Baker Botts L.L.P. handles a vast array of matters, ranging from greenfield projects to tax equity financings for a diverse client list that includes institutional lenders and credit enhancers. San Francisco-based Dino Barajas leads the project finance team since the departure of Jeff Kayes in January 2022, and has broad experience in energy and infrastructure transactions, with a particular focus on the Latin American market. Ellen Friedman in New York is a name to note, with notable expertise advising on complex financing structures in projects in renewable energy, renewable fuel, and carbon capture. Also recommended are Frank Schoen and PPP expert Victoria Boyne, both in New York, and tax specialists Michael Bresson and Barbara De Marigny in Houston.

Ballard Spahr LLP is well regarded for its project finance work in both the energy and infrastructure sectors, with a strong roster of clients including lenders and sponsors, project developers, and government entities. The firm often works for both lenders and project sponsors on project finance assignments. Patrick Gillard and Steve Park, who are both based in Philadelphia, lead the P3 and infrastructure team, which has experience advising on projects in areas including transport and waste. John Smolen in Baltimore is also strong in this area, while Washington DC-based Katie Leesman is a key contact for work in energy projects, in particular in solar.

Bracewell LLP’s seasoned project finance practice focuses on energy and infrastructure transactions, handling a range of large-scale projects that contain sophisticated finance structures, among others, alongside vast experience of financing of traditional energy projects. The team is helmed by development and finance expert Nicolai J. Sarad in New York, and Houston’s Thomas Tomlinson, with a notable focus on the financing, development, acquisition and divestiture of traditional and renewable energy projects. G Alan Rafte, who is also based in Houston, chairs the firm’s business and regulatory section, while New York-based Danielle Garbien strengthens the team with considerable expertise of power and renewable energy. Martha Kammoun departed in October 2022.

A key destination for DFIs and ECAs looking to invest in Latin America and the United States, Clifford Chance  handles infrastructure and energy projects ranging from the anticipated acquisition of a biomanufacturing facility in Massachusetts to the financing of a renewable diesel and jet fuel refinery facility in Paraguay. Lori Ann Bean heads the project finance team; she has significant experience of working with international agency lenders and recently advised the DFC on their guarantee of bonds for sustainable infrastructure in Rio de Janeiro. Fabricio Longhin is a Latin America specialist who recently advised Proparco and the FDN on a loan destined for the purchase of 406 electric buses in Bogota. Jessica Springsteen is experienced in renewable energy financings and recently advised European lenders on the financing of a supply chain for the offshore wind sector in New Jersey. Further recommended is Alberto Haito who frequently leads on energy and infrastructure matters in Colombia. All named lawyers are based in Washington DC.

DLA Piper LLP (US) has a strong track record in renewable energy infrastructure and handles the acquisition, development and sale of solar, wind, and hydro projects. The firms is also currently advising companies on a number of issues relating to the production of hydrogen in the US such as the negotiation of offtake contracts. Robert Gruendel heads the practice from New York; he centers his practice around oil and gas project development. In Washington, Vanessa Wilson leverages her transactional expertise to advises energy companies and infrastructure funds on project construction and financing.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP pulls together a strong offering in project finance, drawing on the expertise of lawyers in its projects and infrastructure, global finance, capital markets, M&A, tax, regulatory, and disputes practice areas. New York-based Tomer Pinkusiewicz chairs both the projects and infrastructure, and Latin America practices, and has experience advising on project financing matters in conventional and renewable power generation, energy transmission, toll roads, ports, water and wastewater systems, and a wide range of public use facilities. Anita Girdhari focuses on capital markets and infrastructure, and is particularly experienced in Latin America-related transactions. Nicholas Politan has broad transactional expertise, with a focus on renewable energy, while Toren Murphy  focuses on PPP work and related concessions. The firm’s clients are primarily on the sponsor side, though it also acts for banks and other major lenders. All named lawyers are based in New York.

Greenberg Traurig LLP  advises utilities and energy companies on the acquisition and sale of and investment in energy projects, in particular wind and solar. Experienced transactional lawyer Jeffrey A. Chester  in Los Angeles and tax equity practitioner John Eliason in Washington DC co-lead the energy project finance team, while William Garner  in Houston, Kenneth Minesinger in Washington DC, and Iskender Catto in New York jointly helm the energy and natural resources group. The team was bolstered in April 2022 with the hires of energy transition specialists Audrey Louison, who is based in the firm’s Washington office, and Eric Macaux, situated in Boston, from Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C..

