Houston July 2019 Luncheon

"What Happened (and What Didn't) in the 86th Legislature?"

Jim Barkley and Jim Grace will discuss the major issues that shaped the 2019 Legislative session and, in particular, legislation directed at the power and energy markets.

Jim Barkley focuses on the regulatory counseling of energy industry clients in agency proceedings, projects, corporate transactions and civil litigation. He represents electric utilities, pipelines, power generators, and energy consumers before the Texas Public Utility Commission, Texas Railroad Commission, ERCOT, Texas Reliability Entity, and other federal and state agencies, as well as in state and federal courts. Before joining Baker Botts, Jim was a consultant in Washington, D.C., advising several major non-U.S. utilities on U.S. energy and environmental legislation. He holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. in history and economics from Baylor University.

Jim Grace advises and advocates for a wide variety of clients on federal, state and local public policy matters. Prior to forming Grace & McEwan Consulting, Jim chaired the Texas government relations practice at Baker Botts L.L.P. and served as director of Texas state relations and senior counsel at CenterPoint Energy, Inc. Before serving in an in-house counsel capacity, he was a member of a Houston-based international law firm where his practice concentrated on merger and acquisition transactions, securities offerings and general corporate matters for companies involved in oil and gas exploration and production; oil field and energy services; natural gas liquid processing; propane and heating oil and chemical production and distribution. Jim holds a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center and a B.A. in History from the University of Notre Dame.