Utilities and Cooperatives

Utility Law

The firm's Utility Law practice focuses on representing electric membership corporations. Our firm has provided legal services for electric membership corporations since the creation of the Rural Electrification Administration in the 1930's. Our firm's founder, Robert D. Tisinger, served for many years as General Counsel for both the national and state trade associations for electric cooperatives. Senior Partner Richard G. Tisinger, Sr., continues to serve as General Counsel for the state trade association. He also serves on the nine-member Board of Advisors of the Electric Cooperative Bar Association, a national association of attorneys representing electric cooperatives.

The firm advises electric membership corporations in connection with all aspects of daily operation, including the preparation and revision of corporate documents such as bylaws, service rules and regulations, policies and procedures, the negotiation and preparation of documents relating to commercial transactions and the provisions of applicable legal and regulatory law such as the Georgia Electric Membership Corporation Enabling Act, the Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act and Georgia Public Service Commission regulations.

Recently the firm has represented electric membership corporations in the negotiation and drafting of documents relating to the procurement of wholesale power supply.

Representative Transactions

• Comprehensive review and revision of bylaws and policies of several electric membership corporations.

• Represented electric membership corporations in member contest of director election results.

• Counseled electric membership corporations in preparation and conduct of "hostile" member meetings.

• Developed process and drafted bylaw amendments and procedures of member voting by mail-in ballot.

• Represented electric membership corporations before the Public Service Commission in dockets involving deregulation of the electric utility industry and IOU docket for economic development incentive policy.

• Represented electric membership corporations in negotiating long-term wholesale power supply contracts.

Cooperative Law

We actively represent clients in all aspects of the formation and operation of taxable and tax-exempt cooperatives, including obtaining Internal Revenue Service Private Letter Rulings regarding the tax status of such organizations. Senior Partner Dick Tisinger is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Cooperative Bar Association.

Attorneys

• Richard Tisinger Sr
• Steven T. Minor
• Kristin Haynes