For more than 20 years, Adrienne Clair has provided clients with comprehensive electric and gas pipeline compliance, enforcement, and litigation services — earning her the trust and respect of both utilities and the energy bar.
Adrienne represents primarily cooperative and municipal utilities in applications, litigation and rulemaking proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). As the energy landscape is shifting, Adrienne guides energy industry clients through issues related to Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO) and Independent System Operator (ISO) markets, including capacity and energy, as well as matters involving transmission planning, cost allocation, natural gas pipeline rates and services, and the changing nature and volume of transmission grid usage.
Adrienne handles routine compliance matters such as compliance program design and audits. She also has assisted clients with FERC enforcement actions. Additionally, Adrienne helps clients to obtain market-based rate authority and comply with relevant reporting requirements. The scope of her experience has enriched Adrienne’s practice, contextually, in a way that provides additional value to clients. Together with her colleagues in Thompson Coburn’s energy group, Adrienne brings to her clients a breadth of experience in most geographic regions and markets in the country and puts that experience to use in tailoring solutions for individual clients.
Adrienne litigates proceedings before FERC, including electric cooperative wholesale power contract and rate design issues, cost-of-service revenue requirements, mergers, and transmission formula rate and cost recovery matters. She also represents clients in FERC-related appellate proceedings and practices before the D.C. Public Service Commission in electric utility and natural gas local distribution company matters.
experience
- Represents generation and transmission cooperative utilities in the PJM Interconnection, LLC, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, and Southwest Power Pool regions on issues including capacity market design and accommodation of load-serving entities, litigation regarding formula rates, transmission planning and cost allocation, general electric and natural gas rate proceedings, and general rulemaking proceedings before the FERC.
- Successfully litigated proceedings regarding corporate reorganization under Federal Power Act Section 203.
- Represents a municipal utility and a group of local distribution companies in natural gas pipeline rate and tariff proceedings before the FERC.
- Represents trade associations for municipal and cooperative utilities in select rulemaking and market design proceedings.
- Represented the Office of the People’s Counsel of the District of Columbia in the merger of Washington Gas and Altagas, as well as Washington Gas’ Accelerated pipeline replacement and Pepco rate matters.
Professional
- Energy Bar Association, Past President, 2013-2014, Board Member, 2007-2016
- American Association of Blacks in Energy, Secretary, D.C. Chapter, 2017
- American Bar Association, American Bar Foundation Life Fellow
- Electric Cooperative Bar Association, Advisory Board member, Chair 2024-2025
- Women’s Bar Association of D.C., Energy Forum Founding Co-Chair
Community
- Office of Disability Adjudication and Review, pro bono counsel to litigants before the Social Security Administration
- Captain, Komen Race for the Cure team, 2001-present
- Ranked in Chambers USA (by Chambers and Partners) for Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation), 2010-2024
- Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Energy Lawyers, 2023-2024
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America (by BL Rankings) for Energy Law and Energy Regulatory Law, 2012-2015; 2017-2025
- Named Lawyer of the Year for Energy Regulatory Law by The Best Lawyers in America (by BL Rankings), 2021, 2024
- Named Lawyer of the Year for Energy Law in Washington, D.C. by The Best Lawyers in America (by BL Rankings), 2025
- Listed in Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers (by Thomson Reuters) for Energy and Natural Resources, 2012-2024
- Prepared the 2021 update to the “Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) Title II Compliance Manual”
American Public Power Association, Edison Electric Institute and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, 2021
- “New Generation in the Valley, The Basics of Generator Interconnection Agreements”
TVPPA Legal Seminar, February 2023 - “Transmission Planning Initiatives and You”
APPA Legal and Regulatory Conference, November 2022 - “A New Day for Distributed Energy Resources: FERC’s Order No. 2222”
G&T Accounting and Finance Association Annual Conference, June 2022 - “Transmission Planning at FERC: Toward a Customers’ Bill of Rights”
APPA Legal and Regulatory Conference, October 2017 - “Trends in Transmission Policies and Rates: Up, Up and Away?”
NRECA G&T Legal Seminar, November 2016 - “Getting to Point B: Trends in Federal Transmission Policy and Rates, and Drivers of the Transmission Boom”
G&T Accounting and Finance Association Annual Conference, June 2016 - Panelist, “Keeping the Lights On: Challenges Facing the Energy Industry”
International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation Fall Conference, September 2015
I’m a sports mom to two teenage sons. I spend most of my free time sitting in the bleachers at various soccer fields or running tracks, cheering loudly.