Area of Emphasis

Jim Curry is the Managing Shareholder of the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Jim is an energy lawyer with years of experience in government service and private practice helping clients navigate difficult regulatory and strategic challenges throughout the energy sector. His clients include pipelines, utilities, energy producers, LNG terminals, investors, technology companies, chemical makers, and hydrogen infrastructure developers. Jim takes a pragmatic, business-minded approach, informed by an understanding of the energy markets and regulatory policy. Applying his experience from day-to-day safety regulatory counseling, dozens of enforcement matters, internal and government investigations, rulemakings, energy projects and in appellate litigation, Jim identifies and executes creative legal and strategic pathways to help clients achieve their objectives.

Jim started his career in energy and transportation safety as an attorney the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Since departing government service, he has broadened his practice to include counseling on other DOT modal safety programs, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Jim also advises clients on National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident investigations, Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits and in state regulatory proceedings. Through this cross-cutting safety regulatory work, he has developed first-hand experience with many energy-related national safety and engineering codes and standards, including those for pipelines, utility-scale battery energy storage systems, and LNG facilities. Together, these experiences have given Jim a unique understanding of safety and regulatory risk management, corporate safety culture and how each bears on credibility and the bottom line.

Jim serves as a member of the Firm’s Energy Management Team and in a number of its energy-related practice groups. He is a frequent speaker at energy conferences and has published numerous articles on energy law and policy.

Background

Jim earned his B.S. from Boston University is 2001, and his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2005. Prior to joining Babst Calland, Jim worked at a prominent energy, environmental and natural resources law firm in Washington, D.C.