R. Taylor Speer

Practice Areas

Taylor Speer is an energy lawyer who focuses on advising and litigating for electric utility customers, independent power producers and special interest groups. He also maintains a state, federal, and administrative litigation practice — often when there is a public policy consideration.

Energy:

You can find Taylor where energy infrastructure is being built. He is regularly hired by independent power producers for guidance and support on project development and acquisition, locally and in deregulated markets. For these clients, he has performed market analysis, conducted state and federal regulatory compliance, resolved interconnection disputes and litigated pro-development issues before state regulators. In that regard, Taylor has supported regulatory approval of over 1 GW of solar, storage, and transmission resources. In addition, Taylor is passionate about developing distributed energy resources for commercial and industrial utility customers. For these clients, Taylor has developed state interconnection procedures, litigated net metering and PURPA claims before state and federal regulators, avoided unnecessary regulatory requirements through waivers, and served as regulatory counsel for national microgrid projects.

Taylor is also well versed in utility planning, appearing in planning proceedings on behalf of utility customers and special interest groups. Following an eight-day trial, he achieved rejection of a utility’s first fully litigated resource planning proceeding on behalf of his client.

Taylor is a frequent contributor to the public dialogue on clean energy and was cited in filings with the U.S. Supreme Court related to voluntary cleanup of brownfields.

Litigation:

Employers rely on Taylor to protect their interests in litigation involving allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation and discrimination, as well as violations of fair housing, wage-and-hour, immigration and consumer protection laws. His successful representations include trying an employment case to jury verdict in federal court and arguing for an employer in a federal court of appeal. He also advises and counsels businesses on a broad range of multistate litigation including administrative law.

Professional Memberships

Haynsworth-Perry American Inn of Court | Green Ribbon Advisory Committee for City of Greenville | Member of the Board, Conservation Voters of South Carolina | E4 Carolinas: Task Force for South Carolina Clean Energy Industries (formerly South Carolina Clean Energy Business Alliance Advisory Committee)

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Bar Admissions: South Carolina, Florida

Education