Government Experience

  • United States House of Representatives—Energy Counsel – House Energy & Commerce Committee
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit—Law Clerk

Education

  • Emory University, B.B.A. (2011) with distinction
  • Emory University School of Law, J.D. (2014) magna cum laude, Order of the Coif

Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland

Tyler A. O'Connor

Partner
toconnor@crowell.com
+1.202.624.2704

Tyler O’Connor is an energy litigator and public policy leader in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office, where he represents clients in the courts, in arbitration forums, and before federal agencies.

Prior to joining Crowell, Tyler served as the Energy Counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where he played a leading role in drafting the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). He was the lead House lawyer responsible for the Federal Power Act and Natural Gas Act and worked extensively on transmission, energy cybersecurity, and energy supply chain issues. His work brought him into frequent contact with senior administration officials, including at the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), as well as congressional leadership. As the staffer responsible for emerging technologies, including hydrogen and offshore wind, as well as the Loan Programs Office, Tyler has been at the center of energy policy discussions.

In addition to helping clients navigate the IRA and IIJA, Tyler represents energy industry clients in civil litigation, enforcement matters, and in disputes against the government. He has successfully represented clients in bet-the-company litigation, including in multi-hundred-million-dollar contract disputes, in FERC and DOE enforcement actions, and in suits against the Department of Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Army. In addition to his trial practice, Tyler has co-authored numerous U.S. Supreme Court and appellate briefs on energy, environmental, civil rights, torts, and other issues.

Tyler maintains a very active pro bono litigation practice. He has co-authored U.S. Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit amicus briefs on behalf of the American Bar Association and NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, respectively; served as co-counsel with the ACLU in securing a major First Amendment victory at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; first-chaired a criminal jury trial in Maryland state court on behalf of an indigent client; and counsels refugees seeking asylum in the United States.

Tyler clerked for the Honorable Catharina Haynes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Tyler received his J.D. magna cum laude and Order of the Coif in 2014 from the Emory University School of Law, where he was a member of the school’s law review.


Representative Matters

  • Successfully representing an independent power producer in a multi-hundred-million-dollar power purchase agreement dispute with a large California utility. 
  • Securing multiple TROs in state court over the course of one month in bet-the-company litigation on behalf of a company that develops financial products for energy merchants and commodity trading firms. 
  • Successfully representing a battery storage developer in a FERC dispute involving PJM’s recalibration of its methodology for compensating energy storage projects. 
  • Successfully resolving numerous rate cases at FERC on behalf of Energy Group clients. 
  • Obtaining a significant damages award on behalf of a client in a multijurisdictional dispute involving breach of contract and allegations of fraud, ultimately resulting in a favorable global settlement for our client. 
  • Representing a pipeline in a non-public FERC Office of Enforcement investigation, which was resolved without any further action by the agency. 
  • Resolving claims by the DOE’s Office of Enforcement against manufacturing clients alleging violations of energy conservation standards under the Energy Policy Conservation Act. 
  • Securing victory in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on the theory that the government effectuated a taking of a real-estate developer’s property in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Speeches & Presentations


Publications


Client Alerts & Newsletters


Press Coverage


Firm News & Announcements

January 25, 2023 Former DOJ Trial Attorney Jason Crawford Returns to Crowell & Moring
December 20, 2022 House Energy Counsel Tyler O’Connor Returns to Crowell & Moring
May 6, 2020 The National Law Journal Names Crowell & Moring to 2020 Pro Bono Hot List
January 2, 2020 Crowell & Moring Elects Eight New Partners and Promotes Seven to Senior Counsel and 26 to Counsel Positions
December 11, 2019 The Financial Times Names Crowell & Moring Finalist in 2019 Innovative Lawyers Report for North America
July 12, 2019 Crowell & Moring and ACLU Achieve Victory in Free Speech Case Challenging Gag Orders Imposed on Survivors of Police Abuse in Baltimore
September 27, 2017 DEAL NOTE: Crowell & Moring Client Georgetown University Enters Into Power Purchase Agreement with Origis Energy USA
February 21, 2017 Litigation Note: Crowell & Moring Wins Eight-Figure Damages Award for O1 LLC in Arbitration