Derrick Price Williamson
Member in Charge of Harrisburg Office | Co-Chair, Utility, Energy & Communications Law Group
Harrisburg, PA
office 717.795.2741
mobile 717.254.9499
  • Overview
  • Services
  • Distinctions
  • Admissions
  • Memberships
  • Publications & Presentations
  • Community Involvement
  • Resources
  • Results

Mr. Williamson's primary areas of practice are energy and public utility law, with a focus on representing large end-users of electricity.

Education

  • University of Maryland, B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
  • Duke University School of Law, J.D., Research Editor, Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum

Experience

  • Representing clients before state public service/utility commissions and appellate courts
  • Counseling manufacturing, institutional, and industrial clients regarding the procurement of energy services, including the analysis and negotiation of natural gas and electricity supply contracts
  • Substantial experience in legislative development, implementation, and regulation associated with electric industry restructuring and telecommunications competition in Pennsylvania and West Virginia
  • Serving for over 25 years the West Virginia Energy Users Group, a state-wide group of large industrial and manufacturing interests that collectively consume billions of kWh of electricity annually in West Virginia
  • Litigating electric and natural gas rate cases and merger cases
  • Representing end-users with respect to energy efficiency, demand-response, and on-site generation issues
  • Active in serving Veterans’ support and diversity initiatives in the legal field
  • Veteran, United States Army
Energy Law Environmental Law Litigation Shale Gas Law Utility Law West Virginia Energy Users Group

Distinctions

  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America as "Lawyer of the Year" in Harrisburg, Pa. for Energy Law, 2020 & 2016
  • Nominated by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of Energy Law for multiple years

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania State Bar
  • United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

Memberships

  • American Bar Association, Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law Section
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association, past Chair, Public Utility Law Section
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee
  • Dauphin County Bar Association, Equal Professional Opportunity Committee

Publications & Presentations

  • Regular Contributor, Currents—Energy Industry Insights, Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC
  • Presenter, "The Industrial & Manufacturing Perspective," West Virginia Public Energy Authority Board Meeting, March 2022
  • Presenter, "Reshaping the Regulatory Landscape for Business & Industry," West Virginia Manufacturers Association Winter Convention, December 2020
  • Presenter, “The Problem(s) With PA’s Nuclear Bailout Legislation: What You Need to Know,” Pennsylvania Foundry Association Annual Meeting, May 2019
  • Provided testimony to the West Virginia Senate Energy Committee on Senate Bill 600, February 2018
  • Presenter, "Industrial Electric Rates," Joint Energy Committee at the West Virginia Legislature, December 2017
  • Presenter, "Middle of the Pack: The Rising Cost of Electricity for WV Business and Industry," WVMA Winter Convention, 2017
  • Presenter, “Industrial Energy Rates,” 2017 Governor’s Energy Summit: Advancing Energy Development
  • Faculty and Industry Leader, 2017 PA Public Utility Law Conference, "Impacts of the Trump Administration on the Electric Sector"
  • Presenter, "WV Industrial Manufacturing Customers - Under Attack Through Regulated Electric Rates," 2016 WV Energy and Manufacturing Forum (CEA)
  • Faculty and Industry Leader, 2015 PA Public Utility Law Conference
  • 2014 WVMA Leadership Summit: Energy Cost Update - Protecting Your Competitiveness in West Virginia

Community Involvement

  • Pennsylvania Bar Association, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee
  • Dauphin County Bar Association, Equal Professional Opportunity Committee
  • Board Member and Past President, Cumberland Valley Eagle Foundation, 2004 - 2016
  • Head Coach and Board Member, HMMS Youth Soccer Association, 1997 - 2016
  • Adjunct Professor, Duquesne University School of Leadership and Professional Advancement, 2006 - 2014
Currents - Energy Industry Insights, V 7, Issue 3, 2023 Currents - Energy Industry Insights, V 7, Issue 2, 2023 Currents - Energy Industry Insights, Volume 6, Issue 11 Numerous Spilman Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers, Lawyers of the Year, Ones to Watch 2023 Currents - Energy Industry Insights, Volume 6, Issue 2 Currents - Energy Industry Insights: Volume 5, Issue 9 Currents - Energy Industry Insights: Volume 5, Issue 8 Currents - Energy Industry Insights: Volume 5, Issue 7 Currents - Energy Industry Insights: Volume 5, Issue 4 Currents - Energy Industry Insights: Volume 5, Issue 1 Large Electric Users Save Millions Annually with PSC Settlement