William Scherman > Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Offices
1050 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON DC 20036-5306
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
United States
- Firm Profile
- Go to...
William Scherman
Work Department
Energy, Regulation and Litigation
Position
Bill Scherman advises companies on litigation, commercial, regulatory and legislative matters relating to the U.S. and international energy markets. He has litigated high-profile energy investigation and enforcement matters before the FERC and in the federal courts and represents large electric utilities before the FERC and state regulators. During the last several years, he has been heavily involved in very high-profile trials before the FERC involving rate, market power and market manipulation issues. He also utilizes his experience in market power issues in advising companies on mergers and acquisitions.
Career
General Counsel, FERC; Chief of Staff and Senior Legal and Policy Advisor, FERC. During his tenure at the FERC, he played a key role in major policy initiatives, including the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and Order No. 636, which reformed the natural gas pipeline industry. As FERC’s chief legal officer, he was responsible for the agency’s litigation strategy before federal appellate courts.
For more information, please visit https://www.gibsondunn.com/lawyer/scherman-william-s/
Education
JD, University of Louisville School of Law, 1984 (Articles Editor, Law Review); BA, George Washington University, 1980.
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Energy > Energy regulation: oil and gas
Vinson & Elkins LLP‘s energy regulation and complex commercial litigation practice, which is co-headed by Houston-based lawyers Jay Seegers and Suzanne Clevenger as well as Washington DC-based William Scherman, handles a diverse portfolio of matters that encompasses rate cases, presidential permit applications, compliance issues, and FERC enforcement proceedings. Seegers advises clients on a wide range of complex regulatory issues and federal energy policy trends, while Clevenger’s practice centers around advising clients on FERC regulatory requirements and compliance with FERC regulations, including assisting clients with the creation of regulatory compliance and internal audit programs. Scherman, who joined the firm in February 2023 from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, advises companies on litigation, commercial, regulatory and legislative matters relating to the US and international energy markets. Monique Watson, who joined from Steptoe LLP in August 2023, offers strategic, policy and legal expertise in all facets of natural gas and oil pipeline regulation, allowing her to handle rate cases and tariff analysis, energy market policy reviews, and transactional matters. John Decker  has left the firm.
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Antitrust > Cartel
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Government > Government relations
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Environment > Environment: litigation
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Dispute resolution > International litigation
- Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions)
- Real estate > Land use/zoning
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Transport > Aviation and air travel: finance
- Media, technology and telecoms > Outsourcing
- Transport > Rail and road: litigation and regulation
- Real estate > Real estate
- Real estate > Real estate finance
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
Firm Rankings
- Insurance > Advice to insurers
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Corporate governance
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Energy > Energy transactions: electric power
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Finance > Project finance
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Tax > US taxes: contentious
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings
- International trade and national security > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Energy > Energy litigation: oil and gas
- Energy > Energy regulation: electric power
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Healthcare > Health insurers
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- Antitrust > Merger control
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)
- Industry focus > Sport
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Energy > Energy litigation: electric power
- Government > Government contracts
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Finance > Structured finance: derivatives and structured products
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Venture capital and emerging companies
- Finance > Financial services regulation
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Transport > Aviation and air travel: finance