2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Energy Lawyers

David Martin Connelly, partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office and member of the Energy Practice, and Stephen Gidiere, partner in the firm’s Birmingham office and member of the Environmental & Natural Resources Practice, were recently honored in the “2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Energy Lawyers” guide, identifying the most elite energy attorneys nationwide.

The "2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Energy Lawyers" list celebrates the nation’s top legal professionals specializing in diverse aspects of energy law, from sustainable finance to oil company mergers, handling disputes across various sectors including toxic torts and regulatory issues. It recognizes lawyers with a deep bench of experience representing corporations in everything from wind, water, nuclear, solar or mined energy. 

With more than 25 years of experience, David advises electric utilities and their affiliates on legal and policy matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and U.S. Courts of Appeals. His practice focuses on electric transmission matters, including open-access transmission service, cost-of-service rates for transmission and ancillary services, incentive transmission rates, generation and transmission interconnection matters, and the provision of wholesale distribution service, both in bilateral and organized markets. He regularly advises on transmission and generation interconnection issues associated with renewable development and also advises on North American Electric Reliability Corporation compliance matters, including self-reports, spot checks, formal audits, and cybersecurity issues. He currently serves as president of the Energy Bar Association.

Stephen has over two decades of experience litigating environmental and natural resources cases against the federal government and non-governmental organizations in federal district courts, U.S. Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He represents businesses, local governments, and trade associations in environmental litigation, including enforcement actions, under federal environmental statutes including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act. He also routinely handles challenges to agency rulemakings and other actions under those laws.