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP represents governments, companies, and lenders in infrastructure projects ranging from managed toll lanes to courthouse constructions. Additionally, the firm focuses on acquisitions and financing of energy-related assets with a strong focus on the renewables space. John O’Neill heads the PPP and infrastructure practice from the firm’s Richmond office. The experienced lawyer is currently representing Virginia Passenger Rail Authority in a major rail service expansion project. In Washington, head of the energy and infrastructure team Jeffrey Schroeder guides domestic and international clients from both the conventional and renewable energy space through a range of transactions such as portfolio acquisitions and divestitures. Washington resident James Head specializes in university utility systems projects. Also in Washington, Vera Rechsteiner  is a tax structuring specialist with notable experience in the Latin American and Caribbean market.  Further recommended is Richmond-based Eric Nedell, a commercial financing specialist with a particular focus energy-asset based borrowing and lending.

King & Spalding LLP ‘s corporate, finance and investments team is sought after by clients including domestic and international energy companies, investors, lenders, and sponsors engaged in projects in energy generation, storage, and transmission. Brandon Dalling leads the team from New York, where he has experience advising on leveraged and acquisition financing structures. Tristan Pelham Webb splits his time between New York and Denver, with a strong practice in greenfield and brownfield developments and construction. Scott Greer and Stuart Zisman are key contacts in Houston, while Jonathan Melmed in New York is a go-to lawyer for private equity energy and infrastructure matters. The firm’s reach was prolongated with the arrival of Fradyn Suarez into its new Miami office in July 2022.

Led by experienced transactional partners Rohit Chaudhry  and Roald Nashi  from the firm’s Washington DC office, Kirkland & Ellis LLP's energy and infrastructure practice has experience advising leading lenders and sponsors, in particular in the private equity space, on the financing of major projects in areas from oil and gas to wind and solar, LNG, and infrastructure including semiconductor facilities and data centers. In the New York office, Robert Eberhardt has broad experience covering wind and solar power and storage projects, while Michael Masri is particularly knowledgeable about energy tax credits and government incentive programs, and Tatiana Monastyrskaya advises PE firms and investment and commercial banks. In Washington DC, Brian Greene  stands out for his work with lending agencies and investors.

Latham & Watkins LLP‘s project development & finance practice has deep, broad expertise in the full range of energy and infrastructure projects, with particularly notable recent work in offshore wind and LNG, where Jason Webber and Jonathan Rod are especially experienced. Global practice chair Jeff Greenberg  divides his time between Los Angeles and New York, with significant experience advising on large-scale and complex projects in the energy sector. Local finance department chair Chirag Dedania acts for commercial and investment banks, private equity funds, and other sponsors on projects in oil and gas, LNG, and infrastructure, including the development of the new terminal 6 at JFK Airport. His colleague Warren Lilien  frequently leads on big data centers and other digital infrastructure matters. Kelly Cataldo is also a name to note: her practice centers around renewables and she recently advised Apex Clean Energy on a suite of transactions connected to the Great Pathfinder Windfarm in Iowa. Gianluca Bacchiocchi and Guido Liniado are key contacts for work in the Latin American market, and Cameron Lyons‘s practice extends to project and acquisition financing of  LNG, residential solar, wind, and battery storage projects. All mentioned lawyers are based in New York.

With notable expertise in renewable energy projects and a particularly strong reputation in PPP work, Mayer Brown is sought after by clients including major multinational banks and other investors, private-sector projects sponsors, and city and state authorities around the country. Paul Astolfi  and Joseph Seliga co-lead the firm’s projects and infrastructure team from the firm’s Illinois office. Astolfi is an experienced renewable energy transactional partner and in a recent highlight represented a trio of banks in providing construction debt leverage for Apex’s Great Pathfinder Wind Project. Seliga is well regarded for his work on a wide range of infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, airports and ports, and mass transit. David Narefsky is a key contact for government transactions work, while Stephanie Wagner has made PPP a cornerstone of her practice. The firm’s renewable energy expertise extends to projects in offshore wind, solar, and battery storage. Names to note here include Robert Goldberg in Houston and Jeffrey Davis in Washington DC, who jointly spearhead the firm’s renewables practice, as well as tax specialists Amanda Rosenberg in Los Angeles, John Tormey in Washington DC, and Nadav Klugman in Chicago.

