May 12, 2014, Washington, D.C. – Reed Smith today announced Michael A. Yuffee as a partner in its Energy & Natural Resources Industry Group, resident in Washington, D.C. He was formerly a partner and head of the Energy Practice at Fried Frank.
“Michael brings to Reed Smith regulatory and enforcement experience that is increasingly in demand in our growing work before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Commodity Future Trading Commission (CFTC),” said Kyri Evagora, leader of Reed Smith’s Energy & Natural Resources Industry Group. “His commodities practice is a great fit for our market-leading international commodities practice and with our plans for strategic growth in these areas. We already share several clients with Michael and have had a productive working relationship with him for many years.”
Yuffee’s practice is focused on regulatory, enforcement defense and transactional matters in the world’s wholesale energy markets. Yuffee regularly represents energy traders and marketers, commodities traders, financial institutions, wholesale power suppliers, and integrated energy companies with the development of regulatory compliance programs, and represents clients in both public and non-public investigations and enforcement actions. He also represents these clients in the regulatory facets of both the physical and financial wholesale power, natural gas, oil and products markets, including the formation and redesign of wholesale energy markets, transmission and transportation access, capacity market development, interconnection issues, electric transmission, natural gas and oil pipeline rate proceedings, Dodd-Frank implementation and compliance, and general administrative and civil litigation matters. Yuffee also advises clients in structured physical and financial energy transactions, project development transactions, and wholesale power and natural gas transactions.
“Reed Smith’s global reach and its strong ENR Group provide a very strong foundation for the further expansion of my practice,” said Yuffee. “We’re facing a time of increased enforcement activity by both FERC and the CFTC, including aggressive investigations of manipulation and fraud in the trading of both physical and financial energy contracts. Increasingly, clients will require the capabilities my practice brings to Reed Smith in order to navigate the regulatory minefields, and I’m pleased to be joining the team at Reed Smith to provide guidance to these clients.”
A 1994 graduate of Washington University School of Law in St Louis, Yuffee also advises clients in structured physical and financial energy transactions, project development transactions, and wholesale power and natural gas transactions. He assists clients with the development of energy regulatory compliance programs, and represents clients in both public and non-public investigations and enforcement actions.
“Michael is a great fit for this office,” said A. Scott Bolden, Reed Smith’s Washington, D.C. Managing Partner. “We know him well, and are excited he is joining our ranks as the growth of our energy and commodities work accelerates.”
Prior to joining Fried Frank, Yuffee was a partner at Hogan Lovells. Before that, he was a member of the U.S. market-leading commodities team at McDermott Will & Emery.
Prior to entering private practice, Yuffee was an attorney-advisor in FERC's Office of Administrative Law Judges, where he participated in electricity and natural gas rate proceedings, mergers and utility restructurings.
Yuffee is former chair of the Electricity Regulation Committee of the Energy Bar Association. He is recognized by Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business and Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation), as well as by Legal 500 in M&A: Mega-Deals and Private Equity Buyouts.
Yuffee joins an outstanding commodities practice at Reed Smith. Last year, the firm again won the “Excellence in Legal” award at the Commodity Business Awards 2013, achieving its third win in the past four years for “talent and excellence throughout the commodity complex.”
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,900 lawyers in 25 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute-resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.
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