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Show Business Portrait While F. Robert Reeder undertook the proper schooling and training to insure some sort of success for himself, the specifics of that success has been left to circumstance. It s not that he has no control over his destiny He would make a change if he didnt like what he was doing. But he has avoided outlining a specific course for himself, although that specific course has laid itself before him and he has walked a fairly straight line for the past 10 years. Box Elder Farm . Mr. Reeder went from a Box Elder County farm, where he grew up, to college in Salt Lake City, and the University of Utah Law School, to learning how to shoot an M-- l rifle in the Army to researching military law in defense of Lt. William L. Calley in the famous "My Lai Massacre case to practicing utility rate law before the Utah Public Service Commission. And while he didnt really plan on it, Mr. Reeder, at the age of 35, could be considered the dean of lawyers who practice regularly before the commission. Rate Matters He has been handling utility rate matters for about eight years, and while that is not the only thing he does in his law practice, it has been consuming more and more of his time as the issue of rising utility rates has grown over the years. Mr. Reeder works for Parsons, Behle & Latimer law firm. One of that firms clients is Kennecott Copper Corp. Shortly after Mr. Reeder joined the firm, he was assigned to represent the interests of Kennecott in utility rate matters. Knew Nothing He knew nothing about utility law, nor did he know much about rate issues. But through training, or baptism by fire, as he puts it, he learned. Besides Kennecott, he often represents such other large industrial firms as Stauffer Chemical Corp., U.S. Steel, Ideal Basic Industries, etc., in utility rate hearings. I didnt intend for this to be my specialty, nor do I now consider myself in a specialty. It is just that when I began working on utthiy issues, the factors of rising energy costs and the wave of consumerism were on a collision course and those issues have never gone away. All Segments Utilities began approaching the regulatory commission for rate increases more often as shortages, oil embargos and inflation began impacting on all segments of the nations economy. And as the public awareness of rising utility prices became more acute, consumer advocacy groups began to organize and participate in regulatory wars. And the large industrial firms, which spend millions of dollars a year on utility services, became more concerned about their own positions. Still Wilderness Because Mr. Reeder had been assigned to an area that was still wilderness area in the legal profession, the demand for his knowledge and expertise grew as companies recognized a need for their own representation. And as Mr. Reeders expertise grew, he devoted more and more time to utility law research. To illustrate the importance utility rates have to major industrial firms, Mr. Reeder said, there are only 28 such customers served by Mountain Fuel Supply Co. Yet those 28 customers represent many millions of dollars to Mountain Fuel and a big hunk of the utilitys income. Industrial Customers "So if the utility gets, say a 10 percent increase in rates, that represents several hundred thousand dollars for each industrial customer each year. Unlike a jury trial or a court proceeding where the or whole Issue is determined by a guilty "innocent verdict, it is often difficult to determine Not only do the attorneys have to master an understanding of those technical factors when their background is not in those fields but in the practical general application of the law , but they have to be able to transfer that understanding to the commissioners, who also have limited backgrounds in the technical economic subtleties. Mr. Reeder said the issues affecting industrial customers are the same today as they were when he started eight years ago Not New Concepts He said the lifeline and flat rate structures are not new concepts. Those proposed structures are attempts to ease the financial burden of rate increases residential customers generally, and on they attempt to do that by charging a lesser amount for a specified low volume of consumed energy or by charging the same amount per unit of energy, no matter how much energy is used. That conflicts with the accepted past practices of charging less per unit of energy as the volume of consumed energy increases. That philosophy is based on the claim that it costs less per unit to serve high volume users and those users are needed on the system because of the high revenues, which in effect, utilities say, keeps the cost to the residential users down in the longrun. Assess Costs Mr. Reeder said that in the early 1970s, there was a proposal to assess all the cost of a proposed rate increase to the industrial users. "At least now lifeline advocates only want to assess a bigger part of the increase to industrial users, not the whole ball of wax. Vi f'J e I - RpMPWWJS'llifl Si J ! v! U ri ' - v 4k S '' " Mr. Reeder said the human element has a great deal to do with the strategies he will use when presenting his case to the PSC or any other regulatory agency or court proceeding. Mean Attorneys It doesnt matter so much the personality of the opponent, although that has something to do with it some attorneys are mean, that is their style, so you have to plan to be mean in return. Other attorneys are very' tactful and mindful of all the rules of procedure, so you in turn must be tactful and mindful but more