Ms Lauren Collins > Vinson & Elkins LLP > Los Angeles, United States > Lawyer Profile
Vinson & Elkins LLP Offices
Two California Plaza
350 South Grand Avenue, Suite 2100
Los Angeles, California 90071
United States
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Ms Lauren Collins
Work Department
Tax
Position
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.
Education
- University of Southern California Gould School of Law, J.D., 2010 (Southern California Law Review, Senior Content Editor)
- New York University School of Law, LL.M., Taxation, 2011
- University of California – San Diego, B.A. Political Science with honors, 2007
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
(Next Generation Partners)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
- Next Generation Partners United States > Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Renewable/alternative power United States > Energy
- Project finance United States > Finance
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