Eric M. Page
Member
Overview
Eric represents regulated and non-regulated utilities, including electric generation, transmission, and distribution companies, telecommunications and broadband carriers, natural gas distribution and pipeline companies, and water and sewer companies. He handles a wide range of federal and state regulatory and administrative matters for insurance companies, producers, and agencies, as well as securities dealers and brokers, financial institutions, assisted living facilities, adult day care centers, higher educational institutions, bail bonding companies, minority-owned businesses, contractors, transportation companies, manufacturers, homeowner associations, health care professionals, retail businesses, and other clients in licensing, compliance, enforcement, rulemaking, and registration proceedings.
In his telecommunications practice, Eric assists competitive and incumbent local exchange carriers, broadband providers, interexchange carriers, and Virginia municipalities in certification, transactional, and administrative matters in the competitive telecommunications industry. Eric’s representation of utility companies and other regulated entities includes regulatory proceedings involving rates, services, affiliate transactions, transfers, financing, and other proceedings as well as transactional matters. Prior to entering private practice, Eric served as an Assistant Virginia Attorney General.
Representative Matters
- Virginia regulatory counsel to global communications companies.
- Virginia regulatory counsel to domestic wireless network operators and global internet carriers.
- Lead hearing and appellate counsel for successful challenge at Virginia Supreme Court of Virginia State Corporation Commission jurisdiction over Virginia inmate telephone system.
- Lead hearing and appellate counsel for successful Virginia Supreme Court challenge of Virginia State Corporation Commission jurisdiction over special minimum tax for telecommunications carriers.
- Virginia regulatory counsel to 200+ competitive local exchange carriers and municipalities in certification proceedings in Virginia.
- Lead counsel to interexchange carriers in successful litigation against incumbent local exchange carriers in switched access disputes.
- Lead counsel to Virginia electric cooperatives in negotiation of pole attachment agreements with telecommunications and cable television companies and Virginia State Corporation Commission proceedings related to those agreements.
- Lead counsel in electric cooperative purchase of service territory and distribution and transmission facilities of major investor-owned electric utility.
- Lead counsel in local telecommunications carrier sale of service territory and facilities to electric cooperative.
Spotlight:
Professional Affiliations
- Virginia State Bar Council, Executive Committee
- Virginia State Bar
- Standing Committee on Budget & Finance
- Standing Committee on Legal Ethics, Former Chair
- Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board, Former Chair
- Administrative Law Section, Former Chair
- Bar Association of the City of Richmond Board of Directors, Continuing Legal Education Committee, Former Chair
- Virginia Bar Association, Member Committee on Nominations to Virginia Commissions & Appellate Courts
- Virginia Code Commission Administrative Law Advisory Committee
- Virginia Telecommunications Industry Association
- United States Chamber of Commerce Telecommunications & E-Commerce Committee
Community Involvement
- Eckert Seamans representative to Richmond Firms in Service, an organization that promotes pro bono services in Central Virginia
- St. Bridget Church Parish Pastoral Council
- St. Bridget School Advisory Board
- Coalition for a Greater Richmond, Member of the Board of Directors
Awards and Recognition:
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 202 for Administrative / Regulatory Law; Communications Law; Energy Law; Information Technology Law; Insurance Law; Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy); and Municipal Law
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 2023 for Information Technology Law Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) “Lawyer of the Year”; and The Best Lawyers in America 2023 for Administrative / Regulatory Law; Communications Law; Energy Law; Insurance Law; Municipal Law
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 2022 Administrative / Regulatory Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Richmond
- Fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 2020 Information Technology Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Richmond
- Virginia Lawyers Media 2019 Leaders in the Law
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 2019 Communications Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Richmond
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 2018 Energy Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Richmond
- Attained an AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell
- Selected for inclusion as The Best Lawyers in America 2015 Energy Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Richmond
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America – Administrative / Regulatory Law; Communications Law; Energy Law; Information Technology Law; Insurance Law; Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy); Municipal Law
- Selected for inclusion in Virginia Business magazine’s “Legal Elite” for Legislative/Regulatory/Administrative Law
- Selected for inclusion in Virginia Super Lawyers – Administrative/Regulatory/Legislative
News and Insights
Publications
- “Municipal Broadband Opportunities,” Virginia State Bar Journal of Local Government Law, Fall 2005.
- “A Defense of the Virginia Mandatory Continuing Legal Education System,” Virginia Lawyer, February 2007.
Media Coverage
- “Virginia biomass case has high stakes for state’s renewable market,” Energy News Network, May 17, 2018.
- “Court approves new lawyer impairment guidance,” Virginia Lawyers Weekly, September 9, 2017.
- “No duty to report impaired colleague,” Virginia Lawyers Weekly, June 27, 2017.
News Releases
Speaking Engagements
- “Recent Developments in Virginia Administrative Law,” Virginia Supreme Court Hearing Officers Training Conference, December 2021.
- on “Pro Bono Service and a Lawyer’s Obligation to Help Close the Nation’s ’Justice Gap,’” presented to graduating students of the University of Richmond School of Law, May 2019.
- “Recent Developments in Virginia Legal Ethics, Part II,” presented to lawyers at Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives training session, April 2018.
- “We’re Here From the Government and We’re Here to Help: Dealing with ALF Regulators,” presented at the Fall Meeting of the Virginia Assisted Living Association in Norfolk, VA, October 2017.
- “Recent Developments in Virginia Legal Ethics,” presented to lawyers at the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives Annual Meeting in Norfolk, VA, July 2017.
- “Building a Record for Appeal in an Agency Hearing,” Virginia Supreme Court Hearing Officer Training Conference, December 2016.
- “Building an Appeal Record,” Virginia Bar Association Administrative Law Conference, November 2013.
- “Virginia Energy Business 101: An Overview,” Governor’s Conference on Energy, October 2012.
- “Municipal Utilities: Opportunities and Challenges in an Unregulated World,” Virginia Bar Association Administrative Law Conference, November 2010.
Interests
When he is not spoiling his grandchildren or playing tennis or golf, Eric is a concert violinist.