Joe is a nationally recognized trial attorney, energy regulatory specialist, and client counselor with over 25 years of experience in civil and administrative litigation across numerous industries. He typically spends several weeks each year leading teams in front of judges, commissioners and juries in complex, high-stakes proceedings. He has tried dozens of cases to resolution across the United States, including in some of the country’s most challenging jurisdictions. Joe sits on the firm’s Executive Committee and has served in a number of other internal leadership roles.
Joe’s experience has included over a decade acting as national trial counsel for one of the world’s largest automakers. For the past 12 years, he has been a leader of an outstanding and growing team of energy regulatory lawyers representing some of the country’s largest energy companies and their electric and gas utilities before state public utility commissions in Virginia and elsewhere.
In 2015, The National Law Journal named Joe one of the 50 regulatory “trailblazers” across the country. He has played a major role in the successful re-regulation of Virginia’s electric utilities and associated ratemaking proceedings; secured approvals for the development of new electric generating facilities and other electric and gas infrastructure projects; helped facilitate challenging utility mergers in several states; defended against notable gas pipeline safety enforcement claims; and otherwise assisted public service companies in achieving their strategic priorities. In 2019, Joe and a team of McGuireWoods attorneys were recognized in the Financial Times’ North America Innovative Lawyers report for providing a one-of-a-kind suite of transactional, regulatory, litigation, government relations and grassroots advocacy efforts to secure approval for a major Southeastern utility acquisition.
This leading edge experience has included multiple general utility rate cases and earnings reviews; cost of equity determinations and utility financing matters; infrastructure trackers; pursuit of new grid technologies and environmental compliance initiatives; innovative tariff designs; and, more generally, counseling and advocacy to support optimal regulatory constructs.
In the community, Joe is on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater Richmond and a Trustee of Historic Richmond. He also is a former president of Rebuilding Together of Richmond.
Board of Directors and Executive Committee Member and Annual Campaign Co-Chair, YMCA of Greater Richmond
Trustee, Historic Richmond
Past President and Board of Directors Member, Rebuilding Together/Christmas in April
Member, Defense Research Institute
Member, Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys
Member, Administrative Law Section, Virginia State Bar
Member, Virginia Bar Association
Member, Richmond Bar Association
Named "Lawyer of the Year," Richmond, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, 2018; Energy Regulation Law, 2022, Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc.
Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, 2010-2012, 2014-2022; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, 2016-2022; Energy Regulatory Law, 2018-2022, Woodward/White, Inc.
Named a Client Service "All Star," BTI Consulting, 2020
Shortlisted, Enabling Business Growth and Transformation category, Financial Times’ North America Innovative Lawyers report, 2019
Selected for inclusion as a "Leading Lawyer," Energy Litigation: Conventional Power, Legal 500 US, 2018
Selected for inclusion as a "Leading Lawyer," Energy: Regulatory, Legal 500 US, 2016-2017
Named a "Regulatory and Compliance Trailblazer," The National Law Journal, 2015
Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell