Thursday, April 28, 2016

Jennings Strouss Attorneys Recognized in 2016 Washington DC Super Lawyers



WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 26, 2015) – Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, PLC announced that attorneys Debra D. Roby, Joel L. Greene, Gary J. Newell, Alan I. Robbins and Deborah A. Swanstrom have been listed in the 2016 Washington DC Super Lawyers® in the area of Energy and Natural Resources.
Debra D. Roby is Chair of the firm's Energy practice group and has extensive experience representing clients before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and related courts. She counsels clients on a variety of energy matters, including electric transmission access and rate proceedings, regional transmission organizations, organized electric power markets, hydroelectric licensing and compliance, contract negotiations, complaint proceedings, NERC reliability compliance, audits and appeals, and other matters.  
JoelL. Greene has more than 40 years of experience assisting clients in energy regulatory matters, legal strategic planning, contract negotiations and advocacy before FERC, U.S. Department of Transportation, state commissions, and the courts. Mr. Greene is very active in the energy industry, having served on the North American Energy Standards Board and as an officer of the Energy Bar Association. In addition, he served as chair of the International District Energy Association (IDEA) and is currently the Association’s legal counsel.
GaryJ. Newell has extensive experience in energy law, having focused his legal practice on regulatory and contract issues affecting both suppliers and purchasers of wholesale electricity and bulk power transmission services. Since 1978, Mr. Newell has represented municipalities, municipal joint action agencies and cooperative utility systems in a broad array of administrative and appellate proceedings, at both the state and federal levels, involving the rates, terms and conditions for energy-related products and services. Mr. Newell has also been an active participant in negotiations involving the formation of Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) and centralized wholesale electricity markets in several regions of the U.S.
Alan I. Robbins is an experienced energy lawyer and administrative litigator before the FERC and related courts. For over 35 years, Mr. Robbins has helped his clients navigate a broad range of energy issues, including restructuring of the electric industry and the development electric power markets, traditional electric rate matters, utility merger proceedings, contract negotiations, hydropower licensing, project development, and overall business strategies. His clients include municipal joint action agencies, generation and transmission cooperatives, a state utility commission, individual municipal and cooperative electric systems, larger end-users, and other market participants.
Deborah A. Swanstrom has more than 25 years of experience representing clients from diverse segments of the electric and natural gas industries on regulatory matters related to ratemaking, open access, transmission projects, renewable generation projects, interconnections, hydropower project exemptions and energy trading. Ms. Swanstrom counsels clients on FERC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulations, reliability standards developed by NERC and regional entities, and compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act, Federal Power Act and Natural Gas Act. She has represented government and investor-owned electric utilities, investors in generation and transmission projects, industrial electricity consumers, state and local regulators, gas pipelines, local distribution companies, and producers and marketers. 
The selections for the top attorneys in Washington, DC are made by the research team at Super Lawyers, which is a service of the Thomson Reuters Legal Division based in Eagan, MN. Each year, the research team undertakes a rigorous multi-phase selection process that includes a survey of attorneys, independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and a good-standing and disciplinary check. Only five percent of attorneys are named by Super Lawyers.

About Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, PLC
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, PLC, has been providing legal counsel for over 70 years through its offices in Phoenix and Peoria, Arizona; and Washington,D.C. The firm's primary areas of practice include agribusiness; bankruptcy, reorganization and creditors’ rights; construction; corporate and securities; employee benefits and pensions; energy; family law and domestic relations; health care; intellectual property; labor and employment; legal ethics; litigation; professional liability defense; real estate; surety and fidelity; tax; and trust and estates. For additional information please visit www.jsslaw.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

The firm’s affiliate, B3 Strategies, assists clients with lobbying and public policy strategy at the local, state, and federal levels. For more information please visit www.b3strategies.com.
~JSS~
Contact:  Dawn O. Anderson  |  danderson@jsslaw.com|  602.495.2806

Monday, April 25, 2016

Jennings, Strouss & Salmon Attorney Recognized as "Top Lawyer" - David Brnilovich Selected for Az Business Magazine's Top Lawyers List


PHOENIX, Ariz. (March 23, 2016) – Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C., a leading Phoenix-based law firm, is pleased to announce that David was included in the March/April issue of Az Business Magazine’s “Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona.” Lawyers were selected based on career achievements and commitment to the legal industry.

