Fox Amps Up Energy Practice in Raleigh with Addition of Ben Snowden and David Drooz
09/02/2021
Fox Amps Up Energy Practice in Raleigh with Addition of Ben Snowden and David Drooz
Fox Rothschild LLP is pleased to welcome Benjamin L. Snowden as a partner and David T. Drooz as counsel to the firm’s Raleigh office in the Energy & Natural Resources Practice.
“Ben and David are widely renowned attorneys in North Carolina’s energy, water and infrastructure sectors and bring their collective decades of experience to our growing Energy & Natural Resources Practice,” said Matthew Nis Leerberg, the firm’s Raleigh Office Managing Partner. “As the energy industry evolves and expands its focus to include more clean and renewable sources, Ben and Fox Partner Karen Kemerait lead the way in assisting companies in North Carolina and beyond in project development, generation, interconnection and usage issues.”
“Ben broadens our transactional, regulatory and litigation capabilities in the renewable energy space, and David will provide valuable perspective and experience from his former tenure as Chief Counsel to the Public Staff of the North Carolina Utilities Commission,” added Gray Styers, Chair of Fox’s Energy & Natural Resources Practice Group. “We are thrilled to add this exceptional and accomplished duo to our firm.”
Snowden represents companies involved in the development and operation of renewable and other energy projects. He assists these companies in obtaining regulatory approvals, negotiating offtake agreements, addressing interconnection issues and resolving regulatory disputes before state utilities commissions and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He has extensive experience handling issues that relate to Qualifying Facilities under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA).
Snowden also advises clients in the energy and manufacturing sectors on environmental permitting, compliance and enforcement matters. When clients face regulatory enforcement challenges, Snowden conducts internal investigations, handles the response to agency information requests and defends enforcement actions. He also represents clients in environmental litigation in federal and state courts, including products liability, contaminated site, citizen suit and natural resource damage cases.
Snowden earned his J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law and B.A. from Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining Fox, he was counsel at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP.
Drooz acquired many years of experience with electric, water/wastewater and other utility regulatory matters while at the Public Staff of the North Carolina Utilities Commission. He also covered a wide range of legal issues as in-house counsel for North Carolina State University.
As Chief Counsel of the Public Staff for the North Carolina Utilities Commission, Drooz led a team of 12 attorneys on ratemaking, regulatory compliance, policy matters and negotiations with utilities throughout the state. He also litigated a variety of regulatory matters, including a recent notable case involving utilities' ability to recover the costs of coal ash cleanup. Drooz has briefed and argued several utility cases before the N.C. Court of Appeals and N.C. Supreme Court. In several roles with NC State, including Interim Vice Chancellor & General Counsel, he advised university leadership on student discipline, policy decisions, data privacy and security issues, tax questions, personnel matters, open records requests and copyright law.
Drooz earned his J.D. from University of North Carolina School of Law and B.A. from Haverford College.
Fox Amps Up Energy Practice in Raleigh with Addition of Ben Snowden and David Drooz
“Ben and David are widely renowned attorneys in North Carolina’s energy, water and infrastructure sectors and bring their collective decades of experience to our growing Energy & Natural Resources Practice,” said Matthew Nis Leerberg, the firm’s Raleigh Office Managing Partner. “As the energy industry evolves and expands its focus to include more clean and renewable sources, Ben and Fox Partner Karen Kemerait lead the way in assisting companies in North Carolina and beyond in project development, generation, interconnection and usage issues.”
“Ben broadens our transactional, regulatory and litigation capabilities in the renewable energy space, and David will provide valuable perspective and experience from his former tenure as Chief Counsel to the Public Staff of the North Carolina Utilities Commission,” added Gray Styers, Chair of Fox’s Energy & Natural Resources Practice Group. “We are thrilled to add this exceptional and accomplished duo to our firm.”
Snowden represents companies involved in the development and operation of renewable and other energy projects. He assists these companies in obtaining regulatory approvals, negotiating offtake agreements, addressing interconnection issues and resolving regulatory disputes before state utilities commissions and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He has extensive experience handling issues that relate to Qualifying Facilities under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA).
Snowden also advises clients in the energy and manufacturing sectors on environmental permitting, compliance and enforcement matters. When clients face regulatory enforcement challenges, Snowden conducts internal investigations, handles the response to agency information requests and defends enforcement actions. He also represents clients in environmental litigation in federal and state courts, including products liability, contaminated site, citizen suit and natural resource damage cases.
Snowden earned his J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law and B.A. from Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining Fox, he was counsel at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP.
Drooz acquired many years of experience with electric, water/wastewater and other utility regulatory matters while at the Public Staff of the North Carolina Utilities Commission. He also covered a wide range of legal issues as in-house counsel for North Carolina State University.
As Chief Counsel of the Public Staff for the North Carolina Utilities Commission, Drooz led a team of 12 attorneys on ratemaking, regulatory compliance, policy matters and negotiations with utilities throughout the state. He also litigated a variety of regulatory matters, including a recent notable case involving utilities' ability to recover the costs of coal ash cleanup. Drooz has briefed and argued several utility cases before the N.C. Court of Appeals and N.C. Supreme Court. In several roles with NC State, including Interim Vice Chancellor & General Counsel, he advised university leadership on student discipline, policy decisions, data privacy and security issues, tax questions, personnel matters, open records requests and copyright law.
Drooz earned his J.D. from University of North Carolina School of Law and B.A. from Haverford College.
Want to read more law firm news?
For past editions of our weekly law firm news, click here.
Contact Our Recruiters Now!
