Read & Laniado, LLP

Attorney Sam Laniado

Sam Laniado graduated from New York University School of Law in 1976. He joined the Staff of the NYSDPS in September 1976. He represented Staff in environmental transmission and power plant siting proceedings pursuant to Articles VII and VIII of the PSL, the investigation of the extended outage at Consolidated Edison's Indian Point II Generating Station, and the development of phase-in ratemaking principles to be applied when nuclear power plants were scheduled to enter rate base.

Mr. Laniado's duties also included directly advising the NYSDPS on a wide range of legal, regulatory and environmental issues. Furthermore, he provided representation of the NYSPSC and the Siting Board New York appellate litigation proceedings (Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules). Mr. Laniado also represented the Staff in cases involving electric rates(Long Island Lighting Company, Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation and the New York State Electric and Gas Corporation) as well as gas, telephone and water rate cases.

Mr. Laniado left the NYSDPS for private practice in December 1983. Mr. Laniado leads the Firm’s power plant siting practice and has been involved in five Article X proceedings before the Siting Board, siting proceedings before the NYSDEC as well as gas and electric transmission line proceedings before the NYSPSC. Among other activities, he advises clients on SEQRA, siting, environmental issues, and other energy-related matters. He has advised several clients on every major legislative siting initiative for the past 40 years.

Attorney Kevin Brocks

 graduated from the Cornell Law School in 1980. He joined the Staff of the NYSDPS in August 1980. While at the NYSDPS Mr. Brocks represented the Staff in a variety of environmental and rate proceedings, including investigations regarding power plant coal conversions and the siting of new generation facilities.

In March 1983, Mr. Brocks entered private practice. Mr. Brocks has been actively involved in electric industry restructuring in New York State on behalf of Retail Energy Service Companies since the inception of retail competition. He has represented individual ESCOs as well as coalitions of ESCOs in NYSDPS proceedings on all aspects of retail competition since 1998. He has worked on a wide range of matters for water, gas and electric utilities in a variety of jurisdictions. He has represented a number of clients in water quality and service issues, including extensive involvement in a proceeding regarding water quality before the Nassau County Board of Health.

Mr. Brocks has served as the attorney for Planning and Zoning Boards, providing advice on zoning, environmental and land use matters. Mr. Brocks has also represented clients before the New York State Department of Health, NYSPSC, NYSDEC, as well as federal and state courts, on a range of complex environmental, public health and enforcement matters. He currently represents the Municipal Utility Electric Association and New York Municipal Power Agency.

Attorney David B. Johnson

David B. Johnson graduated from Albany Law School of Union University in 1994 and was a managing editor of the Albany Law Journal of Science and Technology, in which he published an article relating to First Amendment rights. He began working at Read and Laniado while in law school and became a partner in 2001. Mr. Johnson is now engaged in the Firm’s practice involving utility, energy, and environmental law. He has represented owners and operators of wholesale electric generating facilities, power marketers, distributed energy resources, and trade associations before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”), New York Public Service Commission (“NYPSC”), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York Independent System Operator, Inc. (“NYISO”), New York State Reliability Council (“NYSRC”), and New York State and federal courts.

Mr. Johnson has represented clients in administrative proceedings, including matters involving new generation interconnection, competitive power and renewable energy credit procurement, cost- and market-based rate design, financing, power purchase agreements, certificates of public convenience and necessity for new electric generating facilities, purchase and sale transactions, electric and gas utility rate cases, and regulation of competitive wholesale electricity suppliers. He is active in matters involving the wholesale competitive electricity markets, the permitting and siting of renewable and conventional energy projects, the negotiation of gas transportation agreements, power purchase contracts and interconnection agreements, and the development of the NYPSC’s Clean Energy Standard (“CES”) and its Reforming the Energy Vision (“REV”) initiatives.

