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E. Garth Black, a partner of Cooper, White & Cooper LLP, represents the firm's public utility clients before regulatory bodies and the courts and counsels them concerning regulatory and industry issues. He counsels utilities on customer privacy issues, and represents utilities in negotiations with regulatory staffs, other utilities, and consumer groups with respect to industry-wide issues such as interconnection, toll settlements, joint services, taxes, and environmental issues. Significant contested regulatory matters for which he has been primarily responsible include independent telephone company and water utility general rate cases, complaint cases, rulemakings and investigations, new services and tariffs, affiliate transactions, procurement policies and practices, transfers of utility assets, formation of holding companies, utility borrowings, and applications for transfers of control and for certificates of public convenience and necessity. He has handled right of way condemnation actions and negotiation with municipalities concerning telephone company use of rights of way to provide video services. Mr. Black has conducted seminars for the California Telephone Association on customer privacy and utility debt collection and credit practices. He is a member of the California Council of Public Utility Attorneys and the Federal Communications Bar Association. Mr. Black received his undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Michigan in 1969. He attended Columbia University School of Law, where he was named a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and received his J.D. degree in 1972. Mr. Black began practice in San Francisco in September 1972 and joined Cooper, White & Cooper LLP in 1974. He became a partner of the firm in 1980. | 