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FirstEnergy attorney receives Chamber’s 30 for Future Award
BENJAMIN WHITE
Associate Editor
Published: September 4, 2013
A decade after defecting to northeast Ohio from the Pittsburgh area, local attorney Carrie Dunn said she feels at home. The Greater Akron Chamber recently recognized the Akronite with one of its 30 for the Future awards, solidifying her place in the community.
When she’s not working in the FirstEnergy Corporation legal department, Dunn serves on the board of directors of the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park and on the board of Akron’s Victim Assistance Program.
“It is such a great place to work,” Dunn said. “I would prefer to work in Akron than in Cleveland any day. It’s a smaller area, it’s easier to get in and out of the city, and the legal environment here is different. It’s much smaller and more collegial.”
After developing litigation experience as a young lawyer, Dunn found a job as in-house counsel at energy behemoth FirstEnergy’s headquarters on Main Street. She focuses on electric utility regulation and regularly appears before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO).
“I found my calling,” she said. “Going in-house to a corporate law department is kind of the holy grail for young lawyers. I think if you ask a lot of young lawyers who are in practice who don’t really like to do the business development or the billable hours, they’ll tell you they want to go in-house.”
Dunn said much of her work involves the planning and implementation of energy efficiency programs mandated by state law (ORC 4928.66). She said she litigated the issue before PUCO and received approval on a $248 million efficiency plan.
Because FirstEnergy is one of only nine electric distribution utilities regulated by PUCO, Dunn said keeping the company compliant remains a constant obligation.
“The work load can change, where one day nothing’s happening and the next day you might have something come up,” she said.
“I wouldn’t say it’s more or less busy than a firm as far as hours go, but it’s just more flexible and I don’t have the pressures of developing business and trying to find the client. I am the client this time.”
Dunn grew up in the Pittsburgh area but chose The Ohio State University over Penn State University for her undergraduate education on a “gut instinct” and desire to learn in a large city.
After graduating from OSU, Dunn earned her juris doctor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. After her second year, she spent her summer with Akron firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease and received an offer to join the firm as a full-time associate when she graduated in 2003.
She practiced litigation at Vorys for five years before hanging her own shingle and experimenting with different types of law. “I was doing plaintiff’s work, I was doing employment law, I was doing campaign finance and lobbying compliance,” she said.
In 2010, she joined FirstEnergy and never looked back. Friday marked her third year at the company.
Though she didn’t know anyone in northeast Ohio when she arrived to Akron, Dunn quickly injected herself into the community. Along with her role as the youngest person on the board of the CVNP conservancy, she volunteers as a “trailblazer” – a hiking patroller – for at least 40 hours per year. Along with her two-year service to Victims Assistance, Dunn also used to be a member of Torchbearers.
“This is a great place to live and work,” she said.
The Greater Akron Chamber’s Young Professional Network presents the annual 30 for the Future awards to 30 local professionals aged 29-39 who are “trendsetters in their industries and make an impact on the region through dynamic leadership and community service.”
The 7th annual award gala will take place at The Tangier on Thursday, Sept. 12.