Brnilovich represents his clients mainly in the “West Valley,” which consists of 15 communities located in western Maricopa County, Arizona, including Avondale, Buckeye, El Mirage, Gila Bend, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Peoria, Sun City, Sun City West, Surprise, Tolleson, Wickenburg and Youngtown. He has substantial legal experience advising business clients in the areas of real estate, construction, corporate governance, small business formation, dissolution, vehicle sales and financing purchases and asset sales, estate planning, and litigation.

“It is an honor to be recognized among the top lawyers in Arizona. I have great appreciation for my clients, some of whom I have been representing for more than 30 years,” states Brnilovich. “My practice continues to focus on advising small to midsized businesses on a number of legal issues, particularly related to real estate transactions and litigation. There is also an increasing need for assisting businesses with succession planning and the transition of ownership to the next generation who will take the reins.”

AZ Business magazine’s editorial team compiles a list of the top 100 attorneys in the state, which are chosen from more than 1,000 of the most successful lawyers in Arizona. The lawyers picked to be included in the list are ones that make a substantial impact not only in their practice and in the legal industry, but in the communities they serve.

“We want to congratulate David on this well-deserved honor,” stated John C. Norling, Managing Attorney of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon. “A long-time resident of the West Valley, David demonstrates a firm commitment to providing effective and efficient legal services to clients not only in the West Valley, but across the State of Arizona. We are honored to call him our partner.”

Brnilovich, who is the lead attorney in JSS’ Peoria office, is a graduate of Leadership West Class VIII and a member of the Westmarc’s Economic Development Committee. He is a member of over 15 professional affiliations in the industry and the lead attorney in JSS’ Peoria office.

About Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C.
Jennings, Strouss &Salmon, P.L.C., has been providing legal counsel for over 70 years through its offices in Phoenix and Peoria, Arizona; and Washington, D.C. The firm's primary areas of practice include agribusiness; automobile dealership law; bankruptcy, reorganization and creditors’ rights; commercial litigation; construction; corporate and securities; employee benefits and pensions; energy; estate planning and probate; family law and domestic relations; health care; intellectual property; labor and employment; legal ethics and professional liability defense; real estate; surety and fidelity; and tax. For additional information please visit www.jsslaw.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

The firm’s affiliate, B3 Strategies, assists clients with lobbying and public policy strategy at the local, state, and federal levels. For more information please visit www.b3strategies.com.
~JSS~
Contact: Dawn O. Anderson | danderson@jsslaw.com | 602.495.2806

 

Thursday, April 21, 2016

The United States Supreme Court Limited the Ability of States to Promote Generation Development


























A unanimous decision of the United States Supreme Court issued on April 19, 2016 in Hughes v. Talen Energy held that the State of Maryland's program to promote development of in-state electric generation assets is preempted by federal law because it "sets" interstate wholesale rates under FERC's exclusive jurisdiction. The Court, was careful to limit its decision to state contractual arrangements that condition payment of funds on capacity clearing in a FERC jurisdictional auction - reasoning that such arrangements directly interfere with FERC's authority to set wholesale rates.


To address a perceived failure of PJM Interconnection, LLC ("PJM") markets to promote construction of new generation and thus ensure adequate electricity supply to Maryland customers, the State solicited proposals and selected CPV Maryland, LLC ("CPV") to build a new in-state gas-fired generating station. The State also mandated that Maryland load serving entities ("LSE") each enter into a contract with CPV designed to help finance the project. This contract provided that, as long as CPV's capacity offer cleared in the PJM capacity auction, CPV would receive a specified price for its capacity regardless of the price at which the auction cleared the market. If, for example, the market clearing price was less than the contractually guaranteed price, LSEs, would make up the difference to CPV, and would collect the money from Maryland ratepayers. If the market clearing price exceeded the guaranteed price, CPV would make a payment to the LSEs, who would pass those savings on to their ratepayers in the form of lower retail prices. If CPV's resource offer failed to clear (that is, it was not selected in the PJM capacity auction), CPV would not receive a payment from the Maryland LSEs.

