Utility & Energy Law
Utilities have lawyers. You should too.
When Ameren wants to run a transmission line through your farm, they send a team of engineers, right-of-way agents, and attorneys. When a pipeline company knocks on your door with an easement agreement already drafted, their lawyers wrote it. When the Illinois Commerce Commission is deciding the fate of a project that affects your property or your business, the utilities have experienced regulatory counsel at the table.
Jonathan Phillips has spent years going up against them. He knows the Illinois Public Utilities Act, the Commerce Commission's rules, and — more importantly — how the Commission actually works. He has opposed transmission lines, rerouted pipelines, defeated eminent domain efforts, and negotiated easements for landowners who needed someone in their corner.
Transmission Lines and Pipelines
When a utility wants to build through your land, they first need the Commission's approval — for the project and the route. That process is where you have real leverage. Jonathan has successfully rerouted transmission lines and pipelines away from clients' properties, and has defended against other landowners' attempts to shift routes onto his clients' land.
Easements
Utilities often try to lock in easements before landowners understand what they are giving up. Jonathan has negotiated dozens of easements for landowners, securing better compensation and terms that protect their interests for the long haul.
Eminent Domain
If a utility cannot get a voluntary easement, it can condemn your property. That does not mean you have no options. Jonathan can oppose the condemnation at both the Commerce Commission and the courthouse, or push for maximum compensation if the project ultimately proceeds.
Wind and Solar Development
Long-term leases, decommissioning obligations, tax abatement agreements, zoning approvals — wind and solar projects come with a lot of fine print. Jonathan helps landowners and project stakeholders navigate those issues.
Utility Bill Disputes
If you believe your rates are unjust or your utility is treating you differently than similarly situated customers, you have options. Many disputes go to the Illinois Commerce Commission. Others go to court. Either way, Jonathan has done it.
Results
Represented over 300 landowners in the Rock Island Clean Line case. Jonathan helped persuade the ICC to deny Rock Island's application — a decision that was ultimately affirmed unanimously by the Illinois Supreme Court, killing the project entirely.
In the Central Illinois Grid Transformation Project — the largest downstate transmission docket in state history — Jonathan secured reroutes for numerous clients and successfully opposed rerouting efforts by others.
In the Ameren Spoon River case, Jonathan persuaded the Commission to adopt a wholly different route over Ameren's objection and over Commission Staff's objection, protecting his clients' properties.
In the ComEd Grand Prairie Gateway case, Jonathan defeated a neighboring landowner group's effort to shift the transmission line onto his clients' historic properties.
Jonathan has represented dozens of landowners in easement negotiations across multiple large transmission and pipeline projects, consistently securing better compensation and more favorable terms.