Awards & Rankings 06.05.25
With Record Results, Pillsbury's 2025 Chambers USA Rankings Reflect Emphasis on the Intersection of Technology Innovation, Capital and Government
The Firm Earned 52 Practice and 126 Lawyer Rankings in the Prestigious Guide
Mike Lepre has more than 30 years of experience representing domestic and foreign generators of nuclear power, and vendors of uranium fuel and nuclear power plant components, in all aspects of their business, including transactional, litigation, regulatory and strategic business matters.
Mike negotiates complex commercial contracts, especially those involving the purchase and sale of uranium fuel (including mining, conversion, enrichment and fuel fabrication), nuclear industry services, services and equipment for nuclear power plants. Mike advises utilities and vendors with respect to all regulatory and commercial aspects of new nuclear projects, including those regarding large commercial plants, small modular reactors and uranium enrichment facilities. Mike also has advised clients in pursuing loan guarantees from the DOE for new nuclear projects and in nuclear plant decommissioning transactions. In addition to his commercial practice, Mike represents his nuclear industry clients in litigation, arbitration and mediation of disputes. Mike regularly appears in Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing proceedings, from the intervention and contention stage through adjudication, including, most recently, successfully representing utility clients in obtaining licenses to construct and operate new nuclear plants before administrative law judges in two highly contested NRC licensing hearings. He also defends clients before the NRC in enforcement matters involving employment discrimination and alleged violations of NRC regulations.
Representative Experience
- Representing several clients with respect to projects to provide power to data centers from new and recommissioned nuclear reactors.
- Representing client in its efforts to construct a uranium enrichment plant in the United States.
- Represented Duke Energy in proceedings before the NRC to obtain a license to construct and operate a new nuclear power plant on a greenfield site in Florida.
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- Representing Florida Power and Light Co. in proceedings before the NRC to own and operate a new nuclear power plant at its Turkey Point site.
- Represented AmerenUE in its proceedings before the NRC to own and operate a new nuclear power plant at its Callaway site.
- Represented several companies in their pursuit of federal loan guarantees to support construction of new nuclear plants.
- Drafted and negotiated hundreds of fuel procurement contracts, including conversion, enrichment and fabrication agreements, for numerous domestic and foreign generators of nuclear power.
- Drafted and negotiated suites of agreements for the sale of uranium by mining companies.
- Representing various entities in acquisitions or license stewardship transactions regarding decommissioning of nuclear power plants.
- Represented various utilities in negotiating engineering, procurement and construction contracts for new nuclear power plant projects.
- Successfully defended TVA before the NRC against several claims involving employment discrimination and violation of NRC regulations.
- Represented winning bidder (an asset management company) in its acquisition of Westinghouse Electric Company’s nuclear business.
- Represented private equity firm it its acquisition of a Waste Control Specialists, a nuclear waste disposal facility.
- Represented vendor of nuclear plant components in multibillion-dollar international arbitration regarding a breach of contract dispute that led to permanent closure of a nuclear power plant.
- Represented a public utility in a $500 million federal court litigation regarding early termination of an engineering, procurement and construction contract for a new nuclear power plant.
- Drafted and negotiated contracts on behalf of vendor supplying components to operating nuclear power plants and plants under construction.
- Drafted and negotiated various contracts relating to research project regarding the production of medical isotopes.
Professional Highlights
- Recognized by Chambers Global in Energy: Nuclear (Regulatory & Litigation) (2025)
- Recognized by Chambers USA in Energy: Nuclear (2024 – 2025)
- Recognized by Best Lawyers (published by BL Rankings LLC), Energy Law (2021 – 2023)
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- Associations
- District of Columbia Bar Association
- Federal Energy Bar Association
Education
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J.D., The George Washington University Law School, 1988
B.A., University of Notre Dame, 1985
cum laude
Admissions
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District of Columbia
New Jersey
Courts
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of Federal Claims