August 2024: Lindsay Foy
Lindsay, what inspired you to leave private practice to become in-house counsel for an energy company?
I had been interested for some time in ultimately ending up in-house – I liked the idea of having one client and being able to really dive into their business and help prevent issues from escalating to litigation. I was fortunate enough to work on a utility company merger while I was in private practice, which was a great introduction to the industry, and then I was ultimately able to move into their in-house legal department. Like most people you’ll talk to in the industry, I didn’t set out planning to end up here, but I’m glad that I did.
How has your litigation experience in private practice been helpful to your role as Associate General Counsel? Are there major differences in how you approach representation?
My litigation experience has been helpful in exposing me to what can go wrong for a company if certain provisions aren’t included in a contract or if particular steps aren’t taken up front in a negotiation. I definitely look at contractual provisions through a lens of how the language would be interpreted by a judge if a dispute arose between the parties as to its meaning. While sometimes this can be helpful, it also requires balancing with the business relationship – you don’t want to set too adversarial a tone for the negotiation at the outset.
At Florida’s Women in Energy Leadership Forum, we try to bring attention to the many rewarding opportunities in energy by promoting stem-related careers. Do you see a growing number of women in law and energy?
I do. I was on a Teams call recently with people from several different departments in the company and I realized that we were all women. Earlier in my career it was not uncommon for me to be the only woman in a room, so it’s been exciting to see more women joining the field.
You are an active participant in the American Gas Association (AGA) Legal ForumCommittee. Do those venues allow you to mentor, recruit, and learn from other women in energy? Is there more the industry can do specifically in the area of promoting legal careers?
Absolutely the AGA Legal Committee is a wonderful place to learn from other women in energy. I always come away inspired by the conversations I’m fortunate enough to have. I’d love to see more law students at industry conferences like yours so they can learn about and start networking within the industry.
This year’s theme for Florida’s Women in Energy Leadership Forum theme is The Power of Collaboration. As you can legally, describe one example of collaboration you’ve worked on within the industry that you know will have significant implications for your company’s growth.
I think a great example of collaboration at our company was when we acquired Florida City Gas last year. It took a tremendous effort from individuals all over the company to close that transaction as quickly as we did. We were analyzing due diligence, negotiating the purchase agreement, securing financing, determining the necessary transition services, planning to onboard 180 new employees on day one, and more, all at the same time.
What advice would you give to the 1L law school student looking to pursue a career in energy?
It’s never too early to start making contacts. Compared to a lot of other areas of law, it’s a very small and specialized field, so networking can provide a lot of opportunities.