Fredrick Wilson Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has hired a partner from Troutman Pepper Locke LLP, who is joining the energy regulatory team to advise clients on a range of matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an agency he used to work for.

Fredrick Wilson works with investor-owned utilities, generation and transmission cooperatives, independent power producers, and transmission companies, the firm said in an announcement Tuesday. He joined the Willkie team in D.C. after almost four years as a partner with Troutman.

In an email to Law360 Pulse Thursday, Wilson said that the firm's global platform and investment in transactional and regulatory energy capabilities "were a significant draw for me and align well with my practice goals and my experience."

"Large data center loads, an evolving supply mix, and increasingly complex transactions are leading to an evolution in the way utilities and other market participants operate," Wilson said. "I'm excited to be a part of the team here, and to lead a regulatory group that complements industry-leading finance and private equity practices."

Wilson earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Howard University, and worked in engineering roles in the energy industry before earning his law degree. He worked for the Georgia Transmission Corp. and Reliant Energy Inc., and then worked for a little more than two years as a senior regulatory specialist, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Wilson said that when the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was signed into law while he worked as an engineer, it was the first time he understood the impact that regulations can have on the operation of utilities. That realization brought him to pursue his law degree, he said.

"I've used the combination of technical and government experience to support my clients in their efforts to navigate the challenges of operating and investing in the energy industry," he said.

After earning his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center, Wilson spent four years at FERC, first as a trial attorney in the agency's Office of Administrative Litigation, then as a legal adviser to Commissioner Colette D. Honorable. He took his first role in private practice in 2016 with White & Case LLP, his LinkedIn profile says.

Wilson spent about five and a half years at his first firm, then nine months as a Davis Wright Tremaine LLP senior counsel. He joined Troutman in 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Eric Pogue, the global chair of Willkie's power and renewable energy group, said in a statement that Wilson "will be a great addition to our global energy team."

"Fred brings a broad range of diverse experience; significant legal, regulatory and technical knowledge; and proven success helping clients navigate transactions, projects and related regulatory issues in the energy space," Pogue said.

Willkie announced last month the firm had added a pair of funds attorneys in New York and Washington, D.C. The firm has made several other additions in 2026, including a restructuring partner in Chicago from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, a Sidley Austin LLP private equity attorney in Los Angeles, and an entertainment litigator in that city from Paul Hastings LLP.