Troutman Sanders opens Portland office

Troutman Sanders LLP will open a three-lawyer office in Portland next month.

The office will be the Atlanta-based firm’s 16th. Troutman Sanders is an international law firm well known for its energy practice.

Lara L. Skidmore, a Troutman Sanders partner and former Pacific Power executive, will become the office’s first managing partner. She will be joined by partners Matthew D. McVee and Antoine P. Cobb.

The office will at first focus on helping electric and natural gas utilities. All three partners have considerable experience in utility and regulatory-related matters; McVee, currently is general counsel for the Western Electricity Coordinating Council and Cobb was manager of federal regulation for Arizona Public Service Co.

"We have had our eye on Portland and the Pacific Northwest for some time because of the region’s high concentration of utilities and related agencies, and because of the significant renewable energy development throughout the Western U.S.,” said Robert W. Webb Jr., chairman and managing partner of Troutman Sanders, in a statement. “Portland provides us with a great opportunity to expand our Energy practice, which will instantly become the region’s largest with access to our more than 130 lawyers whose practices focus primarily on servicing clients in the energy industry worldwide.”

The firm, which has 680 attorneys in total, has two offices in California but is opening its Portland office to be closer to Pacific Northwest clients.