Overview
(July 8, 2015, Washington, DC) — Steptoe & Johnson LLP is pleased to announce that Dan Mullen has joined the firm’s Energy Group as a partner. Mr. Mullen, who will be based in Steptoe’s Washington office, brings a strong background in energy enforcement.
Mr. Mullen’s enforcement practice focuses on defending clients who are under investigation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). He also assists clients with the development of energy regulatory compliance programs. From 2008-2013, Mr. Mullen served as an investigations branch chief within FERC’s enforcement office, where he helped develop FERC’s enforcement regime and oversaw and conducted investigations and litigation against companies participating in the wholesale electricity and natural gas markets. His focus was on investigations concerning energy market manipulation, reliability, and other violations of FERC-jurisdictional statutes, regulations, and tariffs.
In the 2015 edition of Chambers USA, where Mr. Mullen is ranked nationwide in the energy regulatory and litigation category, sources describe him as “smart and practical,” and state: "He has the ability to understand how the agencies look at these questions because he has that government background." Mr. Mullen is also recognized in the 2015 edition of The Legal 500 US, where sources describe him as “excellent” and “among the best FERC and CFTC enforcement lawyers in the business.” A peer remarked: “If I did not compete against him, I would refer many FERC enforcement matters to him.” At Steptoe, Mr. Mullen joins an energy practice that the Chambers USA 2015 guide ranks in the top tier nationwide in the electricity and oil & gas regulatory and litigation categories.
“Dan rounds out our deeply talented Energy Group by bringing a strong background in enforcement,” said Phil West, chair of Steptoe. “His experience on the other side of the enforcement table at FERC will bring tremendous value to our existing electric and pipeline clients. Also, as the CFTC’s role in the energy markets continues to grow, Dan’s experience will allow us to better serve clients in both the energy and financial services arenas.”
Mr. Mullen commented: “Steptoe has a terrific reputation and the energy team is well-known for its sophisticated understanding of regulatory matters. I am very excited to join this large and robust team.”
Mr. Mullen earned his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and his B.A. from Tufts University. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, presenting on issues related to energy and commodity enforcement defense.
About Steptoe
Steptoe & Johnson LLP is an international law firm widely recognized for vigorous advocacy in complex litigation and arbitration, successful representation of clients before governmental agencies, and creative and practical advice in guiding business transactions. The firm has more than 500 lawyers and other professionals in offices in Beijing, Brussels, Century City, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, Phoenix and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.