Mr Sean Moran > Vinson & Elkins LLP > Austin, United States > Lawyer Profile
Vinson & Elkins LLP Offices
2801 VIA FORTUNA
SUITE 100
AUSTIN, TX 78746-7568
TEXAS
United States
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Mr Sean Moran
Work Department
Tax
Position
Sean focuses on asset finance, with an emphasis on financing, acquiring, and disposing of renewable energy, zero carbon, and infrastructure assets. Instrumental in creating the structure that has become the standard for renewable energy deals in the United States, Sean has handled many of the country’s largest and most complex renewable energy financing transactions, including numerous first-of-its-kind deals.
In the course of his practice, Sean represents Fortune 50 companies, investors, sponsors, and developers. His clients include some of the largest investors in the renewable energy market, collectively investing billions of dollars in renewable energy generation. His projects include wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and waste-to-energy facilities that generate electric power in all but a couple of states.
Recently, he has represented both investors and sponsors in the development of solar and storage facilities, off-shore wind power facilities, and fossil fuel power facilities that sequester carbon.
Sean is ranked by Chambers USA as a Band 1 lawyer nationally in Projects: Renewables and Alternative Energy.
Education
- Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 1988 (Fordham Law Review, Member)
- New York University School of Law, LL.M., Tax, 1994
- Fordham University, B.S., 1981
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Finance > Project finance
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.
United States > Energy > Renewable/alternative power
Jointly led by energy transactions & projects head Danielle Patterson, as well as corporate co-heads and acquisition experts Kaam Sahely and Matt Strock, all based in Houston, Vinson & Elkins LLP‘s practice advises high-profile clients on the whole range of development, financing, acquisition, and sale of renewables projects, and is particularly ‘well-versed in tax equity financing and credit monetization techniques in general, as well as the new opportunities presented by the Inflation Reduction Act‘. In 2022, the firm advised Goldman Sachs Renewable Power in its separation from Goldman Sachs Asset Management to form MN8 Energy, the second largest U.S. independent solar and storage energy producer by capacity, with a deal value of approximately $3bn. Further notable members of the group are transactional lawyer Michael Joyce in Los Angeles, and Austin’s Sean Moran, who stands out as ‘veteran adviser in tax equity financing‘, as well as the ‘excellent’ M&A and private equity lawyer Matthew Falcone and Alan Alexander, whose practice areas include joint ventures and advising on energy projects in Latin America. Falcone and Alexander are both based in Houston. Lauren Collins in Los Angeles is another well regarded member of the team’s ‘first-rate tax team’, while John Connally left the practice in 2022.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Government > Government relations
- Energy > Energy regulation: oil and gas
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism
Firm Rankings
- Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings
- Energy > Energy litigation: oil and gas
- Government > Government contracts
- Finance > Project finance
- Transport > Aviation and air travel: finance
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Antitrust > Cartel
- Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation)
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Energy > Energy regulation: electric power
- Environment > Environment: litigation
- Environment > Environment: regulatory
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Tax > International tax
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Energy > Energy transactions: electric power
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)
- Real estate > Real estate
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Industry focus > Sport
- Tax > US taxes: contentious
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Real estate > Land use/zoning