William D. Kissinger

Bingham McCutchen, Partner
Bingham Consulting Group, Consultant

William Kissinger returned to Bingham after spending two years working as senior deputy legal affairs secretary to Gov. Gray Davis and serving as the primary legal contact for the Office of the Governor with Cal EPA, Cal Health and Human Services Agency, and the Resources Agency. Bill also served as a member of the Governor’s Energy Task Force, responsible for shaping California’s strategy in responding to the electricity crisis. He was California’s lead negotiator in the effort to renegotiate the multibillion-dollar energy contracts the state entered into in early 2001. His efforts resulted in greatly improved contract terms with future savings to the state in excess of $5 billion over the life of the contracts. Bill was also a member of the California Electricity Oversight Board, after being appointed by Gov. Davis in 2002.

Prior to that, Bill spent four years working in senior positions in the federal government. From 1997–2000, he served as special assistant to the legal adviser for the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. From 2000–2001, Bill served as senior adviser for international economic policy at the White House National Economic Council.

Bill began his legal career with McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen in 1989 after clerking for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for a year. He became a partner in the Environment and Litigation Groups in 1995, with a practice focused on hazardous waste litigation and tort law matters. After returning to the firm from public service, in addition to environmental work, Bill’s practice also includes energy and international legal matters. Bill’s energy practice includes representing parties in litigation arising out of the purchase and sale of electricity as well as providing advice on regulatory matters involving the California Independent System Operator, the California Public Utilities Commission, California Energy Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He is also a member of the Bingham Consulting Group.

MATTERS
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
  • Transmission in California, Canada/US Energy Transactions, Law Seminars International, Vancouver, British Columbia (scheduled August 2010)
  • The Future of U.S. Energy and Environmental Policy, Boalt Hall All-Alumni Reunion, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, Calif. (Oct. 10, 2009)
  • Navigating California Environmental Restrictions on Energy Imports from Coal Fired Plants, Coal in the West Conference, Law Seminars International, Denver, Colo. (March 2007)
AWARDS AND HONORS
MEMBERSHIPS
  • American Bar Association
  • Energy Bar Association
  • Conference of California Public Utility Counsel
  • Pacific Council on International Policy
  • Director, Bar Association of San Francisco Foundation
  • Board member, China-U.S. Energy Efficiency Alliance
  • Board member, Legal Community Against Violence
  • Technical Advisory Board, Marin Energy Authority
  • Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
ADMISSIONS
  • Admitted to practice in California
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii
EDUCATION
  • University of California Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), Juris Doctor, 1987
  • Princeton University, Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, 1982

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William D. Kissinger