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LEGAL TEAM

James H. Hancock, Jr.. is a Partner in the firm's Energy section. His practice is focused primarily on the licensing and re-licensing of hydroelectric power projects under Part 1 of the Federal Power Act, including license compliance and administration, re-licensing, Clean Water Act compliance, water withdrawals and project joint uses, water rights, shoreline management and environmental issues. He has also been involved in most legislative and regulatory initiatives affecting the hydropower industry over the past ten years. Mr. Hancock also advises clients on federal election law issues, including registration and administration of political action committees, lobbying registration and campaign finance.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• National Hydropower Association, Board of Directors and Co-General Counsel Past chairman of Legislative Affairs Committee
• Edison Electric Institute
• Chair of the Hydro Power Committee of the American Bar Association's Section of Environment, Energy & Resources
• Energy Bar Association, Past Chairman of Hydropower Regulation Committee

Mr. Hancock has testified before Congress on hydropower legislation and is a frequent speaker on issues affecting the hydropower industry. Email James at jhancock@balch.com

http://www.Balch.com/jhancock

James D. Petruzzi received his bachelor's of science degree in electrical engineering with honors from the University of Texas and his law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley. Jim worked with Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro, a San Francisco-based national law firm and concentrated in litigation with an emphasis on intellectual property matters and antitrust. Jim also worked with Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, an international general practice law firm in the Dallas, Texas area exclusively litigating patent, trademark and copyright matters. Jim is licensed to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and admitted to practice in Texas, California, and Washington, D.C.

Jim Petruzzi, with over 22 years of experience, has litigated patent, trademark and copyright cases in courts throughout the United States and has significant courtroom and arbitration experience presenting cases before judges and juries and at the American Arbitration Association and has argued before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. Jim has litigated in a variety of technologies including semiconductor design and fabrication, surgical devices, computer software, pharmaceutical, cellular telephone, optical character recognition, medical equipment and novelty toys. In addition to prosecuting patent and trademark applications before the PTO, Jim has also prepared and negotiated patent, trademark and copyright licenses in the electronics, medical, telecommunications, and computer software industries. Email Jim at JPetruzzi@MasonPetruzzi.com

http://www.MasonPetruzzi.com/

Adrienne R. Bond has 25 years of legal experience. She specializes in corporate, partnership and securities law, oil and gas transactions and mergers and acquisitions. Ms. Bond is a magna cum laude graduate of Rice University and graduated Columbia University Law School (JD, 1980) as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She is a frequent author and lecturer on corporate and securities law issues, and has served as Adjunct Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Houston Law Center. Ms. Bond is a past President of the Women's Finance Exchange and has been a member of the State Bar of Texas Corporation Law, Continuing Education and Venture Capital Committees. She speaks Spanish, French, and Portuguese. She is married and has one daughter. In her leisure time, she enjoys wildlife photography and her dogs. Email Adrienne at abond@abondlaw.com

http://www.ABondLaw.com

Kathyrn V. Smyser's professional experience includes transactional and litigation experience with two major Houston law firms, as well as a decade as a member of the faculty at the University of Houston Law Center, where she taught courses in the area of corporate and securities law, federal courts and federal procedure. Her current practice includes a wide range of transactional matters, including complex corporate, partnership and securities law issues, initial business planning, venture capital and start up investments, and mergers and acquisitions. In addition, she continues to handle civil appellate matters. Ms. Smyser graduated from Rice University, Harvard University and the University of Texas Law School, where she was a member of the Texas Law Review and the Order of the Coif. She served as law clerk to former Chief Judge Carolyn King of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Charles Cella, co-founded GTC and is a recognized thought leader and leading practitioner in the patent and licensing fields. He provides patent strategy, licensing and technology-transaction services to a broad range of clients, from industry leading software companies to single-inventor startups. Prior to GTC, Charles founded and was CEO of BountyQuest, an Internet marketplace for information relevant to the strength, validity or applicability of patents and for which he recruited investments from Jeff Bezos and Tim O'Reilly, among others. Previously, Charles was the first patent attorney at Foley Hoag LLP, where he grew the practice to twenty-five people and advised high-tech and biotech firms of all sizes on building IP portfolios and negotiating technology transactions. Charles holds a A.B. in Physics from Princeton University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia's School of Law.

http://GTCLawGroup.com

Josh Kirklin works in the Energy and Marine Division of McGriff, Seibels & Williams in Houston. McGriff is among the largest independent insurance brokerage firms worldwide specializing in energy and marine business. His duties include the development and placement of property, casualty and special risk insurance programs for companies along the energy and marine spectrum in the Americas and Australia. He has worked in the insurance industry for six years and is helping lead the growth of McGriff’s renewable energy practice. He has spent time in the London Insurance Market through the Lloyd’s of London/Houston Insurance Market work exchange program. He received his BA in Economics from Colgate University in 2002.

http://www.McGriff.com

Normandeau Associates is an environmental consulting firm that provides ecological, environmental and natural resources management services across several market sectors and over a wide geographic range. The firm developed a highly regarded, patented fish survival testing system called Hi-Z Turb’N Tag. This system was used to test the first deployment of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Hydropower Turbine in the State of Washington. Normandeau is an approved FERC 3rd party environmental contractor.

http://www.Normandeau.com

Fabiani & Company is a government affairs firm based in Washington, DC. The firm specializes in strategically representing its clients’ objectives before, and to, the United States federal government.

Founded in 2002 by James Fabiani, Fabiani & Company was built upon Jim's 20 years of experience building the largest, and, arguably, the most effective, government affairs firm in the country. Focused on creating a smaller, more agile, strategy-oriented government affairs firm, Jim assembled a team of experienced professionals at Fabiani & Company with the knowledge and capabilities to design and execute comprehensive strategies for its clients. The firm specializes in developing and executing the strategies that create opportunities for our clients by employing government affairs and marketing techniques to assist them in accomplishing their funding, marketing, policy, and research and development objectives.

http://www.Fabiani-Co.com

Rebecca K. Blood has more than twenty five years of public policy, legislative and regulatory experience at the local, state, and federal levels of government, with expertise in energy and environmental issues. She is currently President of RKB Consulting, providing advocacy and legislative services. For nearly 14 years, Rebecca worked at the American Public Power Association (APPA), the national service organization representing the interests of the nation’s not-for-profit state and locally-owned electric utilities. She served most recently as a Senior Policy Advisor, focusing on utility restructuring, renewable energy, energy conservation, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, hydropower licensing reform, and global climate change issues. She participated in climate change negotiations with industry and the executive branch and managed various task forces on hydropower, air quality and renewable issues. She also directed APPA’s Policy Makers’ Council consisting of locally-elected officials and mayors from public power member communities.

http://www.RKBlood.com