McGuireWoods LLP has a strong presence in transactions in the energy sector, advising clients including financial institutions, developers, and private equity and infrastructure funds involved in the financing and development of projects in solar and wind in particular. Baltimore-based energy industry team lead Brian Kelly  has broad M&A experience, while Brennen Keene in Richmond and Durham McCormick in Houston co-head the renewables team. Other key practitioners include transactional partners Timothy Callahan  and Evelyn Kim, who are based in Chicago and San Francisco, respectively.

Milbank enjoys a reputation as a market leader in project finance, with its sizeable global project, energy and infrastructure finance team well equipped to advice debt and equity investors, private sponsors, financial institutions, private equity funds, and developers on the full range of projects. Multi-sourced financing and complex debt and equity structures are key strengths, and the firm is especially active in the Latin American market, where its activities include advising on major projects in power generation and transmission, multi-purpose ports and transportation links, and M&A in the energy, development, and construction sectors. Daniel Bartfeld heads the team from the New York office, where William Bice is also highly regarded for his broad experience acting for clients on power generation projects, both domestically and internationally. Daniel Michalchuk  is another key contact for power projects, while Jeffrey Leider and Richard Hillman are also names of note. Allan Marks in Los Angeles is especially recommended for infrastructure work, with notable support from senior associate Talia Lake who is developing a focus on rail projects.

Advice on complex cross-border financing transactions in emerging global markets  is at the core of Morrison Foerster‘s agency finance practice. Co-lead Ann Lilienthal is sought out by agency and other lending institutions, and focuses her practice on Latin America, Central and South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, while co-lead Greg Smith is recommended for his expertise in development and financing of projects in a range of energy and infrastructure industries, such as financial services, hospitality, housing, manufacturing, mining, telecommunications, and transportation. Associate Christopher A. Pearson is recommended for his focus on project and corporate finance transactions. All mentioned lawyers are based in Washington D.C.

 

 

A sustained focus on renewables has seen Norton Rose Fulbright  handle a number of significant transactions in the space, such as six offshore wind leases on the New York Bight, while the firm’s vibrant PPP practice is reflected in the representation of a broad array of clients including sponsors, lenders, contractors and public authorities. Experienced partner Douglas M. Fried heads the US infrastructure and resources team from the New York office; global infrastructure lead Douglas Buchanan splits his time between New York and Vancouver. The project finance team is co-helmed by Keith Martin in Washington DC and Ben Koenigsberg in New York. In Los Angeles, James Berger centers his practice on energy project transactions. In a recent highlight, he represented Jupiter Power LLC in relation to debt financing for six stand-alone battery storage projects. Dallas-based senior counsel Luke Edney has broad expertise in conventional and renewable energy projects, while senior associate Deanne Barrow in San Francisco has experience extending to energy storage, carbon capture, and EV charging infrastructure projects.

Praised as ‘one of the few true, one-stop shops’, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP‘s energy & infrastructure group advises on the whole range of project financing, including bank loans and capital markets debt in the energy and infrastructure sector, with strong experience in advising developers, financial institutions and public agencies on complex PPP transactions, such as Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and Private Activity Bonds (PABs) financings. In Houston, global sector lead for energy and infrastructure Blake Winburne is reputed for his expertise in the electric power sector, including oil, gas, wind and solar, landfill gas and biomass energy, while Houston-based global head of the energy and infrastructure practice Dahl Thompson‘s experience extends to a wide range of complex commercial transactions. With ‘exceptional knowledge of the PPP business’, New York’s Matthew Neuringer, who was promoted to partner in 2022, is praised by clients for his ‘exceptional knowledge of the PPP business’, and is well-versed on the whole range of PPP projects, such as telecoms, rail, highways, airport, detention centers, school and energy. In San Francisco , lead of the renewable energy practice Les Sherman is well-versed in advising on wind and solar energy projects, as well as battery storage.  Global co-head of infrastructure Daniel Mathews and lead infrastructure partner Young Lee, both based in New York, are also recommended.

The project development and finance team at Shearman & Sterling LLP is particularly notable for its infrastructure and PPP work for public authorities, with clients including the US Department of Transport, the US Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Practice head Cynthia Urda Kassis has particular expertise in the mining and metals sectors. Paul Epstein has broad expertise encompassing toll roads, rail lines, ports, and airports, as well as projects in the energy sector, and is well-versed in refinancings and concession agreements. He advises on complex and high-value financing issues, with notable support from senior associate Jackson Murley. Gregory Tan and Robert Freedman left the practice in May 2022. All mentioned lawyers are based in New York.

