Skilled Advocacy for Client Success
Carolyn Brakey, Principal, is an accomplished business attorney with a background in mechanical engineering and in-depth knowledge of legal issues related to energy. She provides a wide range of legal and business guidance to clients, including offering practical advice and managing relationships.
Carolyn also serves as General Counsel to Brakey Energy. Brakey Energy provides comprehensive energy management services to scores of large energy users that operate in the state of Ohio. Brakey Energy helps commercial and industrial users lower their energy bills through electric generation and natural gas procurement, demand response, capacity cost mitigation, energy efficiency, and managing regulatory issues.
Prior to starting Brakey Law, Carolyn practiced law for several years at Cleveland law firms, most recently as an energy attorney and previously as a patent attorney and patent agent. She was a patent examiner for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) before law school. She is admitted to the practice law in all Ohio State Courts, the U.S. District Court, the Northern District of Ohio, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
- Carolyn has been named a Rising Star in Ohio in 2020 and 2021 by Super Lawyers®. She also was honored for career success and community engagement by Crain’s Cleveland Business as a member of the Forty Under 40 class of 2015.
- She has extensive experience successfully representing plaintiffs in class action lawsuits involving electricity billing issues. She originated a class action suit on behalf of commercial and industrial customers of FirstEnergy Solutions that had paid charges related to the 2014 polar vortex. The case recently settled for $12 million.
- Carolyn has a thorough understanding of Ohio energy law and Ohio’s deregulated energy market. She assists commercial, industrial, and institutional clients in disputes involving energy, including helping clients solve problems with investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, certified retail electric service (CRES) suppliers, and energy brokers.
- She holds a J.D. from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Grove City College.
- She specializes in energy transactions, including negotiating and drafting electric generation, natural gas, and demand response agreements. She also drafts requests for proposals (RFPs) for electric generation and natural gas service.
- Applying her undergraduate degree in engineering, Carolyn is skilled at explaining complex concepts involving electricity and natural gas to clients, co-counsel, and courts. Her unique combination of energy and legal knowledge makes her a valuable asset to litigation teams.
- Carolyn lives in Novelty, Ohio with her husband and boy/girl twins. She enjoys exploring Northeast Ohio’s museums and parks with her family, regularly practices yoga, and is an avid distance runner
Presentations
- “Green and Gold Rushes Coming to Ohio: Medical Cannabis and Blockchain Industries.” Manufacturers’ Education Council Energy Management Conference, Columbus, Ohio. February 20, 2019
- “Important Provisions for Your Next Generation Supplier Contract.” Manufacturers’ Education Council Energy Management Conference, Columbus, Ohio. February 21, 2017
- “Energy Management Playbook: Best Practices and Actionable Measures to Reduce Your Energy Bills.” Manufacturers’ Education Council Energy Management Conference, Columbus, Ohio. February 16, 2016
- “FirstEnergy: Electric Rates & Tariffs, Capacity Cost Management, Energy Efficiency Projects, Emergency Demand Response, Shopping for Generation Service, Self-Assessing the Ohio kWh Tax; FERC & PUCO Cases & How to Save Money on Your Electric Bills.” Manufacturers’ Education Council Energy Management Conference, Akron, Ohio. September 22, 2015
- “How to Minimize Impact of Soaring Capacity Costs on Electricity Prices in the FirstEnergy Territory.” Manufacturers’ Education Council Energy Management Conference, Columbus, Ohio. February 25, 2015
- “Senate Bill 221: Energy Efficiency Savings Opportunities. Actionable Measures Customers Can Take.” Manufacturers’ Education Council Energy Management Conference, Columbus, Ohio. February 18, 2014
Publications
- “Disputing FirstEnergy’s RTO Expense Surcharge.” Crain’s Cleveland Business, July 11, 2014
- “Five things to watch for when signing a power generation agreement.” Crain’s Cleveland Business, March 21, 2014
- “Capacity auctions show high electric capacity charges will be sticking around.” Crain’s Cleveland Business, May 30, 2014