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From the firm's founding in 1967, the lawyers of Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP have sought to practice law in accordance with three very basic propositions:Public sector and consumer-owned entities are entitled to legal representation of the highest quality, at a cost they can afford. No public agency or consumer-owned enterprise should be forced to operate from a position of weakness because of its legal representation. In any technical area, lawyers should be conversant with more than just the fine points of the law. We must be able to communicate effectively with clients, expert witnesses, judges and others about highly technical matters. Our clients are entitled to lawyers who approach problems with a broad perspective. Narrow thinking leads to narrow solutions, and narrow solutions are usually poor solutions. Initially, the firm set out to apply these principles in the context of representing municipally owned and cooperative utility systems that found themselves at odds with private utility companies. In that arena, we found that the representation of municipal and cooperative systems - which are often subject to strict limitations on their legal budgets - required methods and approaches that would give clients the greatest return on their legal dollar. This recognition has led us to put a premium on creative legal strategies - for example: seeking relief for clients in unexpected venues, and forcing regulatory agencies to expand the scope of their review in the context of otherwise routine proceedings. By adopting novel approaches to our clients' legal problems, we have been successful in achieving more effective results at a lower cost than if a purely conventional course had been taken. Over the years, the firm has grown in size, and we have broadened our areas of service. As we describe in the following pages, Spiegel & McDiarmid today serves clients in:Energy Hydroelectric Natural Gas Nuclear Renewables Environmental Public Policy & Legislative Telecommunications Transportation Water Commercial Litigation But despite our growth, the principles on which the firm was founded still guide our efforts. Today, as always, we apply the view that no client should feel at a disadvantage because of the cost of legal representation. Accordingly, we must continue to deliver to our client the highest quality legal services at a reasonable cost. We continue to strive for creative approaches to problem solving and to seek solutions that will be long-lasting and beneficial. Our clients demand and deserve no less.