KTalks: 5 Issues with Steve Levitas | Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

Welcome to KTalks. This series reaches out to leaders in the enterprise and legal communities with 5 issues to request their insight on matters ranging from how legislation corporations do the job with in-house counsel to guidelines on mentoring new attorneys, and guidance for do the job/lifestyle balance.

Steve Levitas is Senior Vice President for Regulatory and Federal government Affairs at Pine Gate Renewables — a utility-scale renewable strength company focused on strategic improvement and financing of photo voltaic and strength storage jobs in the United States. He is also just lately retired companion from Kilpatrick Townsend where he served clients for 20 many years on the firm’s Environmental & Solution Regulation Workforce. Steve is one of the primary renewable energy attorneys in the Southeast. Around his profession he has represented solar and biomass builders as nicely as professional and industrial electrical power buyers. He also represented a broad variety of corporate and governmental customers on environmental regulatory matters, with an emphasis on wastewater permitting and compliance, wetland and stream allowing and mitigation, drinking water excellent plan, and remediation and redevelopment of contaminated house.

1. What was the most valuable skillset that you uncovered functioning at Kilpatrick Townsend that interprets to your latest placement?

Prior to signing up for Kilpatrick, I had been a litigator and regulatory attorney. Whilst at the company, I learned how to stand for purchasers in complex business transactions. John Livingston, who is a fantastic transactional law firm, was an specially fantastic mentor.

2. How does your authorized abilities assistance you in your current situation?

I put in most of my legal profession mastering elaborate regulatory programs. That practical experience is incredibly valuable in my latest role, where I am routinely named on to interpret intricate rules and guidelines applicable to renewable strength resources and to aid style and design new regulatory systems.

3. What is the very best non-legal attribute that you see in the most profitable lawyers?

Humility.

4. Who had the biggest affect in your legal career that aided propel your job?

I have created a range of key adjustments all through the course of my career. They all involved a truthful volume of uncertainty and danger and demanded me to embark on steep discovering curves. In each scenario, now dating back again 40 many years, Miles Alexander encouraged me to go for it, and in every single case that turned out to be superior guidance.

5. Is there a thing you do in your personal lifestyle that contributes to your skilled accomplishment?

I want to point out two factors. Initially, I spend a superior offer of time memorizing and reciting poetry, which I imagine strengthens my oral interaction competencies and also provides me a valuable perception of point of view. 2nd, because the most crucial aspect of my skilled achievements is advanced problem solving, I’d like to think that the many hundreds of hours I’ve put in operating crossword puzzles has made me better at that.