Two Experienced Energy Lawyers Join DWT

JUNE 8, 2015 – Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is pleased to announce the significant expansion of its energy practice with the addition of two highly experienced lawyers at the firm’s New York office. Nicholas A. Giannasca has joined as a partner and Carlos E. Gutierrez has joined as counsel. Both were most recently at Blank Rome LLP.

Giannasca brings to Davis Wright Tremaine more than 27 years of practice in the energy industry. He has represented a broad array of utility, institutional, and developer clients in transactional, regulatory, and administrative matters, including matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) and state public utility commissions.

Gutierrez has a decade of energy experience, including serving as in-house counsel with the New York Power Authority, the nation’s largest state-owned electric utility. At Blank Rome, he represented energy clients before FERC, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”), and other state public utility commissions, including on enforcement matters.

“We’re very pleased to add these two highly skilled energy practitioners to our team,” said Craig Gannett, co-chair of the energy practice group at Davis Wright Tremaine.

Giannasca began his legal career at a boutique energy firm that served as outside general counsel to New York State Electric & Gas Corporation and its parent company, Energy East Corporation (now known as Iberdrola USA). Over the years, he has regularly represented clients on electric transactional and regulatory matters, including competitive electric and gas supply, electric and gas commodity transactions, FERC electric compliance, NERC reliability standards, generation interconnection, and wholesale power transactions.  He is also very active representing developers and hosts in distributed generation, including solar and cogeneration.

At Blank Rome, Giannasca and Gutierrez’s diverse experience included representing  a large public utility holding company on FERC and NERC compliance and enforcement matters; representing an environmental asset management firm in the financing of California renewable energy facilities; representing a leading national energy supplier in several refinancings and acquisitions; representing a bank in connection with a construction loan for development of solar generation facilities; and representing a methane gas recovery company in the portfolio sale of 11 landfill projects.

“Their extensive experience in FERC and NERC matters, combined with their considerable project development and finance work, make Nick and Carlos perfectly complementary to DWT’s areas of strength, and further bolster the firm’s full-service model,” said Scott MacCormack, co-chair of the firm’s energy practice. “We look forward to bringing the full breadth of their skills to bear for our clients.”

Giannasca received his B.A. from Columbia University and his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. Gutierrez received his B.A. from Texas A&M University and his J.D. from Cornell Law School.

 

About Davis Wright Tremaine

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a national law firm with approximately 500 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.dwt.com.