Steve Palmer is a partner in the firm's Energy Group. His practice focuses on advising clients on regulatory policy and business issues arising in both competitive and regulated electricity markets. He has extensive experience in and regularly advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, asset purchases and transfers, matters related to transmission and wholesale sales, market power analysis, electricity rates, and energy transactions. He regularly represents clients in contested administrative hearings, rulemakings, and other proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Mr. Palmer brings to his energy practice a background in antitrust law. Before entering private practice, he spent 10 years as a trial attorney with the Bureau of Competition of the Federal Trade Commission where he investigated and litigated both merger and conduct cases.
Mr. Palmer received his J.D., cum laude, in 1977 from Syracuse University, where he was a member of the board of editors of the Syracuse Law Review. He received his B.A. in 1971 from The Johns Hopkins University.
- Advises energy clients regarding federal regulatory issues related to and has successfully obtained federal approvals for numerous utility mergers and electric generation and transmission asset purchases and transfers.
- Advises a wide range of energy clients in the formation and negotiation of wholesale power and energy transactions including drafting and reviewing tariffs, contracts, and transaction-specific agreements, as well as on related federal energy regulatory issues.
- Successfully represented numerous energy clients in electric rate litigations, rulemaking proceedings and a wide variety of other matters before FERC.
- Federal and state regulatory counsel in connection with various electric utility mergers and acquisitions in connection with purchases and sales of electric generation, transmission and distribution assets.
- Counsel to various investor-owned electric utilities in connection with transmission, purchased power and related commercial activities.
- Counsel to various entities providing independent transmission service and for-profit, independent transmission coordination services.