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Curt R. Ledford
Attorney, Shareholder
EDUCATION
University of Arizona, J.D., 2004
University of Arizona, B.A., 2001
aBOUT
Brent joined Davison Van Cleve in 2019 after representing residential and small commercial utility customers for six years as an Assistant Attorney General in Utah and Colorado. Brent has represented both state and private interests before public utility commissions in the inter-mountain west on issues including rate cases, resource and demand side management planning, renewable and distributed generation policies, and power purchase agreements. Specifically, and in particular, Brent represented residential interests in cost of service gas proposals in both Utah and Colorado, Including Questar’s (now Dominion) WexPro II proposal, as well as Xcel Energy’s Advanced Grid Intelligence and Security initiative and the Colorado Energy Plan.
Brent also represented state interests related to public utility taxation as a Special Assistant Attorney General in Montana. His time in Montana in private practice also allowed for experience in water law, public lands law, and environmental remediation efforts under RCRA and CERCLA, as well as electric utility matters before the Montana Public Service Commission. His current practice with Davison Van Cleve is focused on contested regulatory proceedings in the Northwest and Rocky Mountain regions.
Brent earned an LL.M. in environmental and natural resources law, with an emphasis on energy law and policy, from the University of Denver, and graduated cum laude from Vermont Law School’s top ranked environmental law program. During law school, Brent was a student clinician in Vermont Law School’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, addressing issues involving RCRA, de-listing of eastern gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act, and Clean Water Act thermal discharge matters related to the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. He also holds an MS in zoology, having invested seven years studying bat habitat use patterns across the Great Basin on behalf of numerous state and federal agencies; an opportunity that allowed for exploration of numerous abandoned hard-rock mines and caves across the Inter-Mountain West.
When away from utility law, Brent can be found teaching his children to tie dry flies and put them to good use, practicing Tae Kwon Do, or exploring the mountains in the sun or snow.
Admitted in Colorado and Oregon
Admitted and inactive in, Utah and Montana
aBOUT
Curt Ledford’s practice is focused on utility, administrative, corporate, cooperative, and regulatory law, as well as general matters affecting energy developments, generation facilities, renewable energy, and Nevada’s utilities. Prior to joining Davison Van Cleve as a partner, from 2007 to 2015, Curt served as General Counsel for Valley Electric Association, Inc. (VEA), a Nevada non-profit cooperative utility that provides electric service to members in six counties throughout rural Nevada and California.
Curt is one of Nevada’s most dedicated energy and utility attorneys. Curt has assisted numerous clients in various Nevada regulatory matters, including an NFL franchise, a global electric vehicle manufacturer, various utility-scale renewable energy generators, local gaming enterprises, and other large business over the recent years. Recently, Curt’s legal work has resulted in a first-of-its kind long term energy contract for an NFL stadium. In addition, Curt represented a group of Nevada electric customers in a recent rate case before the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN), which resulted in significant savings for those customers. Also, Curt has worked to achieve positive benefits for a generation client in a natural gas rate case, has advised clients in integrated resource planning dockets, assisted numerous clients in open access applications under NRS 704B, and participated in other related regulatory cases. From a federal regulatory perspective, Curt has extensive experience in the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Standards and the requirements of the Western Electric Coordinating Council (WECC).
Curt also assists the firm’s clients with state and federal permitting and environmental approvals, and Curt has represented both buyers and sellers alike in transactions involving renewable energy facilities. As a former utility employee, Curt is also intimately familiar with the various rules, regulations, and contractual requirements of local utilities, and provides guidance to developer clients when navigating through the labyrinth of utility line extension and interconnection rules and requirements.
Curt is active in various professional organizations. Curt is an advisory member to E2 (Energy + Economic) and was also a founding member of the Energy, Utilities and Communication Law Section of the State Bar of Nevada. Additionally, Curt was the most-recent chairman of the Clean Energy Project, an organization founded by former senator Harry Reid.
A steadfast supporter of community and charitable efforts, Curt assisted VEA to form a charitable foundation, and is a longtime volunteer in many community-oriented donation drives and projects.
Curt is admitted to practice in the following jurisdictions:
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Nevada
Recent Awards and Recognition:
Chambers Ranked in 2023
2023 Best Lawyers in America® Honoree for high caliber work in Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law, and Utilities Law
Nevada Business Magazine, “Legal Elite” – Energy, Environment & Natural Resources, Business Entities & Transactions, Real Estate & Land Use, four years running