Baker Botts offices in Washington, D.C./Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

Baker Botts has hired Leigh Hancher, an expert in energy policy, as a senior adviser based in Brussels.

Hancher, a U.K. national, is an expert in EU energy regulatory law and has advised clients and regulators on energy law and policy for the past three decades.

She is also a professor of European law at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and a part-time professor and director of EU energy law and policy at the Florence School of Regulation. 

"Leigh's experience brings further depth and breadth of experience to our clients, in particular in the energy sector, and complements our leading antitrust practice," Catriona Hatton, chair of the antitrust practise and partner-in-charge of the Brussels office, said in a statement. "Baker Botts is ideally positioned to guide clients tackling the challenges of the energy transition from fossil to renewable energy.''

Hancher was previously with the Amsterdam office of Allen & Overy as counsel. She is the author of several books on EU regulation and state aid, including EU State Aids (now in fifth edition), State Aid and the Energy Sector, EU Competition Law and Energy Markets, and Capacity Mechanisms in the EU Energy Market.

Capacity mechanisms are a hot topic in EU energy policy. The EU has recently agreed to new rules governing how national governments can compensate energy companies for providing capacity to balance supply and demand. The final deal was a hard-fought compromise between EU lawmakers who wanted to guard against national governments using the rules to justify a new wave of state aid for fossil-fuel powered plants, and the governments that wanted to ensure there will be backup supply on the energy grids, which are increasingly reliant on energy from renewable sources.

In November of last year, Baker Botts added another attorney in Brussels. Matthew Levitt, who specialises in antitrust and competition law, joined as a partner from Hogan Lovells. It has also added partners in London.

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