Hans Leonard

Hans Leonard, PhD, is a director in BRG’s Energy & Climate practice and has extensive experience in competitive wholesale energy markets and regulated utilities. During his six years at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), he directed interdisciplinary case teams in the Office of Administrative Litigation through all phases of settlement and litigation—from data analysis and economic modeling to the preparation of written expert testimony and live cross-examination. He has advised and led complex matters involving market design, anticompetitive behavior, pricing efficiency, tariff interpretation, cost allocation, and damages modeling.

Dr. Leonard’s expertise spans industrial organization, applied microeconomics, econometric and statistical modeling, and causal inference across electric power, natural gas, and petroleum transportation sectors. He has developed and implemented models to analyze market behavior, evaluate costs and benefits, and estimate damages in disputes involving alleged illicit bidding, dispatch and pricing algorithm malfunctions, early infrastructure retirements, imprudent utility management, transmission investment decisions, tariff compliance, and rate design. He has submitted expert testimony on issues before FERC including cost allocation, customer termination fees, damages, and price effects. He has provided expert support in numerous settlements among utilities, customers, and regulators. In settlement environments, he helps parties understand the technical and policy implications of FERC precedent to support informed, durable resolutions.

Dr. Leonard complements his analytical work with deep experience managing and interpreting large-scale datasets. Before entering the regulatory field, he contributed to early applied natural language processing research funded by the US Department of Defense. He is adept at synthesizing complex quantitative findings into clear, accessible insights for legal, regulatory, and industry audiences.