importantly, you must of the procedures recognize the issues that are important to your opponent's client and go from there." low-inco- . S ? fit - . $'' , . Reeders practice goes beyond arguing utility rate matters before state or federal regulatory' Mr. commissions. He has done quite a bit of practice in the area of labor law and representing other industries that are regulated by state and federal governments, like the motor carrier industry. Coal Companies n coal comHe also represented some coal had a hand in and strike the panies during persuading a judge to issue a restraining order against striking coal miners when expected violence became a threat in Carbon County. Mr. Reeder said he doesnt really know whether he would prefer another area of the law, because he entered the rate and economic regulation area so soon after college graduation and has remained in that kind of practice ever since. non-unio- dU He has had some taste of criminal law, most notably when his superior, George Latimer, was appointed to represent Lt. William L. Calley against charges that he conspired to kill Vietnamese civilians during tke war in the famous My Lai Massacre case. iV-I- ' open for compromise or understanding. If you go into any kind of court proceeding with attitude, you are in and youre wrong im right he said. trouble," whether or not you have won or lost the case in a Public Service Commission proceeding, Mr. Reeder said. issue. Its all gray, he Its not a said. And oftentimes, keeping the prices down is not the primary objective of the client. Continue Operation He said the industrial customer wants to make sure he is assured the energy he needs to continue his operation. And oftentimes that assurance is questionable. And the supply issue overrides the cost issue. And there are so many technical factors that surround a rate hearing, Mr. Reeder said. The economics, accounting procedures, how the earnings will affect the company and what the utility all those must be allowed to attract investors matters are articulated by experts in those fields, professors, or consultants, usually people who have doctorate degrees in their particular field. money 3900 S. OFFICE SPACE DELUXE Nearing Completion If & professionalism, Image prestige are important in your business call 485-203- or 0 485-364- 1 T. two-spee- d 7V4M, diameter Heavy duty circular saw with wraparound shoe for added safety and stability. 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Mr. Reeder was married four years ago and has two small children. He says he married late in life, as do many attorneys, because it is such a grind trying to establish your identity in the legal community and trying to firm up a respected practice, it is hard to do that and be a family man, too. is But when he gets out into his practice, he may be sadly disappointed because the human element, that he had no way of monitoring when in law school, has made everything different. He said sales included residential properties 173 black-and-whi- He said it is a mistake for a law student or a young lawyer to pick a specific area of the law and expect that to be his lifelong career. in for sold properties $9,559,940. matter late at night during the period, researching military law. And, he said, there were many intriguing issues in the case. Which Lt. Calley eventually lost, resulting in his military confinement for a few years. But 1 like what I am doing now', even though I did not choose this particular area of the law as my specialty. In fact, I like to think that I (Jont have a specialty, that I practice law and can adopt to whatever area of law might require my services. "There Nearly $10 million worth of real estate was reported sold during last week through the Salt Lake Board of Realtors multiple listing service. Jerold L. Davis, board president, reported 211 We all want available power at reasonable rates, who we are, he said. The biggest problem is that many people look at terms. You cant do the rate issues in that and come up with an accurate assessment. no Military Law 1 Sales Near S 10 Million Antique Rings at Different Parties He said also that the objectives of the different parties in most rate cases are not all that different. Mr. Reeder said he kept many a law library open F. Robert Reeder, at 35, is the dean of attorneys currently practicing before PSC. black-and-whi- Mr. Reeder said that once the important issues arc recognized, there must always be an area left an 9 Real Estate Utility Rates Laws Become Factor in Legal Profession M R Thi Salt I.ake Tribune, Sunday. April 9, 1978 HWHEurinniimnmmniilin Utah's jfowttf aid Mott Progrtssive Lease Specialists SUKESH SHAHS This year marks my twentieth anniversary as a full-ti- representative of the New York Life Insurance Company. And have become a IN I WEST VALLEY a Hobbits Habit Forming OPEN END LEASES 0VM 200 UNITS Hate T s tin caoounoM DIAMOND JUBILEE 1978 FORD 1978 FOW FIESTA 1978 FAIRMONT ; i WACOM 1978 PINTO WACOM , t laau tor 48 payments ol $189.08, least and $3,300, security deposit $200, cap. cost $9,500 Loadid, of 351 engine, Interior decor, vinyl roof, air, plus other ex trot, lease for 38 payments of $129.67, loata and of $3,650, aacurity deposit $150, cap. cost $8,600. 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These have been happy, fruitful and rewarding years helping people to plan their business and personal financial security through life insurance. in the years look forward to continue serving you ahead. In any matter of life insurance, hope youll call on me. J Member F.D.I.C. 0pn Your Account Today VLttCtSYBMl i |