Michael A. Yuffee is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP and is based in the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He is head of the Firm’s Energy Regulatory practice. Michael focuses his practice on regulatory, enforcement defense, and transactional matters relating to the wholesale energy markets.
Michael represents wholesale power suppliers, financial institutions, power marketers, and integrated energy companies with respect to regulatory facets of the wholesale power and natural gas markets, including: the formation and redesign of wholesale electricity markets, electricity transmission access, capacity market development, generation and transmission interconnection issues, natural gas pipeline proceedings, and general administrative and civil litigation matters. He has considerable experience in assisting clients with the development of energy regulatory compliance programs, manuals, and training materials, and in representing clients in both public and non-public investigations and enforcement actions. Michael also advises clients in structured physical energy transactions, project development transactions, and wholesale power and natural gas transactions.
Michael is listed in Chambers USA – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Best Lawyers in America (2005-2009). He has served as the Chairman of the Electric Regulation Committee of the Energy Bar Association.
In addition, Michael has authored a number of articles and speaks regularly concerning energy regulatory issues.
Prior to entering private practice, Michael was an attorney-advisor in FERC’s Office of Administrative Law Judges, where he assisted in all aspects of electricity and natural gas rate proceedings, mergers and utility restructuring.
While at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, Michael served as Notes and Comments Editor for the Washington University Law Quarterly. He is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia, and before the D.C. Circuit and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Energy Bar Association.
Representative Experience
- Represent clients in various investigations before the FERC Office of Enforcement
- Represent a client in a renewable energy generation interconnection case before FERC
- Advise clients on developing energy regulatory compliance manuals, programs, and training materials
- Represent a client in a confidential arbitration concerning a dispute over the implications of a regulatory change on the interpretation of a contract
- Represent clients in California MRTU market redesign proceedings and ongoing regulatory administrative and stakeholder processes
- Represent client before the U.S. Supreme Court concerning a request to modify a long-term contract and in the remand proceedings at FERC
- Represent client in FPA 203 proceeding to acquire convertible debt
- Represent lead market participant in case to establish a Reliability Capacity Services Tariff in California ISO market.
- Represent client in PJM Reliability Pricing Model case to redesign the capacity market in PJM and in the New England LICAP case to establish locational capacity markets
- Defend clients concerning allegations energy market manipulation and from requests for refund and retroactive contract modification arising from western energy crisis of 2000-2001
Education
- Washington University School of Law, J.D., 1994
- Boston University, B.A. (cum laude), 1991
