See individual biographies for licensure details
Practice: Energy Law
Rashmin Asher focuses her practice on administrative law in the area of public utility regulation, and she has represented utilities and municipalities in proceedings before governmental and regulatory boards throughout Texas.
Johnny Beech has more than 30 years of experience as a litigator focusing on contracts, financial services matters, and trust issues.
Andrew Brought counsels manufacturers, industrial clients, and businesses with complex environmental (EPA) and workplace safety (OSHA) challenges. A dependable and responsive advocate, he offers pragmatic and business-focused solutions to help his clients achieve their goals.
Samantha Catalano provides broad legal guidance and assistance to businesses and associations navigating a wide variety of environmental and energy matters and associated civil litigation, specifically focusing on the regulatory aspects of environmental and natural resource management and oil and gas law to avoid unnecessary legal exposure.
Bill Curtis represents clients in government investigations and environmental litigation related to syndicated conservation easements, carbon and energy credits, and traditional environmental issues. He represents professionals, companies, and investors navigating the confluence of environmental, energy, and tax law by employing deep experience handling high-stakes investigations spearheaded by the DOJ, IRS, EPA, and other state and federal regulators. His individualized approach to client matters and attention to detail allow him to provide clients with solutions tailored to their unique needs and risk profiles.
Eleanor D’Ambrosio combines her policy and regulatory experience to provide clients with proactive and responsive counsel and advocacy in utility-related regulatory and business matters, helping them provide efficient and high quality service to the public.
Patrice Douglas counsels banks, energy companies and utilities on legal, regulatory, and compliance matters. She helps clients navigate the complex regulatory issues they face in today’s economy so they can close transactions efficiently and move forward to realize their goals.
Tom Driggs advises clients in the areas of water transactions and regulation, real estate and corporate transactions, and related government relations issues in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. His clients include farmers, ranchers, dairies, hotel casinos, power companies, mining and industrial companies, golf course owners, real estate developers, individual homeowners, and a multinational resource-efficient agricultural producer working to grow blueberries in the Nevada desert.
Joseph “Joe” Dworak helps individuals and organizations on a wide range of matters while developing solutions that comply with rapidly evolving legal requirements in litigation, administrative actions, environmental matters, health law, and governmental affairs. Clients seek Joe’s advice as a result of his practical experience, creative problem-solving, and tenacity. He is passionate about advancing clients’ short- and long-term priorities and developing processes that promote compliance and risk mitigation.
Cody Faulk represents investor and municipally owned utility clients in both routine and complicated administrative, transactional, operational, and regulatory issues, helping them capitalize on financial benefits in operations while avoiding potential crises. He specifically focuses on regulatory and enforcement proceedings for municipalities, utilities, and landowners before the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Railroad Commission of Texas, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and the State Office of Administrative Hearings, including providing consulting services to outside firms needing aid in navigating these regulatory agencies.
Jane Fedder is a proven and trusted advocate, advisor, strategist, trial, and appellate attorney specializing in resolving complex environmental enforcement, litigation, and insurance recovery disputes.
Anthony J. (A.J.) Ferate has built a multi-faceted background in the areas of the law, policy, energy, campaigns and elections, and defense for more than 20 years.
Melodie Freeman-Burney represents businesses, policyholders, insurers, and other organizations in multifaceted litigation and insurance coverage matters, providing strategic counsel on disputes, claims, and risk management issues that can significantly impact their operations and financial interests.
Angela currently serves a wide variety of clients in civil litigation and environmental matters. She practices utilities law, administrative law (primarily in water and oil and gas), and Native American law. She is dedicated to achieving the best possible outcomes for her clients, whether that be through non-legal solutions, mediation, or winning in court.
Ed Herman helps clients purchase and sell improved and unimproved real property, as well as existing businesses. In addition, Ed assists his clients in addressing the day-to-day transactional issues that arise during the operation of their businesses. Ed currently represents numerous child care franchisees who have purchased and constructed new facilities in Texas.
Carlota (Coty) Hopinks-Baul advises clients on a wide range of environmental, safety, and health issues including federal and state regulation of discharges to groundwater and surface waters, as well as drinking water, air, hazardous and non-hazardous waste, chemical releases, and workplace exposure matters.
Kami Hoskins creates and implements effective solutions for employers navigating complex labor and employment law issues, providing meticulous defense in state and federal courts as well as before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
Paul Jacobson guides clients through their environmental and workplace safety challenges involving EPA, OSHA, state environmental and workplace safety agencies, and private parties.
Evan Johnson represents water, electric, gas, and telecommunications utilities in complex regulatory proceedings before the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Railroad Commission of Texas, drawing on more than a decade of focused industry experience to consistently achieve favorable outcomes. Most recently, he has developed an expansive water practice representing regulated water utilities in acquisition and rate change proceedings at the Public Utility Commission, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Office of the Attorney General.