 

 

Reputed for its ‘strong client knowledge and good commercial management’, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP’s energy and infrastructure practice group advises clients on the whole array of project finance transactions in the sector, with a particular strong focus on energy projects. In 2022, the team represented JPMorgan Chase Bank, N/A in connection with SilverBow Resources, Inc.’s tenth amendment to its reserve-based credit agreement, increasing the maximum credit amount to $2bn. M&A and financing expert David Lieberman in Houston heads the practice, and is experienced in advising high-profile clients such as Blackstone, Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners and Global Infrastructure Partners. Houston-based Matthew Einbinder focuses his practice on representing borrowers, direct lender and lenders in complex banking and credit transactions, while senior counsel and transactional lawyer Amy Beller in New York is also recommended.

 

Troutman Pepper‘s capital projects & infrastructure team is equipped to handle the whole array of project finance transactions in the energy sector, with particular strength in renewable energy tax equity and debt financing. The practice is jointly led by New York’s Craig M. Kline, and John Leonti, who splits his time between New York and Los Angeles. Kline is noted for his expertise in construction finance, leveraged transactions and take-out debt, while Leonti advises clients, including major utilities, tax equity investors, independent power producers and renewable energy developers, on a range of complex financial transaction in the energy sector. Tax experts Adam Kobos in Portland and Anne C. Loomis in Richmond are also recommended. New York’s Justin Boose left the practice in January 2022.

Vinson & Elkins LLP is active in major projects in both traditional and renewable energy and power across the country, with a particular strong renewable energy practice, and a strong presence on the East and West Coasts and Texas. Eamon Nolan and Michael Joyce jointly lead the team, based in New York and Los Angeles, respectively. Nolan is a prominent project finance attorney with experience in complex transactions in both the US and Latin American markets, while Joyce has a strong focus on solar and wind projects. Sean Moran in Austin has particular expertise in complex financial structuring, and Lauren Collins in Los Angeles has a niche focus on tax issues in project finance. Transactions expert Aaron Prince in New York and Alan Alexander in Houston are also recommended, with Alexander’s expertise including complex downstream projects, as well as energy transition matters.

Houston-based Christopher Richardson leads White & Case’s Americas Energy, Infrastructure and Project Finance and Asset Finance Regional Section, having taken over from Nandan Nelivigi in January 2023. Nelivigi continues to offer his special expertise in development, financing, acquisition and sale of energy and infrastructure projects to the firm’s high-profile clients. Praised by clients for its capability to ‘manage complex transactions quite easily’, the team is well-versed in the full range of project finance transactions, and is also reputed for its experience in advising clients on all stages of oil & gas projects. ‘Go-to expert’ Dolly Mirchandani leads the Global Industry Group, Infrastructure, Transportation & Logistics team, which is reputed for ‘delivering the best commercial and legal outcomes’, and is equipped to handle the whole life cycle of PPP projects, including development, financing, restructuring and sale of greenfield and brownfield PPP projects. Project finance expert Andrew Clarke in Melbourne is the Global Head of the Project Development and Finance Practice. Transactional lawyer Evelyn Balassiano is recommended for her work in PPP matters in an array of sectors, including airport, toll roads, rail and water, while counsel Claire Watson focuses her practice on the development, acquisition and financing of infrastructure assets, and is praised by clients for her ‘excellence in managing large and diverse stakeholder groups’. Andrew Clark, based in Melbourne, is the Global Head of the Project Development and Finance Practice. All lawyers are based in New York, unless mentioned otherwise.

Winston & Strawn LLP ‘s ‘diligent’  energy & infrastructure group is co-chaired by Latin American transactions specialist Rich Shutran and experienced transactional lawyer Michael Pikiel. The team is especially active on the lender side of major traditional and renewable energy transactions. Pikiel is also co-chair of the firm’s project finance practice group, a role he shares with Alan Hoffman, a resourceful lawyer who is highly experienced in sports facilities financings. Fellow sports specialist Jason Goldsteinn recently provided key support to Hoffman in the firm’s representation of Oak View Group in the renovation of the Climate Pledge Arena. In Los Angeles, Laurae Rossi is a renewables debt transactions expert who is renowned for her ability to handle a prodigious amount of cases. Adding depth to the team’s debt financings expertise is Hao Huang, who is also based in Los Angeles. Further recommended is Miami-based Richard Puttré who chairs the Latin America projects team. All lawyers mentioned are stationed in New York unless otherwise specified.