Our Attorneys

Michael R. Strong

Michael Strong is a capital partner and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Chambers-ranked Energy Law group where he helps trade associations shape the “rules of the game” before Illinois regulators and helps companies across the energy industry in all aspects of their strategy, transactions, and operations that touch the regulated energy space.

Michael works primarily with developers and long-term asset owners in the solar and storage industries and retail energy providers, helping navigate the complex regulatory frameworks impacting revenue streams, such as advising on new products, strategic partnerships, asset acquisition and disposal, customer contracts, and compliance. From transmission to energy end-users, from financing to incentive applications, Michael works across disciplines and with cross-disciplinary business, technical and legal teams to drive client results.

In addition to gaining experience with firms among the largest in the world and as small as a solo practice, Michael was the first in-house general counsel of the Illinois Power Agency, which procures renewable energy resources and wholesale energy products.

• Lead litigation, stakeholder engagement, and informal outreach on behalf of national and state trade associations, on initiatives from consumer protection rule revisions to build-out of $800+ million solar incentive program
• Lead litigation counsel in multiple utility rate cases, tariff proposals, investigations, and portfolio programs to protect integrity of competitive market opportunities.
• Lead counsel and local counsel for buyers of over 100 MWac of community solar and local regulatory counsel on financings of over 50 MWac of distributed solar assets and multiple utility-scale assets.
• Represented multiple owners of “community solar” in negotiation of customer acquisition agreements and Approved Vendor as a Service agreements
• Legislative counsel on multiple Illinois energy-related bills that became Public Acts.

• Illinois Competitive Energy Association v. Commonwealth Edison Co., 2022 WL 4234809 (Ill. Commerce Commission)

• Strong, Michael R., The Evolution of Consumer Protection in Illinois- Who Needs Protection? And from Whom? (Panel Discussion), Solar & Energy Storage Midwest (November 14, 2019)
• Strong, Michael R., Community Solar Consumer Protections Best Practices (Panel Discussion), Community Solar Power (July 19, 2019)
• Strong, Michael R., Solar in Illinois (Panel Discussion), TEPA-ILEPA Annual Conference (July 7, 2019)
• Strong, Michael R., Opportunities and Challenges for Distributed Generation in the Midwest (Panel Discussion), Solar Power Midwest (November 14, 2018)
• Strong, Michael R. Legal and Policy Perspective on the “Power” Side of the Electric Utility Industry, EUCI State Regulation of Electric Utilities and Innovations Driving Change in the Industry Symposium (June 26, 2017)
• Strong, Michael R., Aligning Rules and Outcomes in Modern Energy Regulation, DePaul Law Review Symposium – And Justice for All: A Symposium in Memory of the Honorable Richard D. Cudahy (April 7, 2017)
• Strong, Michael R. and Pruitt, Mark J. Aggregation 2.0: Evolution of Customer Engagement with Retail Choice?, Public Utilities Fortnightly (May 2016)
• Strong, Michael R. A Greener Standard Offer, Public Utilities Fortnightly (October 2014)
• Strong, Michael R. How Do You Get To Green? Public Utilities Fortnightly (July 2013)

• General Session: How Tax Incentives, Trade and Tariffs, and Other Goings On in Washington and Beyond Impact the Storage Industry (Panel Discussion), RE+ Storage (July 31, 2025)
• Distributed Storage and Transmission Interconnection Storage Use Cases: Value Stacking Distributed Storage (Quick Talk), RE+ Storage (July 31, 2025)
• Regulatory Deep Dive: Rethinking Cost-Allocation of Interconnection Upgrades for Community Solar to Unlock More Efficient Development (Panel Discussion), RE+ Midwest (November 8, 2024)
• Designing Rates to Benefit Everyone (Panel Discussion), RE+ Midwest (November 14, 2023)
• The Life of a Solar Project and Solar Company, Chicago Urban League Equity in Clean Energy and Water Summit (May 2, 2023)
• How the IRA is Changing Contract Structures (Panel Discussion), SEIA Finance, Tax & Buyers Seminar (March 21, 2023)
• The Evolution of Consumer Protection in Illinois- Who Needs Protection? And from Whom? (Panel Discussion), Solar & Energy Storage Midwest (November 14, 2019)
• Community Solar Consumer Protections Best Practices (Panel Discussion), Community Solar Power (July 19, 2019)
• Solar in Illinois (Panel Discussion), TEPA-ILEPA Annual Conference (July 7, 2019)
• Opportunities and Challenges for Distributed Generation in the Midwest (Panel Discussion), Solar Power Midwest (November 14, 2018)
• Legal and Policy Perspective on the “Power” Side of the Electric Utility Industry, EUCI State Regulation of Electric Utilities and Innovations Driving Change in the Industry Symposium (June 26, 2017)
• Aligning Rules and Outcomes in Modern Energy Regulation, DePaul Law Review Symposium – And Justice for All: A Symposium in Memory of the Honorable Richard D. Cudahy (April 7, 2017)