Susan Mikes Doherty, Special Counsel, is a regulatory litigator and corporate attorney with 25+ years experience in more than 15 jurisdictions. She has spent approximately half of her career at major law firms, providing regulatory assistance to electric, gas, water, and telecom companies and the other half as in-house counsel at several Fortune 500 utility-related corporations.
Ms. Doherty has an extensive track record working on major rate cases, corporate matters, and mergers and acquisitions proceedings in over 20 states, with a majority of proceedings in New York. She has obtained $5B+ in rate relief in more than 20 rate and regulatory proceedings before 15+ state utility commissions and federal energy commissions. She represented a New York electric utility in a prudence proceeding seeking over $300,000 in refunds and in an accounting proceeding threatening to reduce net income by $80 million. Her experience includes negotiating an unprecedented settlement (over 74% of requested increase) in a water company rate case in New York, winning a commercial arbitration in New York of more than $12 million, and co-managing a $1.4B acquisition of one of New York’s largest electric and gas companies.
She has managed all aspects of rate cases and other regulatory proceedings relating to issues from accounting matters to the establishment of renewable portfolio standards. Both as in-house and outside counsel, Ms. Doherty has managed/co-managed some of the largest mergers and acquisitions in the utility industry. As Associate General Counsel for a Fortune 500 company, she has assisted in developing strategies and managing outside counsel in a full range of business activities, including contract drafting, review and negotiation; negotiating a commercial litigation settlement in an environmental lawsuit against the US government; and leading a nation-wide team to obtain regulatory approvals in 48 states.
Ms. Doherty has participated as the legal representative on executive corporate teams, for electric and gas businesses, and also for telecom businesses. In all of her recent positions, Ms. Doherty has interacted directly and indirectly with senior executives on matters relating to regulatory issues. She has also worked with, and learned from, some of the best regulatory attorneys, financial analysts, depreciation experts, and rating agency representatives in the industry.
Ms. Doherty received her bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law, where she participated in the Law Review. Ms. Doherty is admitted to practice in the State of New York and the United States Supreme Court. ENERGY & REGULATORY
