John Lee Shepherd Jr

Practice Areas

For more than 20 years, John has represented public utility energy suppliers and transmission owners, regional transmission organizations, state agencies, large industrial concerns, and other electric power and natural gas market participants in a wide variety of complex regulatory litigation, certification, and enforcement matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and federal courts. From 2018-2022, John served as Director of Legal Policy at FERC, where he advised three Chairmen and several Commissioners on the implementation of energy policy through administrative and appellate litigation. His responsibilities included drafting orders, facilitating negotiations, managing external litigation, and drafting briefs and arguing cases in matters before the Supreme Court, appellate courts, district courts, and bankruptcy courts. John’s ongoing work in private practice continues to emphasize energy and capacity market design, transmission incentives and cost allocation, pipeline certification and abandonment, hydroelectric licensing, Mobile-Sierra issues, waivers, civil enforcement matters before FERC and federal courts. John is a retired U.S. Army combat veteran and devotes significant pro bono time to disabled veteran and guardian ad litem matters. In addition to his work representing clients, John has been an Adjunct Professor of Energy Law and Appellate Advocacy at The George Washington University Law School since 2016.