William S. Harwood

Partner
Portland, ME
T: (207) 253-4702
vCard

Highlights

Read More
AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Read More
Top Ranked in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business
Read More
Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2013.
Read More
Selected for inclusion in the 2012 issue of Super Lawyers & Rising Stars.

Biography

Bill Harwood has devoted most of his 30 year career to representing public utilities before state and federal regulatory agencies. He has represented electric, gas, water and telecommunications companies in more than 50 major cases before the Maine Public Utilities Commission and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, including rate cases, prudence investigations, management audits, merger approvals, requests for certificates of public convenience and necessity and rulemaking proceedings. Bill counsels utilities on proactive strategies to both anticipate regulatory developments and efficiently manage the regulatory process.

Bill has been extensively involved in traditional rate setting issues, including CWIP in rate base, attrition, accounting orders and cost of capital. Bill has negotiated long-term alternative rate plans which include automatic inflation adjustments, service quality penalties, and recovery of mandated or exogenous costs. He has also negotiated numerous long-term special rate agreements between utilities and specific industrial consumers.

Bill was actively involved in the restructuring of the Maine electric utility industry, including representing utilities in the sale of their generating assets, recovery of stranded costs and providing standard offer (default) service. More recently Bill has represented developers of new transmission lines in securing Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and wind developers in negotiating Interconnection Agreements and securing adequate transmission capacity for delivery of the output. Bill has served as Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Maine School of Law, teaching utility regulation and administrative law.

 

Public Service

Board of Trustees, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine (2002-2012)
Board of Trustees, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (2004-present),     Board Chair (2011 - present)
Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Maine School of Law (2000-2001;
    2006-2007)
Chair, American Bar Association's Special Committee on Gun Violence
    (2002-2004)
President, Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence (1999-2003)
Board of Trustees, Maine Bar Foundation (1986-1993), President (1991)
Chair, Annual Edmund S. Muskie Access to Justice Award Dinner Committee     (1996-1999)
Legal Services for the Elderly: Board (1983-1988), Chair (1985-1987)
Attorney General Appointee, Committee to Examine the Office of Administrative     Hearings at the Maine Department of Human Services (1994-1995)
Gubernatorial Appointee, Interim Advisory Committee on Alternative Dispute     Resolution (1993-1995)
Presentations at more than 25 utility conferences sponsored by NARUC, ABA,     NECPUC, MSBA, NAWC, MWUA and MRWA
Board of Trustees, Yarmouth Historical Society

Memberships

Maine State Bar Association: Chair, Administrative Law Section (1990 to 1994)
Fellow, Maine Bar Foundation
Massachusetts Bar Association
Maine Bar Foundation (Director, 1986-1992; President, 1991)
Elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (1999)

Education

  • Fordham University (J.D., 1978), cum laude
  • Harvard University (B.A., 1974)

Bar Admissions

  • Massachusetts, 1978
  • Maine, 1979

Court and Other Admissions

  • U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, 1979
  • U.S. Court of Appeals (First Circuit), 2000

Honors

AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Recognized in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business under 
    Energy & Natural Resources
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® under Administrative / Regulatory Law 
    and Energy Law 
Selected by peers for inclusion in New England Super Lawyers® under 
    Utilities, Administrative Law and Energy & Natural Resources
Recipient of 1999 ABA Pro Bono Publico Award
Recipient of 1994 Maine Bar Foundation Dana Award for Outstanding Service in 
    the Advancement of Legal Services for the Indigent