The legal counsel who handles regulatory matters around tariffs — rate schedules, service terms, regulatory filings — for transportation, utility, or telecom companies at the start of a regulatory-utility legal career. Working before commissions like FERC, state PUCs, or FCC.
Most days tend to involve reviewing tariff filings, supporting regulatory filings before utility commissions, drafting tariff language and supporting testimony, and working on regulatory-compliance issues. You'll often handle filing-document preparation in the morning, research regulatory precedent through the afternoon, and support senior tariff counsel on contested matters.
The hardest parts tend to be the procedural strictness of regulatory practice and the slow pace of administrative proceedings. Tariff filings and rate cases can take months to resolve, and the technical complexity rivals tax practice. Settings vary — large utility companies have in-house tariff counsel teams; consulting firms and law firms serve multiple regulated clients; some state-level work moves faster than federal proceedings before FERC or the FCC.
People who tend to thrive here are patient, comfortable with regulatory text, methodical with procedural detail, and interested in how public utilities, telecom, and transportation actually get regulated. If you want courtroom drama or fast-resolution work, regulatory practice can feel slow. If you find satisfaction in shaping the rules and rates that affect millions of customers, the work can be quietly important.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
The legal counsel who handles regulatory matters around tariffs — rate schedules, service terms, regulatory filings — for transportation, utility, or telecom companies at the start of a regulatory-utility legal career. Working before commissions like FERC, state PUCs, or FCC.
Median pay for a Junior Tariff Counsel is about $151K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $73K to $208K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Writing.
Most people in this role hold a professional degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 4.1% through 2034, with roughly 747,750 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Tariff Counsel, Lawyer, and Counsel.
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