James C. Holsclaw

Jim has extensive experience serving energy industry clients, practicing before state and federal agencies including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He has comprehensive knowledge of wholesale electricity markets and has served as national coordinating counsel for large-scale utility integrations and complex, multi-jurisdictional regulatory matters.

Jim’s experience includes representation of Independent System Operators and Regional Transmission Organizations, investor-owned utilities, merchant generators, and renewable energy developers. 

Chambers USA recognized Jim as a Leading Lawyer in Energy & Natural Resources in Indiana, ranked in Band 2 (2023-2024). A client providing feedback to Chambers USA stated, "Jim is a strategic thinker and a strong communicator."

Additionally, Jim served as outside general counsel for privately held Indiana businesses, advising them in general corporate matters, contract negotiations and litigation.

Prior to joining Calfee in 2021, Jim served as President of The Holsclaw Group, LLC, an Indiana-based law firm specializing in energy policy, regulatory compliance, corporate strategy and privately held business matters.

Jim earned his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2001 and his B.A. in English from Butler University in 1998.

Honors & Recognitions

Chambers USA, Energy & Natural Resources, Band 2, Indiana (2023-2024) 

Education

J.D., University of Cincinnati College of Law, 2001

B.A., English, Butler University, 1998

Experience

• Serve as lead Indiana regulatory counsel for a publicly traded, Fortune 50 technology company in a proceeding initiated by a large, regulated utility company for approval of a data center tariff. (2024). Achieved uncontested settlement with all parties in the matter. (2025)
• Serve as lead outside counsel responsible for providing strategy on state regulatory matters to our client, an energy recycling services provider. Provide legal and regulatory strategy advice on power procurement processes and rate case matters for the client on an ongoing basis. (2024)
• Served as lead outside counsel for a nonprofit member-based energy organization client and provided legal and regulatory strategy, managed the development of the filing and expert testimony, drafted tariff language, transmittal letter and pre-filed testimony for the client. The Reliability Based Demand Curve filing with FERC represents a paradigm shift in the client's capacity market to address the energy transition, reduce capacity price volatility and provide better investment signals to generator owners and developers. The transition to a downward-sloping demand curve in the Midwest region has been a controversial matter among market participants and regulators for more than 10 years. This filing is the result of considerable stakeholder engagement, planning and analysis. (2024)
• Served as lead outside counsel for a nonprofit member-based energy organization client and provided legal and regulatory strategy, managed the development of the filing and expert testimony, drafted tariff language, transmittal letter and pre-filed testimony. Calfee advised on the Direct Loss of Load (DLOL) accreditation methodology filing with FERC. The proposed reforms in this filing are key to maintaining the reliability of the wholesale power grid through a transition to a two-step resource accreditation method, which measures a resource's availability when reliability risk is the greatest based on both prospective and retrospective risk assessments. This proposal furthers the client's ongoing efforts to better align resource accreditation with the rapidly changing generation resource fleet and risk factors affecting reliability. (2024)
• Served as lead outside counsel for a nonprofit member-based energy organization client in providing litigation strategy and responsive pleadings. Successfully defended a complaint and request for a declaratory order claiming more than $12 million in damages based on allegations that the client company incorrectly applied its Tariff and market rules in a matter involving market offers. The complaint was dismissed by FERC and request for a declaratory order was denied. (2024)
• Serve as lead outside counsel for a nonprofit member-based energy organization client in providing legal and compliance strategy, witness training and preparation, mock audit preparation, and review and advice on audit responses. Representation of the client in two separate onsite audits of a nonprofit international regulatory authority related to mandatory reliability standards and requirements applicable to critical infrastructure protection, including critical cyber assets and operating standards and requirements. The client has received multiple positive observations from the auditors in their initial report at the conclusion of the onsite audit. (2024)
• Serving as co-counsel to public utility companies providing natural gas distribution services in relation to its request for a rate increase. We also provided guidance with Intervenor Compensation rulemaking and Thermal Energy Network policy development.
• Serving as co-counsel and local due diligence counsel to a Canadian pension investment manager, helping to provide economic and environmental regulatory due diligence for the possible acquisition of a stake in a public utility.
• Providing legal and regulatory strategy, managing the development of the filing and expert testimony, and drafted tariff language, a transmittal letter, and pre-filed testimony for an independent organization that manages and administers significant energy markets in North America.
• Providing legal strategy and defense of a complaint filed against an independent organization that manages and administers significant energy markets in North America. Specifically, Calfee is assisting the client in the defense of a complaint brought by a national solar energy trade association, alleging that the client's Tariff is unjust and unreasonable.
• Providing direction on legal and regulatory strategy, draft filing, and pre-filed testimony and assisting in regulatory compliance and discovery processes for an independent organization that manages and administers significant energy markets in North America. Specifically, Calfee manages the stakeholder processes and presentations and assists with the client’s compliance with FERC Order No. 2222 directing RTOs to allow distributed energy resources (DER) to participate in wholesale electricity markets. This matter is of high importance to the client and involves FERC’s direction in Order No. 2222 and removes barriers to allow DERs to participate in wholesale markets, therefore expanding the grid to previously precluded resources. The rules developed through the stakeholder engagement and filings related to this FERC’s mandate will allow the expansion of wholesale market participation to aggregations of smart residential devices like thermostats and electric vehicle chargers.
• Provided legal and compliance strategy, witness training and preparation, mock audit preparation, review, and advice on audit responses for an independent organization that manages and administers significant energy markets in North America. Specifically in this matter, Calfee represented the client in a North America Electric Reliability Council’s (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) audit. This matter was of high importance to the client and involved the preparation of witnesses and responses for audit assessing cyber security of critical energy infrastructure systems and assets.
• Assisting a nationwide energy management company, with third-party discovery responses, witness preparation, and witness defense in third-party 30(b)(6) depositions. The client was involved in discovery and deposed as a third-party service provider to a named party in litigation involving the operation and potential retirement of a generator.

Professional & Community

Energy Bar Association, Midwest Chapter, Board Director