The Supreme Court affirmed the Fourth Circuit's judgment that Maryland's arrangement could seriously distort the "price signals" produced by PJM's auction process because it gives CPV the incentive to bid into the PJM auction at the lowest possible price. (Since CPV would only get paid if it were selected, and since LSEs would make up the difference between the clearing price and the guaranteed price, CPV's incentive was to offer its capacity at a low price, ensuring it would be selected.) The Supreme Court agreed with the Fourth Circuit that Maryland's program "sets" a wholesale rate, which is a matter that lies within FERC's exclusive jurisdiction. The Court reasoned that the State's program disregarded the rate set by FERC by adjusting it. Relying on its prior decisions in Mississippi Power & Light and Nantahala, the Supreme Court stated: "States interfere with FERC's authority by disregarding interstate wholesale rates FERC has deemed just and reasonable, even when States exercise their traditional authority over retail rates or, as here, in-state generation."

While affirming FERC's authority over wholesale rates and preempting Maryland's program, the Supreme Court was also careful to preserve the Federal Power Act's reservation to the states of jurisdiction over generation. The Court made clear that not every state program or action encouraging the construction of new generation is preempted, stating that "[s]o long as a State does not condition payment of funds on capacity clearing the auction, the State's program would not suffer from the fatal defect that renders Maryland's program unacceptable." The Court emphasized the limited scope of its holding and specifically distinguished other measures states might employ to encourage construction of new generation, such as tax incentives, land grants, direct subsidies, construction of state-owned generating facilities, and re-regulation of retail electric markets.



Thursday, April 14, 2016

Gary J. Newell & Richard S. Harper Featured in District Energy Magazine















Jennings, Strouss & Salmon energy attorneys, Gary J. Newell and Richard S. Harper are featured in the latest edition of District Energy magazine.

Read the full article: CHP, demand response and the Supreme Court's decision in FERC v. EPSA .
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon energy attorneys, Gary J. Newell & Richard S. Harper , are featured in the latest edition of District Energy magazine.
Read the full article: CHP, demand response and the Supreme Court's decision in FERC v. EPSA
- See more at: http://www.jsslaw.com/news_detail.aspx?id=469#sthash.XM267Zxq.dpuf
 
 

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Twenty-Four Jennings Strouss Attorneys Recognized in 2016 Edition of Southwest Super Lawyers®

PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 11, 2016) - Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, PLC, a leading Phoenix-based law firm, announced that twenty-four attorneys have been listed in Southwest Super Lawyers® magazine for 2016, including eight 2016 Southwest Rising Stars.

The Jennings Strouss attorneys listed in 2016 Southwest Super Lawyers are:
  • Gerald W. Alston - Business Litigation
  • Thomas Arendt - Real Estate
  • Timothy W. Barton - Real Estate
  • David Brnilovich - Business Litigation
  • Richard K. Delo - Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense
  • John J. Egbert - Employment & Labor
  • Lee E. Esch - Real Estate
  • Jay A. Fradkin - Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense
  • Richard Lieberman - Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Jay M. Mann - Construction Litigation
  • Bruce B. May - Real Estate
  • Michael R. Palumbo - Business Litigation
  • J. Scott Rhodes - Professional Liability: Defense
  • Jack N. Rudel -Tax
  • John G. Sestak, Jr. - General Litigation
  • Bradley J. Stevens - Bankruptcy: Business
The attorneys listed as 2016 Southwest Rising Stars are:
  • Alan P. Christenson - Real Estate
  • Jeffrey D. Gardner - Securities Litigation
  • Eric D. Gere - Business Litigation
  • Kerry A. Hodges - Business Litigation
  • Kami M. Hoskins - Bankruptcy: Business
  • Norma C. Izzo - Family Law
  • Anne E. McClellan - Civil Litigation: Defense
  • Christopher J. Rogers - Securities and Corporate Finance 
About Southwest Super Lawyers
The selections for the top attorneys in Arizona are made by the research team at Super Lawyers, which is a service of the Thomson Reuters Legal Division based in Eagan, MN. Each year, the research team undertakes a rigorous multi-phase selection process that includes a statewide survey of attorneys, independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and a good-standing and disciplinary check. State-wide, up to five percent of attorneys are named by Super Lawyers, and no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys under the age of 40 and practicing 10 years or less are included as Rising Stars.

About Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, PLC
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, PLC, has been providing legal counsel for over 70 years through its offices in Phoenix and Peoria, Arizona; and Washington, D.C. The firm's primary areas of practice include agribusiness; bankruptcy, reorganization and creditors' rights; construction; corporate and securities; employee benefits and pensions; energy; family law and domestic relations; health care; intellectual property; labor and employment; legal ethics; litigation; professional liability defense; real estate; surety and fidelity; tax; and trust and estates. For additional information please visit www.jsslaw.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

The firm's affiliate, B3 Strategies, assists clients with lobbying and public policy strategy at the local, state, and federal levels. For more information please visit www.b3strategies.com.

~JSS~
 
Contact: Dawn O. Anderson  |  danderson@jsslaw.com  |  602.495.2806

Monday, April 11, 2016

Employers Should Prepare Now for New Hire White-Collar Overtime Rule


By: Kami Hoskins

Employers take note - major changes may be coming to overtime regulations. According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), a proposed rule change would extend overtime protections to nearly 5 million white collar workers. The proposed changes are anticipated to be finalized within the coming months, and employers should start planning now.

By way of background, on July 6, 2015, the DOL issued a proposed rule revising the Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees exemption to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This is commonly referred to as the FLSA's "white collar" exemption. For employees to qualify under this exemption, they must meet certain minimum criteria related to their primary job duties and be paid a salary of not less than $455 weekly ($23,660 annually). An exemption is also available for certain highly compensated employees, who earn at least $100,000 annually.

With the new rule, the DOL proposes to update the minimum salary level equal to the 40th percentile of earnings for full-time salaries workers, which is approximately $921 weekly ($47,892 annually) and to increase the minimum compensation for highly compensated employees to equal the 90th percentile of earnings for full-time salaried workers, which is approximately $122,148 annually. Further according to DOL, the changes will include a mechanism to "automatically update the salary and compensation thresholds on an annual basis."

The rule is in the final rule stage. It is not clear when the new rule will be issued and what changes, if any, to the original proposed rule will be made. Nevertheless, employers should be prepared to adjust their employee classifications if the rule takes effect.

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Kami Hoskins is an Arizona native dedicated to creating and implementing effective resolutions to complex legal issues for a variety of clients. She focuses her practice on two primary areas: 1) Bankruptcy, Reorganization and Creditors' Rights Law; and 2) Labor and Employment. Ms. Hoskins is also the Chair of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon's Diversity Action Committee, and she helps lead the firm's diversity and inclusion strategic initiatives. 


 
 
 
 

Thursday, April 7, 2016

More ADA Cases Filed by Serial Plaintiff David Ritzenthaler

By: Lindsay Leavitt


If Phoenix-area business owners don’t already know who David Ritzenthaler is, they soon will. The Scottsdale resident has sued more than 200 local businesses and landlords for alleged parking lot violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And he is just getting warmed up—I anticipate that he could file up to 10,000 ADA lawsuits within the next six months.  Read my earlier blogs about Mr. Ritzenthaler’s lawsuits here and here.

There is a method to Mr. Ritzenthaler’s madness—he is suing businesses zip code by zip code. He started in Scottsdale and now is working his way through central Phoenix.  I have personally represented more than two dozen business owners who have been sued by Mr. Ritzenthaler and have become very familiar with Mr. Ritzenthaler (and his attorney’s) M.O.

The ADA is a complex and incredibly dense Federal law. However, Mr. Ritzenthaler’s lawsuits only allege violations of the provisions addressing parking lots. Specifically, Mr. Ritzenthaler (and his attorney) are looking at the number, location and dimensions of the lot’s accessible spaces as well as whether those spaces have the proper signage outlined in the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. 