Attorney Zachary Perdek

Zachary Perdek graduated from Syracuse University College of Law with a J.D. and graduated from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a Master of Professional Studies in Natural Resources Management in May 2019. Mr. Perdek joined the firm as an associate in August 2019 and was admitted the New York State Bar in January 2020. Mr. Perdek has represented clients before state and federal administrative agencies, including the New York State Public Service Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the New York Independent System Operator, and New York State and federal courts. He is active in administrative proceedings in matters involving the permitting and siting of renewable energy projects, gas and electric rate proceedings, cost- and market-based rate design, and regulation of competitive wholesale electricity suppliers.

During his time in law school, Mr. Perdek served as the editor-in-chief of the Syracuse University Journal of International Law and Commerce, and as a member of the Class Act Committee. Mr. Perdek has had legal internships with NYSDEC Region 7 and the New York State Office of the Attorney General Environmental Protection Bureau, where he familiarized himself with New York State’s environmental regulatory regime, wrote enforcement petitions, and engaged in settlement deliberations.

Attorney Konstantin Podolny

Mr. Podolny’s practice focuses in the area of energy law including municipal electric utilities, utility rate cases, gas safety and compliance, electric and distributed generation, demand response, energy efficiency, and gas and electric transmission line siting. He represents clients before state and federal administrative agencies, including the New York State Public Service Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the New York Independent System Operator, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and state and federal courts. Mr. Podolny has represented clients in administrative proceedings in matters involving new generation interconnection, financing, certificates of public convenience and necessity for new electric generating facilities, and asset purchase and sale transactions for electric, water and gas facilities. He is active in matters involving the restructuring of the electric industry, the permitting and siting of renewable and conventional energy projects, gas and electric rate proceedings, and issues relating to New York’s Freedom of Information Law.

Mr. Podolny first joined the firm as a law clerk in 2007 and then as an Associate upon graduating cum laude from Albany Law School in 2009. While in law school, he served as Note and Comment Editor of the Albany Law Journal of Science and Technology, was a teaching fellow in several subjects, and was chosen to compete as a member of several Albany Law School Moot Court Teams. Mr. Podolny holds a B.A. in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Mr. Podolny’s article “Gas Transmission Facilities: The Limits on Home Rule” was published in the Albany Law Review, Volume 1, Number 2 (2014).

Attorney Howard Read

Howard Read graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 1969. He joined the Staff of the New York State Department of Public Service (“NYSDPS”) in August 1970. While at the NYSDPS Mr. Read represented the Staff in many cases including telephone and electric and gas utility rates (New York Telephone Company, Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, and Rochester Gas & Electric Corporation). He was also counsel in a number of generic cases, among them the underground siting of utility facilities and ratemaking for cable television pole attachments.

From 1976 until he left the NYSDPS in 1983, Mr. Read's duties consisted primarily of court-related work, advising the NYSDPS on legal and policy issues and supervision of NYSDPS litigation. Court cases included representation of the NYSDPS in both state and federal courts including the New York Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Among others, the cases involved the legality of fuel adjustment clauses, restrictions on use of bill inserts and promotional advertising by public utilities and the validity of rate orders.

Mr. Read left the NYSDPS in December of 1983 to engage in the private practice of law where he now represents clients before federal and state courts, the FERC, the NYSPSC, the Siting Board, the NYSDEC and other New York administrative agencies. In addition to his appellate practice, Mr. Read has represented clients with respect to a variety of general business matters, including real estate and tax issues. Mr. Read also supervises the Firm's representation of clients engaged in asset acquisition and financing transactions.

Attorney Michelle Zaludek

Michelle Zaludek graduated Magna Cum Laude from Albany Law School in 2021 and was admitted to the New York State Bar in June 2022. Ms. Zaludek previously interned with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Office of Hearings and Mediation, where she was introduced to the State’s environmental regulatory regime, including its work in renewable energy siting projects. Ms. Zaludek then joined the Firm as a law clerk and stayed on as an Associate upon graduating.

In law school, Ms. Zaludek served as a Symposia Editor on the Albany Law Journal of Science & Technology; President of Albany Law OUTLaw; Outreach Coordinator for the Albany Law Environmental Law Society; Research Assistant in environmental law; and Teaching Assistant for legal writing.