Former Top FERC Enforcement Official Joins McGuireWoods

April 7, 2010

Todd Mullins, former branch chief in the Investigations Division of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, (FERC) has joined McGuireWoods LLP’s growing energy and government regulation and investigations practice areas as a partner. Mullins will be a member of the firm’s Government, Regulatory and Criminal Investigations Department, and will work out of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.

As partner at McGuireWoods, Mullins will lead a team that will focus on representing the firm’s energy clients with enforcement matters involving FERC and other regulators as well as related private litigation. For the past four years, Mullins has played a role in nearly every major FERC enforcement matter since the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was passed, including energy market manipulation and electric grid reliability matters and offers a perspective that few can in the marketplace.

“Todd is joining the firm at a crucial time because FERC civil enforcement has only increased over the past several years. Having been on the enforcement side of so many cases, Todd will be a valuable asset to our clients,” said Richard Cullen, chairman of McGuireWoods. “Energy, enforcement defense, and a strong Washington presence are key parts of our strategy to better serve our clients, and Todd’s background and ability make us a stronger firm in all three of those areas.”

Within the last two years, FERC has assessed more than 25 civil penalties for payments of more than $65 million, and disgorgement of more than $70 million (plus interest) in unjust profits, and because of the growing importance of energy to our economy, the environment, and our national politics, energy matters are also garnering increasing scrutiny from other regulators and law enforcement authorities such as the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and Department of Justice.

“As I considered a return to private practice, I was looking for a place that not only had strong energy and government enforcement practices, but also a strong national and international presence with an atmosphere where I would be able to work across the firm to serve global client needs, and I am fortunate to have found that at McGuireWoods,” said Mullins. “The next several years will be busy ones on the energy and regulatory front, and I’m looking forward to building my practice with McGuireWoods’ current and future clients.”