Katie Coleman, Managing Partner of O’Melveny’s Austin office, handles complex energy transactions, regulatory policy matters, and administrative litigation, with a focus on electricity.
Recognized for her deep knowledge of the electricity market in Texas, Katie works with a wide range of businesses to navigate regulatory requirements in developing new facilities, buying or selling energy assets, structuring energy supply agreements, and managing energy costs. She assists companies in complying with state and federal laws governing electricity service and participating in wholesale markets. Katie also has unique experience structuring joint ownership agreements for privately owned electrical facilities, negotiating and drafting energy supply arrangements, and developing on-site generation. In addition to her legal expertise, Katie brings considerable technical knowledge to issues involving energy markets and transactions.
Katie also has more than a decade of experience litigating contested cases involving electricity issues before the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. She also represents companies in litigation before the Texas Railroad Commission involving natural gas rates and terms of service.
According to her clients and peers, Katie “is extremely effective and can break down very complicated topics to explain the heart of the matter.” (Chambers USA 2021). She “has considerable expertise in rate cases, ERCOT matters and energy regulatory compliance for large projects,” and is “highly knowledgeable and responsive.” (Chambers USA 2020).
Before joining O’Melveny, Katie led the Government and Regulatory Practice at a leading Texas law firm.
- Assists wholesale market participants with registration, planning, and compliance issues involving ERCOT and the Texas Reliability Entity (“TRE”)
- Negotiates revisions to the ERCOT protocols on behalf of large energy consumers
- Provides regulatory counseling on a broad range of energy contracts and conducts regulatory due diligence for proposed energy and electricity transactions
- Negotiates and structures electric supply arrangements for industrial sites, including cogeneration agreements, retail supply arrangements, and subtractive metering configurations
- Structures joint ownership and operating agreements for privately owned electrical facilities
- Represents private landowners in transmission line routing (“CCN”) cases before the Public Utility Commission of Texas (“PUC”) and the State Office of Administrative Hearings (“SOAH”), including historic ranches, oil and gas fields, industrial sites, and commercial properties
- Advocates for large electricity users in rulemakings and policy matters before the PUC on a broad array of issues such as wholesale market design, transmission planning, energy efficiency, and rate design
- Represents clients in contested matters before the PUC and the NMPRC, including related appeals
- Drafts and negotiates legislation in Texas on a broad base of topics, including electricity, securitization/financing, biofuels, gaming, and tax matters.
Admissions
- Texas
- New Mexico
Education
- The University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 2007, with honors: The Review of Litigation, Associate Editor 2006-2007; Legal Research Board
- The University of Texas at Austin, B.A., 2004, with high honors: Phi Beta Kappa; Mortar Board; Special Honors in Plan II
Honors & Awards
- Recognized by Best Lawyers® for Administrative / Regulatory, Energy Regulatory Law, and Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) (2018-2024)
- Named by Best Lawyers® as “Lawyer of the Year" for Administrative/Regulatory Law (2023) and “Lawyer of the Year" for Energy Regulatory in Austin, Texas (2019)
- Recognized by Chambers USA for Energy: State Regulatory & Litigation (Electricity) (2015-2023)
- Recommended by The Legal 500 US for Energy Regulation: Electric Power (2023), Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power (2022), and Energy Regulatory – Conventional Power (2017-2022)
- Selected as a “Super Lawyer” (2023)
- Honored by Thomas Reuters as a “Texas Rising Star” in Legislative & Governmental Affairs (2016-2022)
- Selected by Texas Lawyer as a “Lawyer on the Rise” (2018)
- Received the Gulf Coast Power Association’s (GCPA’s) “emPOWERing Young Professionals Award” (2019)
Professional Activities
Member
- Gulf Coast Power Association – President (2020-21), Vice President (2019-2020), Board Member (2016-present); Empowering Women Committee Member; Chair, 2018 Empowering Women Conference; Co-Chair, 2016 Spring Conference
- State Bar of Texas Public Utility Law Section – Chairman, 2016-17; Secretary/Treasurer, 2014-15; Council Member, 2013-14
- Member, Association of Women in Energy
- Former Member, GCPA Empowering Women Committee
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
Moderator
- “Diversity and inclusion as a Business Driver in the Power Sector,” Gulf Coast Power Association 2021 Fall Conference
- “A Conversation with Vicky Hollub, President and CEO of Occidental Petroleum,” Gulf Coast Power Association 2019 Fall Conference
- “The New Industrial Revolution,” Gulf Coast Power Association 2016 Spring Conference
- “Electric Utility Ratemaking Reform,” State Bar of Texas Public Utility Law Section Annual Meeting and Seminar (August 2015)
- “New Water Infrastructure Funding,” State Bar of Texas Public Utility Law Section Annual Meeting and Seminar (August 2014)
- “Implications of State and Federal Policy,” Kay Bailey Hutchison Center Symposium, (October 2021)
Panelist
- “Getting Wholesale Market Design Changes Right: Implementation Outlook and Their Potential Impacts,” ERCOT Market Summit (February 2023)
- “ERCOT Panel Discussion: Market Redesign,” 18th Annual Renewable Energy Law Institute (January 2023)
- “Winter Storm Uri: Operational and Policy Issues,” Gulf Coast Power Association Spring Conference (2021)
- “Oncor v. Chaparral,” State Bar of Texas Public Utility Law Section Annual Conference (August 2020)
- “Impacts of Low Reserve Margins—Lessons Learned in Summer of 2019,” ERCOT Market Summit (February 2020)
- “Summer 2019 Expectations in ERCOT,” Gulf Coast Power Association Spring Conference (April 2019)
- “Long-term View of the Wholesale Market in ERCOT,” Infocast ERCOT Market Summit (February 2019)
- “Industrial, Military and Residential Consumer Perspectives on Grid Modernization,” Association of Women in Energy Power Matters Conference (Fall 2018)
- “ERCOT Reserve Margins,” UT Gas & Power Institute (September 2018)
- “Competitive Transmission Development in Non-ERCOT Areas of Texas,” State Bar of Texas Public Utility Law Section Annual Conference (August 2018)
- “Women in Energy,” Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Energy, Law & Business (April 2018)
- “Perspectives on ERCOT Market Reform,” Infocast ERCOT Market Summit (February 2018)
- “Market Design Reforms,” Gulf Coast Power Association Spring Conference (October 2017)
- “Dealing with the Impacts of Collapsing Power Prices in ERCOT,” ERCOT Market Summit (February 2017)
- “The New Industrial Revolution,” Gulf Coast Power Association Spring Conference (April 2016)
- “Perspectives on Designing the New Ancillary Services Market,” ERCOT Market Summit (March 2016)
- “Generation/Transmission Tradeoffs,” Gulf Coast Power Association 29th Annual Spring Conference (April 2015)
- “Customer Perspectives on Market Reform and Resource Adequacy,” ERCOT Market Summit (February 2014)
- “Transmission Issues,” State Bar of Texas Public Utility Law Section Annual Meeting and Seminar (August 2013)
- “Customer Perspectives on Market Reform and Resource Adequacy,” ERCOT Market Summit (February 2013)
- “Resource Adequacy,” State Bar of Texas Public Utility Law Section Annual Meeting and Seminar (August 2012)
- “Lessons Learned from the 2/2/11 Event,” State Bar of Texas Public Utility Law Section Annual Meeting and Seminar (August 2011)
Publications
- “The Erosion of Traditional Ratemaking Through the Use of Special Rates, Riders and Other Mechanisms,” Texas Tech Administrative Law Journal (2008)