Thomas Hirsch
Senior Counsel
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
Related services and key industries
Biography
The focus of Thomas Hirsch’s practice is on matters involving natural gas, including LNG projects. He advises on the requirements of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), including representing different entities in FERC gas proceedings and on natural gas contract and financing matters. His clients include interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines, natural gas-fired electric generation companies, refineries, alternate energy providers requiring supplemental natural gas supplies and lenders to projects involving natural gas - including biogas. He is involved in contract review, drafting and negotiations. He also advises start-up companies on corporate matters. He has acted as a mediator, and can act as such, or an arbitrator, especially in disputed matters between companies involved in the natural gas area.
Professional experience
Collapse allJD, George Washington University Law School, 1978
BA, Lehigh University, 1975
- District of Columbia Bar
- Maryland State Bar
- Represents owners, customers and lenders in LNG projects in Chile and the United States.
- Represents interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines in their day-to-day matters in compliance with their tariffs and the FERC rules and orders and in their formulation of pipeline expansions leading up to filings for certificates from the FERC.
- Represents several interstate and intrastate gas pipeline companies in their rate cases and tariff filings before the FERC, including arguing for rate relief necessitated by the effects of damage caused by hurricanes and by new pipeline safety and greenhouse gas regulation, and by declining business due to decreased gas production activity.
- Represents various lenders to gas-fired power projects.
- Represents owner of refinery in acquisition of hydrogen gas and restructuring of hydrogen production facilities.
- Represented lenders in biogas projects involving municipal and animal waste.
- Represented an interstate pipeline company before the FERC in a dispute with its customers over abandonment of the pipeline's aging system and in new pipeline filings for a construction and operation certificate.
- Represented several interstate gas pipelines, protesting the potential deleterious effects from the spin-off of offshore assets by other pipelines.
- Represented a gas-fired power facility in negotiations for a transportation agreement with an Ohio local gas distributor and a gas purchase agreement.
- Represented natural gas-fired generation companies in rate case proceedings of El Paso Natural Gas Company (El Paso), arguing for lower nondiscriminatory rates and terms and conditions of service for these new customers of El Paso vis-à-vis its traditional utility customers.
- Represented several developers of alternate energy projects in California in the negotiation of contracts for the purchase of supplemental gas supplies.
- Best Lawyers - Energy Regulatory Law, Best Lawyers, 2023 - 2024
- Legal 500 US, recommended lawyer, Industry focus - Energy regulatory: oil and gas, The Legal 500, 2018
- Former president and board member, Energy Law Journal
- Board member and former president, USA Warriors Ice Hockey Program, Inc.
- Board member, Northeast Sled Hockey League, Inc.
- Board member, Mount St. Joseph High School, Baltimore, Maryland
- Chairman, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of Board of Directors of Mount St. Joseph High School, Baltimore, Maryland
- Member, Uniformed Services Academies Advisory Board of US Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland)
- Partner, Law Office of Thomas Hirsch, P.C. (2007-2016)
- Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Pace Global Energy Services (1996-2007)
- Associate, Counsel and Partner, Chadbourne & Parke (1985-1996)
- Staff Attorney, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (1978-1985)