Breaking the Ice: Cox repeats in National Black Lawyers honors

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Fredrikson & Byron energy attorney Ryan Cox has received recognition for a second consecutive year in The National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 in Minnesota.

Cox attributed the honor to his work on renewable energy projects and his efforts to promote access to justice, including his volunteer service with the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid.

The recognition confirms that “the appreciation of my efforts to bring emission-free energy resources to the energy grid extends beyond the developers and consultants that I work with,” Cox said. “It lets me know that there’s a community of like-minded lawyers who value this subject matter and my expertise in it.”

Cox previously worked in the general counsel’s office of a regional utility holding company, gaining insight into matters including regulatory proceedings and renewable energy initiatives.

“My in-house experience helped me understand what’s important to corporate clients,” Cox said. “Now I’m not just working for one, I’m working for several at a time.”

Name: Ryan Cox

Title: Associate, Fredrikson & Byron

Education: B.A., psychology, Rice University; J.D., Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Q: Best way to start a conversation with you?

A: Mention anything to do with the art form of film or photography. Those are my two of my favorite pastimes.

Q: Why law school?

A: I always wanted to be a lawyer, starting when I was 12 or 13. My first exposure to the law was through an immigration attorney in Atlanta, Georgia. I’m an immigrant to this country. First generation. My parents brought me here in 1999 from Jamaica. That immigration attorney helped my parents become naturalized citizens. Seeing how happy that attorney made my parents and my family, because of this great opportunity that we were about to receive, really instilled in me a passion for pursuing the law.

Q: What are you reading?

A: “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals,” by Oliver Burkeman. Essentially, it’s teaching me to allow tasks to take the time that they’re naturally supposed to take.

Q: Pet peeve?

A: People who don’t respect or look down upon those who work in the service or hospitality industry.

Q: Best part of your work?

A: Helping my clients prepare their permit applications and leading them through the process of community engagement and public hearings, which are required under Minnesota law for the energy projects that I work on, and seeing them through the final commission meeting where the commission vote on the approval of their project.

Q: Most challenging?

A: The time that goes into that whole process and managing unforeseen design changes to a project that result from community engagement.

Q: Favorite activity away from work?

A: Playing basketball with my friends. Pickup games. Watching the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their playoff runs in the last two seasons have been exciting.

Q: Where would you take someone visiting your hometown?

A: My hometown is in Kingston, Jamaica, where I was born. I’d take them to Treasure Beach in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. It’s been damaged by Hurricane Melissa, but it was my favorite place to visit when I was in Jamaica, and hopefully it will be again soon.

Q: Legal figure you admire?

A: Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. He held the belief that the law could be a tool for social change and he lived his life as a civil rights lawyer and then a Supreme Court justice according to that belief.

Q: Misconception about your work?

A: There’s a general lack of awareness of what an energy lawyer does. We’re responsible for a lot, including land use, property rights, environmental regulations, safety and compliance, regulatory approvals. We also draft and negotiate agreements and transactions related to the energy industry.

Q: Favorite book, movie or TV show about lawyers?

A: “Suits.” Although it’s not legally accurate, it’s great TV. It’s got good co-stars, Mike and Harvey, corporate lawyers who do similar work to what I do, but on the more business-focused side. I love their banter and what they get up to on a daily basis.