James C. Liles

Mr. Liles is a non-lawyer energy expert with nearly 30 years of professional experience in electric power systems development, operation, finance and government regulation. As a nationally recognized figure in the restructuring of the electric industry, Mr. Liles joined Milbank in 1989 after leaving 13 years of government service. He works with the firm’s lawyers in the project finance practice area. Milbank’s project finance team represents cogeneration, merchant power and alternative energy developers, lenders and investors. Mr. Liles also works with Milbank’s mergers and acquisitions practice group, which is active in electric utility M&A and restructuring transactions.

Primary Focus & Experience

Additionally, Mr. Liles works with Milbank’s capital markets and leasing practice groups on transactions involving power plants, natural gas pipelines, transmission projects and other energy-related capital assets. Mr. Liles has written numerous articles and spoken at many conferences on the subject of electric utility regulation and restructuring. He is a leading advocate of independent transmission companies and participated in Milbank’s representation of the investor group that acquired International Transmission Company. This project involved the negotiation of generator interconnection, transmission system O&M and transmission-distribution system interconnection agreements, as well as the required regulatory filings.

Before assuming his present position, Mr. Liles served on the staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as Chief of the Cogeneration and Small Power Production Branch in the Office of Economic Policy. He was responsible for economic and regulatory policy issues in cases and rulemakings before the Commission. Mr. Liles advised the Commission on cases involving PURPA Qualifying Facilities and worked on initiatives concerning market-based rates for power marketers and independent power producers.

Prior to that, Mr. Liles served as Special Assistant to the Director of the FERC’s Office of Regulatory Analysis and acted as Chief of the Regulatory Policy Branch in the same office. He helped develop the FERC’s original rules implementing PURPA. He also worked on the defense of the PURPA rules in the courts, the FERC’s implementation of the NGPA and the preparation of expert testimony in FERC regulatory proceedings. Mr. Liles began his regulatory career at the Federal Power Commission, the FERC’s predecessor.

Recognition & Accomplishments

He holds an M.S. degree in Public Systems Engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. His graduate work was conducted jointly at the College of Engineering and the Institute for Public Policy Studies. Mr. Liles holds a B.S.E. in nuclear engineering, also from the University of Michigan. He has completed additional classes in economics and operations research at the George Washington University in Washington, DC.