Sam is an energy litigator who specializes in high-stakes electricity and natural gas cases.  He represents investor-owned utilities and electric cooperatives before the FERC and state public utilities commissions on issues involving resource planning, rates, permitting, and operations.

Sam’s experience centers on complex proceedings for the planning of electric generation, transmission, and distribution.  At the federal level, his experience includes work for utilities both within and outside the organized markets, in rate cases, applications, and complaint proceedings.  At the state level, his experience includes representing utility applicants in a 14,000 megawatt electric resource plan, the largest in Colorado history; a first-in-the-nation gas system decarbonization planning proceeding; and a $7 billion electric distribution system plan.  Sam’s experience also includes numerous rulemaking, certificate, and investigatory proceedings, as well as challenging and defending FERC and  state PUC decisions in federal and state courts.

Sam joined Wilkinson Barker Knauer in 2023 from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, where he litigated rate cases, integrated resource plans, and certificate applications on behalf of the state’s consumer advocate.  Earlier in his career, Sam worked at a large global law firm where his complex commercial litigation practice focused on appellate, regulatory, and antitrust matters, representing clients in energy and other high-technology sectors.  Prior to that, Sam was a law clerk for the Honorable Diana E. Murphy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and for the Honorable David R. Stras of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Sam received his J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he was an editor of the Stanford Law Review, and his B.S. in physics with high distinction from Harvey Mudd College.