Mr. Watts represents clients on a wide range of public utility and energy issues, including federal and state regulation of electrical and natural gas utilities and non-utility generation (NUG) projects.

His practice includes a focus on multi-state energy regulatory aspects of energy transactions and projects, including mergers and acquisitions, the development, financing, construction and operation of energy facilities and electric transmission line siting.

Mr. Watts practices before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the State Corporation Commission of Virginia, and regulatory commissions of other states, including the North Carolina Utilities Commission, Public Service Commission of West Virginia, Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Michigan Public Service Commission, Wisconsin Public Service Commission and Kentucky State Board on Electric Generation and Transmission Siting.

He served on the firm's team of resource development advisors to the Republic of Kazakhstan and on another team advising the Republic of Bulgaria on energy concessions and power sector privatization and restructuring.

Mr. Watts has served as vice chair of the Energy Bar Association's Non-Utility Generation Committee and president of its Southern Chapter, and as chair of the Board of Governors of the Virginia State Bar's Administrative Law Committee. He is a member of the American Bar Association's Section of Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law and Section of Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Law. He has been listed in Woodward/White, Inc.'s The Best Lawyers in America since 1993 and has been named a “Virginia Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics magazine.

He has spoken on energy regulatory issues at seminars and conferences sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, American Gas Association, Electric Power Research Institute, NARUC's Natural Conference of Regulatory Attorneys, Eastern Mineral Law Foundation, National Regulatory Conference, McGraw-Hill's Independent Power Report and Electrical World, Infocast, Center for Business Intelligence, Institute for International Research, EXNET, Public Utilities Fortnightly and the University of Richmond School of Law. He is also author of the chapter on "Distributor Gas Supply" in Matthew Bender's treatise Regulation of the Gas Industry and has lectured at the University of Virginia Law School and University of Richmond School of Law on federal energy regulation under the Natural Gas Act and Federal Power Act.