PALO ALTO, Calif.– Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, announced today that Nicholas Gladd has joined the firm’s energy and climate solutions (ECS) practice as senior counsel. He will split his time between the firm’s Washington, D.C., and Boston offices.
Gladd represents independent power companies, project developers, and industry coalitions on electric power transmission, interconnection, and wholesale market access and compensation matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and appellate courts. Using this knowledge and experience, Gladd also structures and negotiates commercial agreements for energy generation and storage projects, as well as operating assets, and counsels clients on power market design, compliance and enforcement.
Prior to entering private practice, Gladd spent more than six years at FERC, holding a series of senior-level positions. He served as legal advisor to FERC Chairman Kevin J. McIntyre and Commissioner Tony Clark, counseling on issues such as organized wholesale electricity markets, natural gas and oil pipeline rates and infrastructure, North American Electric Reliability Corporation standards, electric transmission rates, and generator interconnection rules.
Before joining FERC Chairman McIntyre’s staff, Gladd was a litigator in FERC’s Solicitor’s Office. In that role, he defended FERC in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and in U.S. district courts. His experience also included litigating cases concerning forward capacity markets, power generation and interconnection, inter-regional transmission planning, natural gas pipeline certificates and rates, and hydropower facility licensing.
“Nic’s broad base of energy regulatory knowledge and litigation experience before FERC, along with his impressive track record of helping energy clients complete sophisticated transactions in energy markets, gives him a unique toolkit that we know our energy and climate change clients will value,” said Todd Glass, a Wilson Sonsini partner who co-developed the firm’s energy and climate solutions practice. “Our clients pursue innovative, even disruptive energy and climate change business models, transactions, and initiatives. Helping such clients succeed in regional, state, and local markets across the U.S. requires us to coordinate and deploy professionals with diverse talents and deep knowledge. We’re pleased to welcome Nic to the ECS team.”
Wilson Sonsini’s ECS team represents hundreds of clients, including emerging clean energy companies; leading independent power producers; established public companies in the solar, battery, and EV sectors; private equity and global strategic investors putting capital to work in the decarbonization sector; and large companies pursuing voluntary energy, climate, and sustainability initiatives.
Gladd is the latest senior-level addition to Wilson Sonsini’s energy and climate solutions team. In 2022, the firm added Elise Zoli as a partner in the Boston office. Zoli focuses on global strategic alliances and market-opening transactions in hydrogen, clean energy, water, agriculture, and de-carbonization sectors.
Before joining Wilson Sonsini, Gladd was a partner at Pierce Atwood LLP in that firm’s energy practice. Prior to joining Pierce Atwood, Gladd was Of Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in the energy and infrastructure practice.
Gladd is currently a member of the Energy Bar Association’s Board of Directors. He has also served on several Energy Bar Association committees as chair or vice chair since 2014.
Gladd earned his J.D. from Vermont Law School and an A.B. in environmental studies, government, and legal studies from Bowdoin College.
