state court proceedings and the development of regulatory and legislative strategies. Chambers USA has recognized him as one of the top Energy & Natural Resources lawyers in the state of Illinois since 2003.  He received his BA in accounting from Loyola University Chicago and his law degree from The John Marshall Law School.

ASSOCIATES

Hanna Conger regularly represents electric, gas and water utilities in traditional and performance-based formula rate cases, applications for certificates of public convenience and necessity, and proceedings seeking approval of major utility asset acquisitions, mergers, and reorganizations.  She received her BA, with honors, from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her law degree from Loyola University Chicago.

Marjorie Kennedy focuses her practice on utility regulatory matters and commercial litigation.  She represents natural gas, water, electric and telecommunications utilities in regulatory proceedings, including gas and electric utility rate litigation, reorganization of a large public utility, cost and revenue reconciliations, acquisition of water distribution and wastewater collection systems, and Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity for water and natural gas utilities.  She also counsels clients in general litigation matters in state and federal court, including personal injury claims, OSHA proceedings, contract disputes and environmental matters.  Ms. Kennedy received her BA, cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago and her JD, magna cum laude, from its law school.

COUNSEL

Of Counsel Carmen Fosco focuses on representing natural gas and electric industry clients before regulatory agencies and state courts.  Chambers USA has recognized him as one of the top Energy and Natural Resources attorneys in the State of Illinois consecutively since 2013.  He received his BA from Southern Illinois University and his law degree from DePaul University School of Law.

Special Counsel Maris Jager focuses her practice on energy regulatory matters and commercial litigation.  Ms. Jager was named an Illinois Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers magazine in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 in the Utilities and Energy and Natural Resources categories.  She received her BA in English literature and political science from Emory University and her JD from the University of Chicago.

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK'S ENERGY PRACTICE
Amid high-stakes changes in the energy sector, Jenner & Block provides clients with cutting-edge strategic guidance, a nationally recognized litigation track record, public policy advocacy and deep transactional experience.  Our lawyers, who include a former FERC Commissioner, the former general counsel of Exelon Corporation and former president of PSEG Energy Holdings, and the former Vice President of Regulatory and Policy Strategy at ComEd, have experience handling the full range of issues confronting energy companies today.  These issues include bankruptcy and restructuring, litigation and investigation matters, and transactional and regulatory counseling, including environmental.  We have also counseled energy clients on privacy and data breach response.  Law360 recognized the group as a 2018 Practice Group of the Year.

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK 
Jenner & Block LLP is a law firm with global reach, with offices in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC and more than 500 lawyers.  The firm is known for its prominent and successful litigation practice and experience handling sophisticated and high-profile corporate transactions.  Firm clients include Fortune 100 companies, large privately held corporations, financial services institutions, emerging companies and venture capital and private equity investors.  In 2018, The American Lawyer named Jenner & Block to the A-List, which recognizes the top 20 US law firms.  The American Lawyer also recognized the firm as the #1 pro bono firm in the United States nine of the past eleven years; the firm has been ranked among the top 10 in this category every year since 1990.  In 2018, the publication named the firm its first "Pro Bono Champion."

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