Ropes & Gray LLP: Energy & Utilities

Energy & Utilities

The last several decades have brought considerable change to the energy and utilities industry. Deregulation, new technologies, competition, and economic and geopolitical cycles have created both unexpected pressures and exciting opportunities.

At every point along the way, the interdisciplinary Energy & Utilities Practice at Ropes & Gray has been one step ahead of these developments, helping clients anticipate and address the complex legal, financial and regulatory challenges they face every day. From managing some of the first fossil fuel and nuclear power plant divestitures in the United States, to representing sponsor groups and limited partnerships in energy oriented fund formation and investment matters, to helping energy technology companies protect their valuable intellectual assets, we have provided — and continue to provide — innovative, coordinated guidance.

We serve clients from three key industry sectors:

Traditional utility and energy companies
Private equity funds
New energy and energy-related technology companies

From this three-point foundation, we are able to provide unparalleled legal representation that addresses focused client issues while taking broad industry and regulatory factors into account.

Complete Client Service

At Ropes & Gray we believe that our focus should be on our clients and our Energy & Utilities Practice exemplifies this commitment. With national resources and an emphasis on close cooperation between attorneys from a range of practice areas, we provide our clients with seamless legal counsel and interdisciplinary guidance at every phase of their business and project lifecycles.

Members of the Energy & Utilities Practice come from virtually all of the firm’s key practice areas, including:

Corporate Law. Our attorneys provide energy and utility clients with the full scope of business law services. These range from helping clients manage day-to-day decisions, operational issues, regulatory compliance and fiduciary duties, to helping structure and negotiate complex mergers, acquisitions, asset acquisitions, divestitures, energy supply agreements and generation development projects.
Intellectual Property. We help clients identify, secure and protect a wide range of valuable intellectual assets and information. As a global leader in intellectual property law, the Intellectual Property Group provides experienced, skilled patent prosecution, litigation and dispute-resolution services to for-profit businesses and not-for-profit institutions worldwide.
Private Equity. As members of one of the nation’s premier private equity practices, our attorneys have deep experience in every aspect of finance, securities, equity, public debt, and other investment issues relating to energy and utility companies.

Other key service areas include antitrust, bankruptcy and business restructuring, environmental law, ERISA, government relations, labor and employment, real estate and taxation — all of which include experienced attorneys with in-depth knowledge of this key market sector.

Broad Representation, Focused Delivery

Our clients represent virtually every facet of the energy and utility industry worldwide, from established providers of traditional public utility services and fossil fuels, to start-up firms exploring the latest in alternative fuel technology. They include:

Electricity generation and distribution companies
Holding companies
Private equity funds,investment companies and advisors and private investors
Oil and gas companies
Energy project developers
Privately held, publicly traded and municipal utilities
Regional transmission organizations and industry consortia
Energy-related technology companies

An Ideal Blend

The Energy & Utilities Practice at Ropes & Gray represents an ideal blend of industry experience, broad legal knowledge and interdisciplinary service. Whether helping structure multimillion-dollar financing deals, assuring smooth contracts, or negotiating with retail energy or transmission providers, our attorneys understand what it takes to meet, and exceed, our clients’ needs.