Todd Osterloh: Bringing All Sides Together for Kentucky Communities

Todd represented Sturgill Turner in the November “Legal Eagles” edition of TOPS in Lexington along with Langdon Ryan Worley. (Photo courtesy of TOPS in Lex).

It’s a valuable asset to see all sides of an issue before making a decision, and that’s something Todd Osterloh enjoys most about being a utilities lawyer. Early in his career, he searched out new and different experiences, taking a job more than 8,400 miles from Lexington as Court Counsel with the Supreme Court of the Republic of Palau. Relocating to Kentucky to be near family, he started his career in utilities as a Staff Attorney for the Kentucky Public Service Commission, where he spent four years analyzing utility cases and regulations, and making recommendations to the Commissioners.

“Not everyone realizes how much the work of the Public Service Commission affects the lives of all Kentuckians, as well as utilities across the region. Working in the utility field means your work is impactful, so it’s critical to consider all the information and make informed decisions.”

“There is so much information available today, it’s incredibly difficult not to get bogged down. I like to see what the other side thinks on lots of issues, and that curiosity has served me well in my practice.” — Todd Osterloh

His experience led him to Sturgill Turner, where he has represented a number of municipal utilities as well as more than two dozen cities in a wide variety of utilities and land use matters. This year, Todd was named the U.S. News Best Lawyers 2021 “Lexington Lawyer of the Year” in Utilities Law.

Working closely with Sturgill Turner’s Jim Gardner, Todd has also represented solar developers, transmission companies, and other entities in the energy sector, including filing the first applications for construction of utility scale solar projects in the Commonwealth earlier this year. “I’m excited to work with solar developers, because renewable energy will impact generations to come.”  

In addition to his work to make communities better, Todd also works with families to support future generations through guiding and representing parents as they finalize adoption of their children, something that has been a major part of his own life as the father of two young boys. 

Todd truly enjoys the intellectual exploration being a lawyer requires. Especially in government and municipal law, he finds that looking at others’ perspectives is key to successful practice, as well as to life outside of work.

“There is so much information available today, it’s incredibly difficult not to get bogged down. I like to see what the other side thinks on lots of issues, and that curiosity has served me well in my practice. Everyone has an opinion about utilities – rates, locations, types, etc. I enjoy helping local cities, agencies, or utilities come to decisions that benefit their constituents.”

He’s been fortunate to represent clients across Kentucky, from small municipalities to large cities. “They are dealing with similar issues, but I enjoy seeing the different perspectives across the state. Public servants in a small town have the same interests as public servants in a large city – they want to make decisions on these issues in ways that best serve their particular community.”

Todd’s clients know that he will learn as much as possible about their particular situation, and work hard to get the answers they need. “I don’t pretend to know everything, but my clients know not to get concerned if I say ‘I don’t know’ – that’s not a bad thing. They understand I’m going to put in the extra effort to get the correct answer, which is the answer that they need, even if it’s not the answer they’d like to hear. Sometimes the answers you get that you don’t like are even more valuable than the answers that you do.”

Questions about utilities or municipal law? Todd is the 2021 U.S. News Best Lawyers in America® “Lexington Lawyer of the Year” in Utilities Law. He has extensive experience in this area, and is happy to help. Contact him at 859.255.8581, or tosterloh@sturgillturner.com.