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Gregory E. Sopkin
Of Counsel
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Gregory Sopkin has broad experience representing electric, gas and telecommunications clients before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and state and federal district and appellate courts. In 2003, Gregory was appointed chairman of the Colorado PUC. As head of the PUC from 2003 to 2007, he presided over numerous Phase I and Phase II electric cases, transmission line disputes and generation resource planning cycles. He also investigated service outages, implemented a renewable energy initiative, and oversaw the electric price response pilot program, Colorado high cost fund docket and the Qwest deregulation case. Gregory helped to redraft all Commission regulatory rules including electric, gas, telecommunications, water and railroad.
Prior to his appointment to the PUC, he worked for a large Denver-based law firm representing energy, telecommunications and commercial clients. As an assistant attorney general in Colorado from 1997 to 2000, he represented the PUC in appeals to Denver District Court, Colorado Supreme Court, US District Court for the District of Colorado and the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Although for internal administrative reasons Gregory is a member of Squire Sanders' Phoenix office, he resides in Denver, Colorado.
Gregory lectures frequently on energy and regulatory topics to numerous bar associations including the Federal Communications Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association and the Western Chapter of the Energy Bar Association.
Gregory is the Vice-Chair of the Energy Bar Association State Commission Practice Committee. He is also a member of the Telecommunications & Electronic Media Practice Group, Executive Committee of the Federalist Society and former member of the Telecommunications, Energy, and Critical Infrastructure Committees of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
Representative Experience
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Representing a major utility in transmission line dispute involving siting, local government approval and a PUC evidentiary hearing.
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Providing counsel to a major industrial manufacturer in devising a contract for utility services.
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Representing the PUC before the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in natural gas pipeline FERC bypass dispute.
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Representing the PUC before the Colorado Supreme Court in telecommunications regulatory jurisdiction matter.
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Representing the PUC staff in major telecommunications regulatory docket.
- Testifying before Colorado legislative committees on pending regulatory legislation.
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Education
University of Colorado, J.D., The University of Colorado Law Review, 1991University of Illinois, B.S., with high honors, 1988
Admissions
Colorado,
1991
Not admitted in Arizona
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