Tiffanie Ellis (she/her) is an Associate Attorney at Van Ness Feldman with extensive experience partnering with in-house legal teams on complex energy infrastructure and Department of Energy ("DOE") and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") regulatory compliance matters. Her practice focuses on providing practical, business-oriented counsel to help companies navigate federal, state, and tribal regulatory frameworks while achieving their development objectives. In particular, Tiffanie works on distilling requirements for a number of key environmental statures and regulations including the the Federal Power Act ("FPA"), the National Environmental Protection Act ("NEPA"), the Endangered Species Act ("ESA"), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (MBTA/BGEPA), the Clean Water Act ("CWA"), and Federal Land Policy and Management Act ("FLPMA"), among others. Accordingly, she works with a number of agencies outside of FERC and DOE, including the Bureau of Land Management ("BLM"), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ("USFWS"), the U.S. National Park Service ("NPS"), and the Bureau of Indian Affairs ("BIA"), as well as other Department of the Interior ("DOI") bureaus, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Forest Service.
At Van Ness Feldman, she serves as a strategic advisor to corporate legal departments, helping assess regulatory risks and develop compliance frameworks for major infrastructure projects. Tiffanie regularly translates complex regulatory requirements into actionable business guidance, developing corporate training programs, and establishing compliance procedures for commercial operations. Her experience includes performing comprehensive reviews of corporate assets and agreements, evaluating regulatory implications of corporate restructurings, and managing cross-functional legal projects involving multiple stakeholders.
Tiffanie routinely counsels businesses on regulatory changes that impact their operations, monitoring and analyzing federal rulemakings to help companies anticipate and prepare for new requirements. She has particular expertise in energy infrastructure development, including completing due diligence processes for large renewable energy projects, evaluating permit requirements, and developing strategic responses to evolving regulatory landscapes. Her work encompasses crafting and implementing consultation strategies and providing strategic guidance on infrastructure development to business teams.
Drawing from her experience at Downey Brand, where she served as outside general counsel to public agencies, Tiffanie understands the importance of providing timely, practical advice that aligns with business objectives. Furthermore, her judicial clerkship with the Washington State Court of Appeals gives her valuable insight into risk assessment and litigation strategy, which she applies when advising clients on regulatory compliance and dispute resolution.
Outside the office, Tiffanie contributes to the legal community through mentoring initiatives while enjoying time with her rescue dogs, reading fiction, and traveling.