Many of my clients have been lulled into a false sense of security—believing that their properties were ADA compliant because their paving company, city building inspector, architect, etc. told them they were. The ADA is a civil rights law, not a building code.  A property can still be noncompliant with the ADA even though it passed a government building inspection. 

Phoenix-area business owners who have not yet been sued should consult with a knowledgeable attorney and make sure they take proactive steps to avoid getting caught in Mr. Ritzenthaler's drive-by litigation tactics.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Linday G. Leavitt is a business litigation and employment law attorney at Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C. He regularly represents businesses in ADA compliance related disputes and provides advice on preventative measures
is a business litigation and employment law attorney at Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C. He regularly represents businesses in ADA compliance related disputes and provides advice on preventative measures - See more at: http://www.jsslaw.com/news_detail.aspx?id=463#sthash.lB5QF7Ix.dpuf
is a business litigation and employment law attorney at Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C. He regularly represents businesses in ADA compliance related disputes and provides advice on preventative measures - See more at: http://www.jsslaw.com/news_detail.aspx?id=463#sthash.lB5QF7Ix.dpuf
is a business litigation and employment law attorney at Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C. He regularly represents businesses in ADA compliance related disputes and provides advice on preventative measures - See more at: http://www.jsslaw.com/news_detail.aspx?id=463#sthash.lB5QF7Ix.dpuf

Jennings, Strouss & Salmon Expands Energy Practice Group with the Addition of Gerit F. Hull


PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 6, 2016) – Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C., a leading Phoenix-based law firm, is pleased to announce that Gerit F. Hull has joined the firm as a Member in the firm’s Energy Practice in Washington, D.C.
“We are excited to have Gerit join us,” stated Deb Roby, Chair of the firm’s Energy Practice Group. “His depth of experience in the electric and natural gas industries will be a tremendous benefit to the firm’s energy clients.”
Hull represents clients in the electricity and natural gas industries. He is experienced in matters involving production, acquisition and sales of energy in wholesale and retail markets, and related transportation, transmission and distribution services. Hull offers transactional representation and counsel regarding compliance with state and federal regulations. Hull provides advocacy in matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), state utility commissions, and in state and federal court.
Hull’s practice addresses issues stemming from wholesale and retail electricity market participation, Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) membership, transmission system expansions and interconnections, transmission and ancillary services rates and tariffs, reliability regulations, hydroelectric project licensing and operations, and access to electric utility infrastructure by communications companies. In the natural gas sector, his engagements involve wholesale market transactions, pipeline transportation service and storage capacity, compliance with safety regulations, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects. In addition, Hull provides counseling and advocacy to gas and electric retail suppliers in licensing, contractual and consumer protection matters.
“I am pleased with the opportunity to join Jennings, Strouss & Salmon,” stated Hull. “The firm’s deep energy bench will be a great resource for my clients and I am looking forward to working closely with the energy team and other talented lawyers at this full-service law firm.”
In addition to over a decade of private practice, Hull’s work experience includes four years as an attorney for the Bonneville Power Administration, an agency under the U.S. Department of Energy that markets electric power produced by federal hydropower facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Hull also served for four years as senior counsel at PacifiCorp, where he focused on matters involving PacifiCorp’s Power Delivery business unit.
Hull earned his J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1996 and an LL.M. from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2000. He earned a B.A. in economics and management from Hiram College.

About Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C.
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C., has been providing legal counsel for over 70 years through its offices in Phoenix and Peoria, Arizona; and Washington, D.C. The firm's primary areas of practice include agribusiness; automobile dealership law, bankruptcy, reorganization and creditors’ rights; construction; corporate and securities; employee benefits and pensions; energy; family law and domestic relations; health care; intellectual property; labor and employment; legal ethics; litigation; professional liability defense; real estate; surety and fidelity; tax; and trust and estates. For additional information please visit www.jsslaw.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

The firm’s affiliate, B3 Strategies, assists clients with lobbying and public policy strategy at the local, state, and federal levels. For more information please visit www.b3strategies.com.

