Balch & Bingham Welcomes Chris Kirby to Austin, Texas Office, Strengthening Globally Ranked Energy Practice

Balch & Bingham is pleased to announce that Chris Kirby has joined the firm’s Austin, Texas office, as a partner in its globally ranked Energy Practice. Chris brings a strong track record representing energy clients in regulatory, transactional, and public policy matters—experience that will add immediate value to the firm’s clients, both in Texas and across the broader energy landscape.

Chris advises a range of energy sector participants, including power generation companies, large purchasers of electricity, and investors in the energy industry on complex issues spanning regulatory compliance, transactions, and public policy.

He has extensive experience on all aspects of transactional matters in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market, including significant power plant acquisitions. Chris also represents market participants before the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT in compliance matters, rulemaking proceedings and in contested cases. Additionally, Chris provides strategic guidance on M&A transactions and legislative initiatives, helping clients operate confidently at the intersection of law, regulation, and policy.

Before his energy law practice, Chris worked in the Texas Legislature for three legislative sessions. He draws on that experience to counsel clients in a variety of legislative matters, including providing expert testimony at legislative committee hearings and bill drafting.

Chris received his J.D., with Honors from University of Texas School of Law, Austin. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Austin Bar Association and the American Bar Association. 

For more than 100 years, Balch's Energy Practice has been at the forefront of the energy sector, helping clients navigate complex challenges, market demands and emerging technologies.  We represent a wide range of entities in the energy arenas—ranging from electric utilities, energy cooperatives, independent power producers, project developers, and investment funds.

Balch's deep bench of talent includes some of the industry's leading practitioners, who regularly appear before state public utility commissions, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.