Renewable/alternative power
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Rising stars
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Akin
Shariff represents clients involved in the acquisition, development and financing of power generation and infrastructure projects, with a particular focus on tax equity financing. His experience spans billions of dollars in closed and funded investments supporting gigawatts of renewable energy, including large and small utility-scale solar and wind projects, large and small residential solar portfolios, community solar projects, C&I solar projects, geothermal projects and biomass projects. More recently, Shariff has also worked on carbon capture, hydrogen and waste-to-product projects currently under development. To learn more about Shariff, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/shariff-n-barakat
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Lauren Collins focuses on tax matters related to project finance, with an emphasis on renewable energy and infrastructure assets. Lauren has represented clients in the financing, disposition, acquisition, and development of renewable energy and energy transition projects, including solar, wind, energy storage, hydrogen, carbon sequestration, fuel cell, biogas, RNG, and manufacturing facilities, among others. She has considerable experience utilizing a variety of structures to finance these assets and has helped develop some of the most complex and cutting-edge renewable energy financing transactions in the U.S., including numerous first-of-its-kind deals. In the course of her practice, Lauren represents Fortune 50 companies, investors, utilities, sponsors, and developers in the renewable energy space and has advised clients more broadly in connection with various federal and state tax matters. Her experience includes tax equity, tax credit finance and sales, M&A, reorganizations and bankruptcy, project finance, and structured finance. Lauren is recognized globally and nationwide as “Up and Coming” in Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy by Chambers Global 2023 and Chambers USA 2022.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Kristin L. Mendoza is a corporate partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Kristin advises public and private companies, including private equity firms and strategic investors, in connection with domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, reorganizations and other general corporate matters, focusing in the energy sector. Kristin maintains an active pro bono portfolio relating to rule of law and media freedoms with the Media Law Working Group of the International Senior Lawyers Project.
Latham & Watkins LLP
Omar Nazif is a partner in the San Diego office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the firm’s Finance Department. Prior to joining the San Diego office, Mr. Nazif was an associate in the firm’s Dubai, London and San Francisco offices.
Leading lawyers
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Carl J. Fleming is a transactional lawyer whose principle areas of practice are renewable energy and private equity. He leads transactions throughout the US and worldwide for a number of the renewable industry’s leading developers, global private equity funds and Fortune 500 companies. He provides legal, commercial and strategic advice on the development, purchase and sale and financing of renewable energy projects in wind, solar, energy storage, electric vehicles and other low carbon solutions. A partner in our Washington, DC office, he also advises on a number of energy and climate change policy issues. Please visit McDermott website for full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/fleming-carl-j/
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Michael P. Joyce’s practice focuses on energy and infrastructure finance. Michael has represented clients in numerous cutting-edge transactions in the energy and infrastructure field, with a particular emphasis on renewable energy sectors such as solar, wind, and storage. He also has considerable experience with geothermal, biomass, coal, gas-fired, and nuclear projects, as well as with joint ventures and the disposition and acquisition of energy and infrastructure assets. Mike is ranked by Chambers Global and Chambers USA in Projects: Renewables and Alternative Energy. Prior to joining the firm, Michael was a partner in the Los Angeles office of an AmLaw 50 Firm.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Member of the Firm’s Corporate Department and Managing Partner of the Firm’s Houston office. Representative clients include Blackstone, EQT Infrastructure, Digital Bridge, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, Global Infrastructure Partners and NextEra Energy.
Bracewell LLP
Danielle Varnell has extensive experience in energy M&A including with respect to both development stage and operating projects, portfolio acquisitions and divestures, and complex multi-party joint ventures. In addition to her experience with fossil generation assets and onshore wind and solar assets, Danielle has significant experience in carbon capture and sequestration, battery storage and offshore wind. Danielle also has extensive experience on all aspect of energy and infrastructure project development, including the negotiation and drafting of build transfer agreements, EPC contracts, operation and maintenance agreements, construction management agreements, asset management agreements, shared facilities agreements, build out agreements and equipment procurement and supply agreements (including gas and wind turbines, modules and transformers), as well as numerous other project development agreements.
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Partner Edward (Ed) Zaelke is the head of the Firm’s Global Energy Project Finance group. He focuses his practice on project finance and private equity in renewable energy transactional matters. With more than 30 years of experience, he advises clients on all elements of alternative energy development and finance, including equity and debt financing, merger and acquisition transactions, equipment purchase and sale agreements, power purchase agreements, siting and other real property issues, governmental approvals, and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts. For further details of Edward's biography, please view McDermott website: https://www.mwe.com/people/zaelke-edward/