The Legal 500 > United States > United States > Energy: transactions: conventional power

Baker Botts L.L.P.’s power, utilities, and renewables department is jointly headed by Washington DC-based Elaine Walsh and New York-based Michael Didriksen, who together with New York-based William Lamb advise on utility-sector M&A, capital markets transactions, bankruptcy and restructuring, asset auctions and trading mandates, and project development and finance transactions. Key clients include AES Corporation, NRG Energy, Southern Power and Vectren Corporation, the last of which the team advised on its $6bn merger with CenterPoint Energy. 2018 also brought a number of new arrivals, including San Francisco-based Jeff Kayes and Navi Dhillon, and New York-based Adam Griffin, all of whom joined from Morrison & Foerster LLP.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP advises on M&A, project investments, financing and capital markets transactions, and project development and joint venture arrangements. Jointly headed in the New York office by Peter Hanlon and Nicholas Politan, the team acts for energy companies and lenders such as Avista, Terna Energy and Morgan Stanley. Hanlon and Los Angeles-based Jeffrey Krause recently advised Berkshire Hathaway Energy on its proposed acquisition of Energy Future Holdings and its 80% interest in Oncor Electric; the transaction was terminated following Energy Future Holdings' decision to enter into an alternative transaction with Sempra. In 2018, the New York and Washington DC offices were strengthened by the arrivals of George Stamas, Mark Director, Andrew Herman and Alexander Fine from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, while on the West Coast, San Francisco-based Robert Nelson joined the team from Shearman & Sterling LLP.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP has considerable experience of M&A, asset auctions, corporate joint ventures and strategic alliances, and project financing and development. Headed by Washington DC-based Lance Brasher, the energy and infrastructure projects group acts for public and private companies, private equity firms and infrastructure funds, banks and governmental entities. Other contacts in the Washington DC office include Paul Kraske, Ethan Schultz and Pankaj Sinha. The team has advised Combustion Emissions Reduction Technologies on the development of various refined coal projects. Michael Rogan retired.

Eversheds Sutherland acts for major bank lenders and conventional energy companies in a range of corporate, finance and projects matters. The team is based primarily in the Atlanta office and includes Dororthy Franzoni, who heads the renewables practice, Thomas Warren, who co-heads the energy projects practice, and Ram Sunkara, who leads on petrochemical and LNG matters. Also recommended is Herbert Short, who co-heads the global energy and infrastructure team, and acted for MUFG Securities Americas, RBC Capital Markets and US Bancorp, as underwriters, in a $500m financing transaction with Basin Electric Power Cooperative. Counsel Stephanie Kroger joined the Austin office from Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. Shell, Momentum Solar and Goldman Sachs are also among the team's clients.

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP acts for commercial banks, institutional lenders and development finance institutions, export credit agencies and project developers. The practice is headed by Jeffrey Schroeder, who is based in Washington DC and focuses on project finance and energy-asset transactions. Also recommended are Washington DC-based Larry Skinner and Houston-based Mark Thurber, who advised EmberClear Corporation on the $1.8bn development of the Harrison Power Plant, a 1,050MW natural gas-fired combined-cycle electric generating facility in Ohio. Other key figures in Washington DC include renewable energy and clean power practice co-chair Eric Pogue, and John Tormey, who focuses on energy project development. Myles Reynolds and Tab Urbantke joined the Dallas office from Vinson & Elkins LLP.

Acting for electrical utility providers, transmission entities, independent power producers and developers, Jones Day advises on the full range of corporate and commercial contracts associated with conventional power projects. In the Washington DC office, Gerald Farano and Danielle Varnell acted for NRG Energy in its sale of ownership in NRG Yield, in addition to its renewables energy development platform, to Global Infrastructure Partners for $1.4bn. Further, Farano assisted South Carolina Electric & Gas Company with its $180m acquisition of a natural gas-fired power plant in South Carolina, and Varnell acted for an energy-sector asset manager in its sale of stake in an electric generating facility. Jeffrey Schlegel heads the practice from the Houston office.

McGuireWoods LLP's energy industry group advises energy companies and private investors in project finance and development and energy-sector M&A. Ryan Purpura chairs the energy practice in the Pittsburgh office and the co-chair of the power sector in Baltimore is Brian Kelly. Active clients are Exelon, Dominion Energy and Direct Energy. Richmond-based Joanne Katsantonis advised Dominion Energy on a $14.6bn stock-for-stock merger with SCANA Corporation to create a combined company serving 6.5 million electric and natural gas distribution customers and operating in 18 states.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP advises publicly held utilities companies and independent power producers, engineering and construction firms, major lenders, and institutional investors and private equity firms on development, financing, acquisitions and disposals of power projects. Key contacts in the Boston-office include Michael Müller and Richard Filosa, who assisted Entergy Corporation with the establishment of a transmission company and subsequent development of a transmission project in the MISO service area. James Tynion leads the project finance and infrastructure group in the New York office, and Jonathan Morris acted for Linden Cogen Holdings in its $913m sale of 50% equity interest to a joint venture between subsidiaries of Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power. In the Houston office, Jeffrey Dinerstein joined from Jones Day, and Sameer Mohan joined from Baker & Hostetler LLP.

