Cozen O’Connor announced that Michael D. Klein will join the firm’s energy, environmental & public utility practice group, splitting his time between the firm’s Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg, Pa., offices. He joins from Dewey & LeBoeuf where he was a partner and practiced for more than 20 years. Also joining the energy, environmental & public utility practice group are former Dewey & LeBoeuf associates Ahren S. Tyron, who will join the firm as a Member, and Joshua L. Belcher who will join as an associate.
“Michael, Ahren and Joshua bring significant experience with renewable energy development projects, the rights of natural gas owners and producers, especially in the Marcellus Shale area of Pennsylvania, and major wind projects," said Cozen O’Connor President and Executive Partner Michael Heller. “In addition, Michael’s knowledge as a former general counsel to one of the nation’s largest water suppliers and outside counsel to the National Association of Water Companies-PA Chapter gives him unparalleled national expertise in the water industry. We are thrilled to welcome these attorneys to grow our practice in such developing and critical areas of law."
“Cozen O’Connor has an excellent reputation and robust energy and environment practices in all of the key geographies like Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington, D.C., that are important to my client base in the natural gas, wind and water sectors,” said Klein. “Joining this rapidly growing firm is a great opportunity to expand my reach and provide top-level service for my clients.”
Michael Klein has extensive experience in the areas of utility and environmental law, eminent domain, finance and construction law. He represents utilities, municipalities and corporations, and handles an array of drinking-water, sanitary-sewer and water-rights cases. He is legal counsel to chapters of several U.S. and international associations of public water suppliers, and formerly served as general counsel to water companies in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Klein represents clients in litigation, mergers, acquisitions, and public and private financings. He is also active in representing public and private owners in the siting and permitting of drinking-water, wastewater, wind-power, natural gas, oil and solid-waste disposal facilities.
Klein earned his undergraduate degree from Kings College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1973) and his law degree from the Dickinson School of Law at Pennsylvania State University (J.D., 1976).
Ahren Tryon combines complementary skills in energy, environmental and transportation law to provide a range of services to energy industry clients. He has advised clients in mergers and acquisitions, licensing proceedings, and judicial and administrative litigation matters. Additionally, he has represented clients before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Surface Transportation Board (STB) and federal courts. As a law clerk for FERC, Tryon gained first-hand knowledge of the energy issues facing both government agencies and private industries. He expanded on his experience as a presiding official and as the counsel to the Western Region, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in the Department of Transportation. He also served as a member of the White House Task Force for Energy Project Streamlining. In addition to his work in the energy practice area, Tryon has built upon his government experience in environmental law, including National Environmental Policy Act compliance and matters before the Council on Environmental Quality.
Tryon earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota (B.S., 1999) and his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center (J.D, 2002).
Joshua Belcher advises clients on all aspects of federal and state environmental law, as well as emergent climate change-related issues and the potential regulation of greenhouse gases. He maintains a broad-based practice that includes compliance counseling, transactional due diligence, and litigation and enforcement matters. Belcher’s clients are drawn primarily from the energy and manufacturing industries, but he also advises water utilities and municipal authorities on various transactional and administrative law matters. He has additional experience with legacy contamination issues under CERCLA and RCRA in the contexts of bankruptcy claims and brownfields redevelopment.
Belcher earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas (B.A., 2002), his master’s degree in environmental law from the Vermont Law School (M.S., magna cum laude, 2008) as well as his law degree (J.D., cum laude, 2008).