Why California’s Energy Crisis Is Driving Demand for Regulatory Lawyers

December 10, 2021

The Recorder

Downey Brand public utility law attorney Mike Day discusses why Downey Brand was the right fit to join, California’s public utility legal environment, and provides advice for the next generation of attorneys in this interview with The Recorder.

For a preview of the article, read below. To read the interview in its entirety, please view this link.

By Jessie Yount, The Recorder

Downey Brand, a Sacramento-born midsize firm, has bulked up its natural resources practice, as California strives to increase its renewable energy resources to 50% of the state’s electricity consumption by 2030.

In October, the 110-attorney firm acquired six attorneys from San Francisco-based Goodin, MacBride, Squeri & Day. Partners Thomas MacBride, James Squeri, Michael Day, Brian Cragg, Megan Somogyi and associate Nirvesh Sikand joined the firm in San Francisco.

“In the last five years, we thought there were possibilities of hooking up with a firm that had more resources and other practices that would add value for our clients, such as land use, infrastructure and corporate law,” said Day, the former managing partner of Goodin MacBride, who was also at one time the acting general counsel for the California Public Utilities Commission.

Goodin MacBride’s public utility regulation team joined Downey Brand. Former name partner Robert Goodin and of counsel Keith Johnson, who practice business litigation, now practice out of The Law Offices of Robert A. Goodin. Former partner John Clark also split from the firm as he ramps down his practice, and is now a solo practitioner at the Law Office of John L. Clark.

Day spoke with Law.com about the tie-up with Downey Brand and the future of energy law in California.