Van Ness Feldman is pleased to announce the election of four new members (partners), Art Andrew, Jessica Friedman, Evan Reese and Jonathan Simon.  All were previously associates of the firm, and all are resident in the firm’s Washington, DC office. VNF’s Washington office has over 80 professionals concentrating on government policy and regulatory issues in the areas of energy, environmental, natural resources, and transportation law. 

“These fine lawyers have distinguished themselves with their hard work, dedication and result-oriented client service.  We are proud of all they have - and will continue to - accomplish, and we congratulate them as they begin a new chapter in their association with the firm,” said firm Chairman Howard Feldman.

Andrew Art

Andrew Art represents electric utilities and other electric industry participants before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on a variety of matters, including compliance with electric reliability standards and regulatory issues under the Federal Power Act.   Mr. Art, a member of the firm’s electric practice, also represents clients in administrative, rulemaking and litigation proceedings before FERC.

Mr. Art, 39, began his career as an analyst in a not-for-profit agricultural and environmental policy research organization. He holds an A.B. from Kenyon College and a J.D., cum laude, from American University’s Washington College of Law.

Jessica Friedman  

Jessica Friedman represents independent power producers, electric power marketers, and equity and debt investors in power projects in transactional and regulatory matters involving the Federal Power Act, Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, and the Energy Policy Act of 2005.  She also represents merchant transmission developers in federal energy regulatory matters. 

Ms. Friedman regularly assists clients with federal issues related to the development and acquisition of conventional and renewable electric generation facilities and the operation of those facilities.  She counsels clients on interconnection and transmission service matters, market-based rates, participation in ISOs/RTOs, and compliance audits, investigations, and other proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  She also represents clients on issues related to the purchase and sale of electric power and related products and thermal energy.  On the merchant transmission side, she assists developers with strategic decisions related to ownership and tariff structures, rates, and allocation of capacity.

Prior to joining Van Ness Feldman, Ms. Friedman, 38 served as an Assistant County Attorney in Fairfax County, Virginia, where she acquired significant civil litigation experience while handling child abuse and neglect cases.  She holds a B.S. from George Mason University and a J.D., summa cum laude, from American University’s Washington College of Law. 

Evan Reese

Evan Reese’s practice focuses primarily on the areas of energy and natural resources law, with a special emphasis on the development of power markets, open-access transmission rules, and national reliability standards.  Mr. Reese represents clients before the FERC and federal courts. He provides strategic, legal, and corporate counsel to electric utilities regarding many initiatives resulting from national energy policy and all phases of administrative litigation.  Mr. Reese has developed a particular expertise on the FERC's recent revisions to the Order No.890 pro forma open access transmission tariff in its continuing efforts to prevent undue discrimination and preference in transmission service.

A member of the firm's Litigation Practice Group, Mr. Reese, 37, has represented clients before state court tribunals on all aspects of complex commercial litigation matters.  He has argued numerous pretrial motions and has a special expertise on complex discovery and pretrial matters, including electronic discovery and witness preparation.

He holds a B.A. from Colgate University and a J.D., cum laude, from Tulane Law School.

Jonathan Simon

Jonathan Simon’s practice focuses on representing clients before the courts, Congress, and federal agencies on a broad range of matters involving natural resources, public lands, and energy law.  He provides legal and strategic guidance with regard to the development of natural gas pipelines, electric transmission facilities, and other energy projects, and he assists clients with permitting and compliance matters arising under the various federal environmental and public lands statutes, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, Mineral Leasing Act, and Coastal Zone Management Act.  Mr. Simon also provides legal counsel and policy advocacy representation to entities that operate or are interested in operating visitor services — such as lodging, food services, boat tours, merchandising, transportation-related services, and outfitter and guide services — under concession contracts, permits, or commercial use authorizations in the National Park System and on other federal lands. 

Prior to joining Van Ness Feldman, Mr. Simon, 39, served in various roles on the personal staff of United States Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ).   He holds a B.A. from Cornell University and a J.D., with honors, from the George Washington University Law School.

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