Attorneys can receive few greater endorsements than being hired by a longtime adversary.
The attorneys in our Energy Law group, who spend much of their time representing Michael Best clients in regulatory matters, routinely find themselves sitting across the table from government agencies. The energy business draws scrutiny and regulation from every level of government, and our attorneys are as adept at working with state and municipal officials as they are with powerful federal agencies.
A few years ago, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) found itself in the awkward position of suing another Wisconsin state agency. WDNR joined an environmental group and the federal EPA in accusing the State’s Department of Administration of failing to secure proper permitting for its boiler fleet, which was in violation of the Clean Air Act.
Initially, the Wisconsin Department of Justice represented the State. But after the WDNR joined the suit, State officials determined that the Department of Administration should have independent counsel and hired Todd Palmer, a lead attorney in Michael Best’s Energy Law practice. They knew Todd well, because over the years they’d spent a lot of time opposing him in various regulatory and legal matters.
Since then we’ve been advising the State as it works its way through the litigation process, including entering a settlement in which it agreed to evaluate and modernize the boiler plants in question. After the settlement, Todd and our team were retained to do what they do for our industry clients every day: provide counsel on what regulations require, what they mean, and what changes might be coming, so that clients can make smart investment decisions.