Ex-Enron counsel joins energy outfit

Constellation Energy has appointed its first European in-house lawyer, with former Enron Europe general counsel Mark Evans set to oversee the Baltimore-based company's European expansion.

Evans has been appointed as chief European counsel for Constellation's wholesale energy operation Constellation Energy Commodities Group (CCG).

He had been a partner in Hammonds' utilities practice since 2002, which he joined after Enron's collapse. Evans had been at Enron since 1996 and was general counsel for Enron Europe for the last 18 months of his tenure.

Evans said: "There was nothing going on in that sector that Enron didn't do. There are ex-Enron people throughout the energy industry in the UK and Europe, and that's a good thing. There were a lot of quality people working on cutting-edge stuff there."

CCG is the first division of Constellation to set up in Europe, with a coal and carbon trading business as its foundation. Evans reports to CCG's US-based general counsel Andrew Kidd.

Evans said relationships with outside counsel in Europe remained "fairly informal", with firms used including Allen & Overy, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Hunton & Williams and Norton Rose.

Constellation has stated its intention to move into domestic markets in the UK and Europe and was part of a consortium that made an unsuccessful £2.2bn bid for Drax, Europe's largest coal-fired powerstation.