Winston & Strawn LLP advises on project development and finance, in addition to a wide range of commercial agreements and corporate transactions involving energy assets and companies. The team is headed by San Francisco-based Joseph Karp and includes Washington DC-based Patrick Groomes, who focuses on corporate transactions and commercial matters in the electric power industry. Also recommended is New York-based Jonathan Birenbaum, who has experience of M&A and financing transactions. The team saw a considerable number of new arrivals including Washington DC-based Neely Agin, Patrick Groomes, Michael Loesch, and Michael Yuffee, and New York-based David Gillespie, all of whom joined from Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP. Additionally, Douglas Atnipp joined the Houston office from Greenberg Traurig, LLP and Thomas Trimble joined in Washington DC from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Further, New York-based Richard Shutran, who joined the team from O'Melveny & Myers LLP, advised Steel River Infrastructure Fund North America on its sale of Peoples to Aqua America in an all-cash transaction of $4.3bn. Tyson Smith left the San Francisco office for Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

Allen & Overy LLP advises financiers, sponsors and developers on a range of project-related issues including regulatory compliance, funding, PPAs and project structuring and construction agreements. Contacts in the New York-based team include Kent Rowey, who heads the projects, energy, natural resources and infrastructure group, and Dorina Yessios, who focuses on power project financing. The team is particularly well known for its ability to 'deal with multiple legal jurisdictions'. In one example, Yessios advised Genrent del Peru on the $106m refinancing of a 80MW thermo-electric facility located in Peru. Jilian Ashley and Andrés Arnaldos joined the New York office at the end of 2017 from JP Morgan and Milbank, respectively, while Mitchell Silk left to join the US Department of the Treasury.

Dentons’s US energy practice is jointly headed by Clint Vince in the Washington DC office, and Carl Steen, who divides his time between the New York and Los Angeles. The practice co-heads recently advised Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association on its potential acquisition of certain energy storage facilities and its participation in the Mountain West Transmission Group. Barry Cannaday joined the firm from Gray Reed, and splits his time between the Dallas and Houston offices. Clients include Colorado Springs Utilities and Municipal Electric Utility Association of New York.

DLA Piper LLP (US) advises clients on transactions involving power and infrastructure assets, and also handles the development and financing of power generation facilities across multiple sectors. Based across the firm's New York and Washington DC offices, the team 'fully understands the transaction specifics and all associated risks' and takes 'a pragmatic approach' while still 'thinking outside the box'. New York-based Joseph Tato and Washington DC-based Gregory Smith and Timothy Moran jointly lead the practice group. Another New York-based contact is Philip Corsello, who is rated for his ability to 'recognize the bigger picture and simply get deals closed'. Recent highlights have included the team advising Overseas Private Investment Corporation and CDC on the $120m financing of a 50MW gas-fired power project in Conakry, Guinea, which will be the first project-financed IPP in Guinea. Other key clients include Credit Agricole, Exelon Generation and EDF Trading North America.

K&L Gates has 'a large bench of experienced lawyers', who advise on national and international energy transactions, including M&A, joint ventures, debt and equity offerings, and project finance and development. The power practice is jointly led by Washington DC-based William Keyser, who focuses on transactions involving the electricity and capacity markets, and Seattle-based David Hattery, who has particular expertise in the construction sector. Other recommended lawyers in Seattle include the 'sagacious' Eric Freedman, Elisabeth Yandell McNeil, who is 'extremely detail-oriented and seems to effortlessly organize complex transactions into bite sized pieces that are easily followed by internal business teams', and Elizabeth Thomas, who advised Hydro One on its $5.3bn all-cash merger with Avista. Also of note, Robert George and Edmundo de la Fuente joined the Houston office from Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP.

Jointly led by Houston-based Craig Enochs and Pittsburgh-based Nicolle Bagnell, Reed Smith LLP advises on business and commercial disputes including international arbitration, and also handles non-contentious project development and construction matters. The team has seen a number of personnel changes in 2018. In Washington DC, Colette Honorable and Regina Speed-Bost joined from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Schiff Hardin LLP, respectively, and Todd Culwell was hired from Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP in the Houston office. Pittsburgh-based Ericson Kimbel left for Frost Brown Todd, and Philadelphia-based Robert Frank joined Holland & Knight LLP.

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP provides advice on commodities and derivatives agreements and high-value energy transactions. The New York-based team includes Akshay Belani, James Bernard and Richard Madris, who have experience of transactions involving a range of energy projects, including power generation facilities, renewables, transmission and distribution facilities, gas and refined product pipelines, refineries and LNG facilities.