James L. Ellis

Taylor Porter Of Counsel Jim Ellis has focused on representing utility, energy, and other regulated companies on state and federal regulatory, corporate, merger and acquisitions, transactional, contract, and litigation matters.

Upon graduating from Tulane Law School, Jim worked in Washington, D.C., for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the General Services Administration. He represented the executive agencies of the federal government and the Department of Defense in state and federal regulatory proceedings involving electric, gas, and telecommunications matters. In addition to appearing before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, he appeared in regulatory proceedings before one-fourth of the state public service commissions in the United States.

Jim has represented electric, water, and gas utility companies and numerous pipeline and energy companies before state regulatory agencies and the courts. As part of that representation, he advises the boards and management of those companies on corporate, rate, merger and acquisitions, contract, and litigation issues. Further, he has worked with regulated entities on franchise issues with public bodies and compliance with city and state regulatory codes. He has represented many national companies in utility, energy, cogeneration, pipeline, and other matters relating to financing, acquisitions, deal structuring, land and right-of-way acquisition, government compliance, and other corporate and litigation issues. He has been lead counsel and has litigated numerous cases at the trial and appellate levels and has won several notable cases involving regulatory law before the Louisiana Supreme Court.

With respect to mergers and acquisitions before the Louisiana Public Service Commission, Jim was selected lead counsel for many of the major utility projects that have taken place in Louisiana in the last several decades.  Jim was lead counsel in Louisiana for Gulf States Utilities Company, a publicly traded investor-owned utility, in its merger with Entergy Corporation.  Jim also represented Gulf States Utilities Company’s natural gas local distribution company (LDC) before the Louisiana Public Service Commission in rate and other proceedings. 

Jim was lead counsel in Louisiana for ITC in its effort to purchase the electric transmission assets of Entergy Corporation in a multibillion-dollar transaction. Jim was also lead counsel in Louisiana for Macquarie (Cleco Partners) in its acquisition of Cleco Power, another multibillion-dollar transaction.

Jim previously served as general counsel to the largest electric cooperative in the State of Louisiana. Jim also has extensive experience with utility servitudes and a franchise issue involving towns, cities, parishes, and other governmental entities. 

In addition to his representation of regulated entities and corporations, he has also represented the boards of public bodies, including towns, police juries, universities, and state agencies, in court and regulatory proceedings. He also advises boards and commissions on corporate governance and directors’ and officers’ liability issues.

Mr. Ellis has been active in many civic and economic development organizations in the capital region. He was general counsel for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (2005-2007), served as chairman of the board of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber in 2008, and served on the board of directors and executive committee. Mr. Ellis has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Baton Rouge Airport Commission. In addition, he has served as a member of the board of directors for several organizations: City Club of Baton Rouge, FuturePAC, the Manship Theatre, the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, the McMains Children’s Development Center, Re Store of Baton Rouge, and Evergreen Life Services.

• Tulane Law School, J.D., 1974
• Louisiana State University, B.A., 1971

• Louisiana, 1974
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• United States Supreme Court
• United States District Court for the District of Columbia

• Baton Rouge Bar Association
• Louisiana State Bar Association
• Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC)
• City Club of Baton Rouge