About

Our Electric Cooperatives practice, built on our deep and unique history with electric cooperatives, offers a diversified practice and a focus on the future of the industry.

Your role within the electric cooperative industry means that you are part of an industry with a distinct social mission and historical significance, including a tradition of inventiveness and independence, and no one knows electric cooperatives better than we do. In the four decades in which we’ve proudly served electric cooperatives, we have developed a deep familiarity with all aspects of the business, cultivated relationships with all key industry players, and have been at the forefront of growth and evolution within the industry.

In an increasingly complex world, we understand that electric cooperatives continue to face new challenges. We work to stay abreast of the ever-evolving utility industry to not only understand but also shape developments affecting all aspects of the industry from financing to tax to member contracts to regulatory to power supply (including renewable energy from solar to carbon capture) to project development. Because our Electric Cooperative practice draws on the resources and experience of our broader Energy practice, we’re also able to help you take advantage of strategies embraced by others in the energy industry when beneficial.

One example of a development within the electric cooperative industry for which we’ve been at the forefront is the rise of the first mortgage indenture as the market-accepted security instrument for electric cooperative financing transactions. Formerly limited to traditional financing through the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service and cooperative lending institutions, electric cooperatives, including large distribution cooperatives, have shifted away from historical joint mortgages and embraced market solutions, including mortgage indentures that provide opportunities for and access to other financing structures and partners, such as institutional investors in private placement transactions.

Our innovative thinking is not limited to finance matters. We offer a variety of services that will help you reimagine your approach to litigation, power purchase arrangements and project development, member contracts, cooperative tax, and regulatory matters. The breadth of our expertise allows us to navigate your most challenging legal matters in the ever-changing electric cooperative landscape.