Brianna Mathias provides practical, compliance-based counsel to businesses navigating both simple and complex environmental and energy law matters, with specific experience addressing regulations concerning health and safety within the mining industry.
Creighton McMurray focuses his practice on public utility regulation and administrative law.
Jessica Merrigan is a partner in the Kansas City and Overland Park offices of Spencer Fane. She counsels clients on environmental matters regarding regulatory requirements and represents them in litigation of environmental claims, including contribution claims under the federal Superfund law.
Karen D. Olson is an experienced regulatory, compliance, and litigation attorney that uses her significant government and private practice experience to represent her clients. She served as deputy attorney general for the State of Minnesota for more than a decade, where she represented the attorney general, governor, legislature, and state agencies and boards on complex and high-profile legal matters.
Kari Olson assists clients with administrative and regulatory matters throughout the state of New Mexico with an active focus on state and federal environmental law, public utility regulation, and western water law. Kari employs her diverse industry knowledge and acute attention to detail to navigate complex regulatory landscapes across multiple sectors.
Thomas represents public utilities and other clients with over four decades of experience in regulatory proceedings before the Public Regulation Commission and its two predecessor agencies, the Public Utility Commission and the State Corporation Commission.
Kelsey Parker’s practice focuses on energy and environmental law, primarily in the area of public utility regulation, where she represents utilities and municipalities in proceedings before governmental and regulatory boards throughout Texas. She helps clients navigate complex transactional, operational, and regulatory issues, developing practical solutions aligned to meet evolving regulations
Jim Price is a partner with Spencer Fane, where he was co-chair of its Environment and Energy Law practice group and was a member of the firm’s Executive Committee from 1997 to 2009. His practice concentrates on environmental regulation and compliance, environmental litigation, toxic torts, and business transactions involving environmental issues. Jim has served as lead counsel for numerous environmental matters, including lawsuits, Superfund proceedings, RCRA corrective action, environmental transactions, and environmental permitting and compliance for solid waste, hazardous waste, water, air, and other matters.
Baerbel Schiller, a partner in the Kansas City and St. Louis offices, practices with the firm’s environmental group. Before joining Spencer Fane, Baerbel worked for the Environmental Protection Agency for 15 years in various management positions. At the EPA, Baerbel negotiated and litigated environmental cases arising under Superfund and RCRA and developed national EPA policies on regulating compliance, hazardous waste cleanups, Superfund and RCRA enforcement, and the reuse of contaminated sites.
David Skawin helps clients prepare for, navigate, and resolve issues related to environmental laws and regulations, employing diverse experience in the public and private sectors to form practical solutions and mitigate potential risks.
Hayley Stephens helps businesses resolve complex disputes and navigate workplace challenges so they can protect their interests, manage risk, and achieve strategic objectives.
Adam Veltri assisted clients with complex matters involving real estate and oil and gas acquisitions, divestitures, financings, development, and operations.
John Leonard Watson leverages his in-depth commercial trial and litigation knowledge to understand clients’ needs and goals and serves as a formidable advocate on their behalf. With his exceptional trial skills, John has successfully represented clients in state and federal courts, helping them plead their cases before juries and judges in dozens of trials to verdict. During his 50 years practicing law, he has also fought for his clients’ interests before numerous federal, state, and local administrative and regulatory agencies and shepherded them through alternative dispute resolution forums including arbitration and mediation.
Catherine Webking provides clients with detailed and thorough advocacy on utility-related regulatory matters involving electricity, telecommunications, water, and natural gas services. She thoroughly understands her clients’ businesses to help them navigate the regulatory landscape to maximize success. Catherine enjoys and excels at providing her clients with exceptional representation and advocacy at the Texas Legislature, agencies like Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Railroad Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M in Chemical Engineering is a pivotal asset for advocacy in the often-times complex utility markets.
Randi Winter helps her clients achieve favorable litigation outcomes with respect to business, employment, and licensing disputes. She also represents clients in matters involving health law, labor law, and utility law. She is experienced in all facets of litigation and arbitration, but has particularly enjoyed helping clients, both large and small, obtain trial victories before judges and juries in federal and state court.
Shelby Wood focuses his practice in the areas of commercial real estate, commercial real estate finance, environmental law, and renewable energy.
When a dispute arises that affects your business or its future, having a trial lawyer like James L. Wooll on your team is crucial. Jim has extensive experience – in trials with juries and with appellate courts, as well as mediation and arbitration – helping clients head off potential lawsuits when possible and aggressively litigating them when they cannot.