An executive at utility company Avangrid is returning to the legal profession at Harris Beach Murtha, where he begins today as an energy attorney.
Daniel R. Canavan has joined the regional firm as a partner and is based out of its New Haven office.
Canavan was most recently the vice president of regulatory affairs at Avangrid, which owns United Illuminating Co. and Southern Connecticut Gas, and is based in Orange.
During 15 years as a regulatory attorney, Canavan has worked on nearly every electric and natural gas case before the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, including rate cases, storm investigations and change-of-control proceedings.
“I’ve been involved in almost every major docket up there over the last 15 years in some way,” Canavan said.
He started at Avangrid in 2016 and worked his way up from senior counsel to the company’s lead regulatory attorney.
Four years ago, he moved out of Avangrid’s legal department for an opportunity on the business side of the company.
“While that was a great run, and I really enjoyed that aspect of my career, there was this kind of gravitational pull back into the legal profession,” Canavan told the Hartford Business Journal.
He said he’s looking forward to the variety of clients and cases of working in private practice.
“I think there’s a personality fit there that I think I’m going to enjoy,” Canavan said. “But the real interesting thing about private practice, that’s different than when you’re in-house, is that you get to work with all different companies and all different clients.”
Canavan has also worked as senior counsel at Eversource Energy and began his career as an associate at Hartford-based Updike, Kelly & Spellacy.
Canavan has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Eastern Connecticut State University and graduated from Quinnipiac University School of Law in 2000.
Canavan said he discovered his passion for utilities while trying a telecommunications case at Updike, Kelly & Spellacy.
“That really got me interested and exposed to some of the utility theories, and that is what led me to eventually join Eversource Energy in 2009,” he said.
The energy-law field is highly specialized, with only a handful of firms in Connecticut having energy practices.
Recently, Harris Beach Murtha has grown its energy industry team, which now has more than 20 members.
Canavan said it’s an interesting time to work in the energy industry, as demand for energy continues to rise.
He said there are concerns in Connecticut about how to balance the price of electricity that consumers pay on their bills with the cost of necessary upgrades to maintain service quality.
“I think state utilities, consumer advocates are all struggling with who’s going to pay for this increasing need to invest in the system while at the same time maintaining the focus on bill impacts on consumers,” Canavan said. “There’s no easy answer to that question, and I think the parties are doing the right thing by continuing to focus on that.”
Ultimately, infrastructure improvements will cost money.
“To say that you’re going to have all those things, but not increase customer bills is probably going to be a difficult trick to pull off,” Canavan said. “I think the state should be more upfront that bills are going to continue to increase to maintain service levels.”
Harris Beach Murtha was formed by the merger of Hartford-based Murtha Cullina and Rochester, New York-based Harris Beach in early 2025.
Harris Beach Murtha has about 270 attorneys with offices in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Its Connecticut offices are in Bantam, Hartford, New Haven and Stamford.