~JSS~
Contact:  Dawn O. Anderson | danderson@jsslaw.com| 602.495.2806
PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 6, 2016) – Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C., a leading Phoenix-based law firm, is pleased to announce that Gerit F. Hull has joined the firm as a Member in the firm’s Energy Practice in Washington, D.C.
“We are excited to have Gerit join us,” stated Deb Roby, Chair of the firm’s Energy Practice Group. “His depth of experience in the electric and natural gas industries will be a tremendous benefit to the firm’s energy clients.”
Hull represents clients in the electricity and natural gas industries. He is experienced in matters involving production, acquisition and sales of energy in wholesale and retail markets, and related transportation, transmission and distribution services. Hull offers transactional representation and counsel regarding compliance with state and federal regulations. Hull provides advocacy in matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), state utility commissions, and in state and federal court.
Hull’s practice addresses issues stemming from wholesale and retail electricity market participation, Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) membership, transmission system expansions and interconnections, transmission and ancillary services rates and tariffs, reliability regulations, hydroelectric project licensing and operations, and access to electric utility infrastructure by communications companies. In the natural gas sector, his engagements involve wholesale market transactions, pipeline transportation service and storage capacity, compliance with safety regulations, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects. In addition, Hull provides counseling and advocacy to gas and electric retail suppliers in licensing, contractual and consumer protection matters.
“I am pleased with the opportunity to join Jennings, Strouss & Salmon,” stated Hull. “The firm’s deep energy bench will be a great resource for my clients and I am looking forward to working closely with the energy team and other talented lawyers at this full-service law firm.”
In addition to over a decade of private practice, Hull’s work experience includes four years as an attorney for the Bonneville Power Administration, an agency under the U.S. Department of Energy that markets electric power produced by federal hydropower facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Hull also served for four years as senior counsel at PacifiCorp, where he focused on matters involving PacifiCorp’s Power Delivery business unit.
Hull earned his J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1996 and an LL.M. from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2000. He earned a B.A. in economics and management from Hiram College.

About Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C.
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C., has been providing legal counsel for over 70 years through its offices in Phoenix and Peoria, Arizona; and Washington, D.C. The firm's primary areas of practice include agribusiness; automobile dealership law, bankruptcy, reorganization and creditors’ rights; construction; corporate and securities; employee benefits and pensions; energy; family law and domestic relations; health care; intellectual property; labor and employment; legal ethics; litigation; professional liability defense; real estate; surety and fidelity; tax; and trust and estates. For additional information please visit www.jsslaw.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

The firm’s affiliate, B3 Strategies, assists clients with lobbying and public policy strategy at the local, state, and federal levels. For more information please visit www.b3strategies.com.
~JSS~
Contact:  Dawn O. Anderson | danderson@jsslaw.com| 602.495.2806
- See more at: http://www.jsslaw.com/news_detail.aspx?id=465#sthash.8oLuRG8b.dpuf
PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 6, 2016) – Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C., a leading Phoenix-based law firm, is pleased to announce that Gerit F. Hull has joined the firm as a Member in the firm’s Energy Practice in Washington, D.C.
“We are excited to have Gerit join us,” stated Deb Roby, Chair of the firm’s Energy Practice Group. “His depth of experience in the electric and natural gas industries will be a tremendous benefit to the firm’s energy clients.”
Hull represents clients in the electricity and natural gas industries. He is experienced in matters involving production, acquisition and sales of energy in wholesale and retail markets, and related transportation, transmission and distribution services. Hull offers transactional representation and counsel regarding compliance with state and federal regulations. Hull provides advocacy in matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), state utility commissions, and in state and federal court.
Hull’s practice addresses issues stemming from wholesale and retail electricity market participation, Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) membership, transmission system expansions and interconnections, transmission and ancillary services rates and tariffs, reliability regulations, hydroelectric project licensing and operations, and access to electric utility infrastructure by communications companies. In the natural gas sector, his engagements involve wholesale market transactions, pipeline transportation service and storage capacity, compliance with safety regulations, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects. In addition, Hull provides counseling and advocacy to gas and electric retail suppliers in licensing, contractual and consumer protection matters.
“I am pleased with the opportunity to join Jennings, Strouss & Salmon,” stated Hull. “The firm’s deep energy bench will be a great resource for my clients and I am looking forward to working closely with the energy team and other talented lawyers at this full-service law firm.”
In addition to over a decade of private practice, Hull’s work experience includes four years as an attorney for the Bonneville Power Administration, an agency under the U.S. Department of Energy that markets electric power produced by federal hydropower facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Hull also served for four years as senior counsel at PacifiCorp, where he focused on matters involving PacifiCorp’s Power Delivery business unit.
Hull earned his J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1996 and an LL.M. from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2000. He earned a B.A. in economics and management from Hiram College.

About Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C.
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C., has been providing legal counsel for over 70 years through its offices in Phoenix and Peoria, Arizona; and Washington, D.C. The firm's primary areas of practice include agribusiness; automobile dealership law, bankruptcy, reorganization and creditors’ rights; construction; corporate and securities; employee benefits and pensions; energy; family law and domestic relations; health care; intellectual property; labor and employment; legal ethics; litigation; professional liability defense; real estate; surety and fidelity; tax; and trust and estates. For additional information please visit www.jsslaw.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

The firm’s affiliate, B3 Strategies, assists clients with lobbying and public policy strategy at the local, state, and federal levels. For more information please visit www.b3strategies.com.
~JSS~
Contact:  Dawn O. Anderson | danderson@jsslaw.com| 602.495.2806
- See more at: http://www.jsslaw.com/news_detail.aspx?id=465#sthash.8oLuRG8b.dpuf
PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 6, 2016) – Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C., a leading Phoenix-based law firm, is pleased to announce that Gerit F. Hull has joined the firm as a Member in the firm’s Energy Practice in Washington, D.C.
“We are excited to have Gerit join us,” stated Deb Roby, Chair of the firm’s Energy Practice Group. “His depth of experience in the electric and natural gas industries will be a tremendous benefit to the firm’s energy clients.”
Hull represents clients in the electricity and natural gas industries. He is experienced in matters involving production, acquisition and sales of energy in wholesale and retail markets, and related transportation, transmission and distribution services. Hull offers transactional representation and counsel regarding compliance with state and federal regulations. Hull provides advocacy in matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), state utility commissions, and in state and federal court.
Hull’s practice addresses issues stemming from wholesale and retail electricity market participation, Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) membership, transmission system expansions and interconnections, transmission and ancillary services rates and tariffs, reliability regulations, hydroelectric project licensing and operations, and access to electric utility infrastructure by communications companies. In the natural gas sector, his engagements involve wholesale market transactions, pipeline transportation service and storage capacity, compliance with safety regulations, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects. In addition, Hull provides counseling and advocacy to gas and electric retail suppliers in licensing, contractual and consumer protection matters.
“I am pleased with the opportunity to join Jennings, Strouss & Salmon,” stated Hull. “The firm’s deep energy bench will be a great resource for my clients and I am looking forward to working closely with the energy team and other talented lawyers at this full-service law firm.”
In addition to over a decade of private practice, Hull’s work experience includes four years as an attorney for the Bonneville Power Administration, an agency under the U.S. Department of Energy that markets electric power produced by federal hydropower facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Hull also served for four years as senior counsel at PacifiCorp, where he focused on matters involving PacifiCorp’s Power Delivery business unit.
Hull earned his J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1996 and an LL.M. from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2000. He earned a B.A. in economics and management from Hiram College.

About Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C.
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C., has been providing legal counsel for over 70 years through its offices in Phoenix and Peoria, Arizona; and Washington, D.C. The firm's primary areas of practice include agribusiness; automobile dealership law, bankruptcy, reorganization and creditors’ rights; construction; corporate and securities; employee benefits and pensions; energy; family law and domestic relations; health care; intellectual property; labor and employment; legal ethics; litigation; professional liability defense; real estate; surety and fidelity; tax; and trust and estates. For additional information please visit www.jsslaw.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

The firm’s affiliate, B3 Strategies, assists clients with lobbying and public policy strategy at the local, state, and federal levels. For more information please visit www.b3strategies.com.
~JSS~
Contact:  Dawn O. Anderson | danderson@jsslaw.com| 602.495.2806
- See more at: http://www.jsslaw.com/news_detail.aspx?id=465#sthash.8oLuRG8b.dpuf