On November 16, 2023, I attended a career chat hosted by the EBA’s Young Lawyers Council (YLC) featuring FERC Commissioner Mark Christie. The event drew Washington, DC area law students and early-career energy attorneys for an informal discussion featuring advice and observations from Commissioner Christie’s career.
Commissioner Christie offered a number of recommendations during the hour-long chat, several of which are highlighted below.
- The Commissioner reflected on Eisenhower’s quote that plans are worthless, but planning is critical. Having a career plan is essential, but rarely will your career path be exactly as you planned it. You will be presented with opportunities along the way – sometimes when you least expect them – and it is important to recognize and take advantage of them when they arise.
- Put yourself in a position so that when “luck happens”, it happens to you. Commissioner Christie shared the importance of making connections with others in the legal community as those professional relationships can turn in to future opportunities. For each of his significant career moves, he was approached by a prior colleague who was familiar with his work and who knew that he was the right person for a specific job. “It wasn’t about connections, I didn’t have any,” he remarked. It was about the work that he did and the impressions he made through his work.
- Ensure that the work you are doing is the work that you want to be doing. Part of being successful is doing work that is of interest.
When asked what he looks for when hiring, he offered a few observations. It’s critical to understand the role that you are applying for. Do your due diligence. Why are you the best candidate for the role? Be prepared to articulate the value that you bring to the organization. He recalled a number of occasions in which candidates arrived for an interview knowing very little about the job.
When asked about his early career, Commissioner Christie shared that he always knew that he wanted to be involved in law and public policy. While studying at Georgetown University, he found an unpaid volunteer position on Capitol Hill that offered exposure to the workings of government and helped him build his professional contacts. That once-a-week volunteer role ultimately turned into a paid position.
In response to a question about his current reading list, Commissioner Christie shared several titles- some on his current reading list and others that are among his favorites including:
- The Fall of Robespierre: 24 Hours in Revolutionary Paris by Colin Jones
- Underground Asia: Global Revolutionaries and the Assault on Empire by Tim Harper
- Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945, by Richard Overy
Also recommended was the Robert A. Caro series on Lyndon Johnson, The Path to Power (Book 1), Means of Ascent (Book 2), The Passage of Power (Book 3), and Master of the Senate (Book 4). In his view, this series is essential reading for those seeking to understand political power—how it is obtained and how it is wielded.
I’d like to thank Commissioner Christie for his participation in this EBA Young Lawyers Council event, and I offer my special thanks Jonathan Namazi (Davis Wright Tremaine) and Mary Yang (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) for making this event happen and for their leadership of the YLC this year.
Watch the EBA’s Monday Memos e-newsletter or check the events calendar for future YLC and EBA events.