Washington, D.C. (April 24, 2009) – Sidley Austin LLP has announced that David R. Hill, former General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), will join the firm as a partner and co-head of Sidley’s global energy practice, resident in its Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Hill will also play a leading role in Sidley’s environmental and climate change practices.
Mr. Hill served DOE as General Counsel and Regulatory Policy Officer from August 2005 to January 2009, and as Deputy General Counsel for Energy Policy from March 2002 to August 2005. In those positions, he provided counsel in DOE’s four primary mission areas — energy, environmental management, science and national defense — on a wide range of legal and policy matters, including legislation, rulemaking, litigation, procurement and policy development.
“Very few energy lawyers have the experience and have earned the respect that David has,” said Carter Phillips, managing partner of Sidley’s Washington, D.C. office. “For the past seven years, he has been at the forefront of the major legal and policy discussions involving energy, environment, climate change, clean tech, resource development and financing sustainable and renewable resources from both domestic and global perspectives.”
Mr. Hill was one of the principal authors of the regulations and solicitations for the multi-billion dollar Loan Guarantee Program for innovative energy projects, which was established by Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. He also had significant input into DOE’s analysis of the loan and grant programs established by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
Mr. Hill had many key roles in connection with the Department’s electricity, energy efficiency and renewable energy, nuclear and environmental programs and policies. He was significantly involved in the Department’s designation of National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors under new authority provided to DOE in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and worked extensively with DOE’s four Power Marketing Administrations, which together market more than 20,000 megawatts of electric power and operate thousands of miles of electric transmission facilities. He had a key role in many of DOE’s nuclear programs, including the development of regulations for the program to provide risk insurance for new nuclear power plants. He worked extensively on the Department’s energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, including the promulgation of new energy efficiency standards for consumer appliances and industrial equipment. In the environmental area, Mr. Hill played a lead role for DOE in interagency teams developing and writing major Clean Air Act and other environmental policies and regulations, including with respect to greenhouse gas emissions. He also had supervisory responsibility for the Department’s compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
Mr. Hill will join Sidley’s team of experienced energy and environmental professionals who represent a diverse range of clients before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Departments of Energy, Transportation, State and Commerce, federal and state courts and state regulatory commissions. The team includes Roger Martella, who served EPA as General Counsel from 2006 to 2008 before rejoining Sidley in July 2008.
“David is a great addition to our practice, and I welcome him as co-head of the energy group. His enormous range and depth of experience will enhance and expand our service to clients in regulatory, litigation and corporate matters. David will also assist clients in dealing with the changing landscape of energy and environmental regulations and in taking advantage of new funding opportunities, among other areas,” said Eugene Elrod, head of Sidley’s global energy practice.
“I am excited to be joining Sidley,” said Mr. Hill. “Sidley has an outstanding team of lawyers in the environment, energy, corporate, litigation and international practice areas, and I look forward to working with them.”
Mr. Hill received his J.D., cum laude, Order of the Coif, from Northwestern University School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Northwestern University Law Review, and his B.S., magna cum laude, from the University of Missouri. Prior to joining DOE, Mr. Hill was a partner in private practice in major law firms in Washington, D.C. and Kansas City where he focused on energy matters.
Sidley Austin LLP is one of the world’s largest full-service law firms, with more than 1800 lawyers practicing in 16 U.S. and international cities, including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. Every year since 2003, Sidley has been named to Legal Business’ Global Elite, its designation for the 18 firms “that define the pinnacle of the legal profession.” BTI, a Boston-based consulting and research firm, has named Sidley to their Client Service Hall of Fame as one of only two law firms to rank in the Client Service Top 10 for seven years in a row, and to the BTI Power Elite as one of only seven law firms demonstrating the best client relationships for the fourth consecutive year.
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