Mike Pikiel > Winston & Strawn LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Winston & Strawn LLP has ‘a large team of lawyers for each specific area of expertise’ that are able to ‘collaborate to find the best possible solutions in challenging transactions’. Whilst the firm has a prominent position as a premium advisor to lenders active on a litany of energy and infrastructure projects, wider work includes advising institutional investors on major sports stadium redevelopments and guiding developers through the design, financing and operating of central utility plants. Energy mandates have centered on renewables and battery storage instructions that have involved a wide array of financing structures, while infrastructure mandates span multiple sectors, most significantly sport, transport and telecoms, often with an impressive cross-border aspect. Mike Pikiel and Alan Hoffman spearhead the practice on both fronts, with the former highly regarded for his P3 knowledge and the latter as a go-to in the market for sports-related finance and development work. A key figure for developers, operators and institutional investors, Rich Shutran sits as the third energy practice head, while Miami’s Richard Puttré joins the leadership team on the infrastructure side and is notably focused on the energy-related logistics and transport matters, covering projects in both North and Latin America. The Los Angeles-based renewables specialist Laurae Rossi is another key figure of note and leads a number of the firm’s most consequential debt financings, whereas Jason Goldstein and Jason Hellwig add further sports capabilities to the group. Senior associate Dan Shapiro has built a formidable book of work through his supporting role on an impressive breadth of practice matters. All practitioners are based in New York unless otherwise stated.

Fielding a ‘nimble’ transactional team that is ‘responsive to client needs’, Winston & Strawn LLP‘s team is ‘well integrated with every other major practice area required to conduct transactions in this space’. With expertise across conventional and renewable energy assets, the group regularly advises on M&A, joint bidding and ventures, financings and development work, with energy storage products increasingly becoming a key feature of the firm’s workload. Rich Shutran and Mike Pikiel helm the practice, with the former noted for the scale of his renewables and energy transition offering and the latter for his financing expertise. Jonathan Birenbaum is widely lauded by clients for his dealmaking capabilities, with the New York-based partner frequently engaged with a broad array of transaction structures and assets. Jason Lewis advises energy investors on M&A, project finance and project development matters. Managing partner for the firm’s Houston office Mike Blankenship also co-leads the team and is singled out for his securities and financing proficiency.

The renewable energy team at Winston & Strawn LLP is ‘well connected‘ and ‘very plugged into the sector‘, continuing to handle standout transactions from across the renewable and alternative energy sphere. A standout recent matter has seen the team representing MUFG investing in a battery energy storage project in California, which is among the first transactions taking advantage of the transferability provision in the Inflation Reduction Act. Rich Shutran (New York), Mike Blankenship (Houston), and Mike Pikiel (New York) jointly coordinate the department, with Shutran being the dedicated energy sector specialist. For renewable energy project finance, Laurae Rossi in Los Angeles is a key contact, as is more junior partner Hao Huang, who works closely with Rossi. Of counsels Danielle Young and Anne Gibbons add further depth in Los Angeles, while in New York, Jonathan Birenbaum is a senior figure with involvement in the renewables sector.

Winston & Strawn LLP continues to operate across the entire oil and gas value chain, where it notably advises a deep roster of midstream clients on a number of transactions and financing matters related to crude oil gathering, natural gas gathering and processing, and LNG projects. In the upstream space, the team is also consistently assisting with acquisitions and dispositions, joint development, exploration and participation agreements. The firm’s energy and infrastructure industry group is jointly spearheaded by corporate finance and securities law expert Mike Blankenship in Houston and New York-based Mike Pikiel and Rich Shutran. From Dallas, Rodney Moore and Larry Murphy regularly handle a range of M&A, joint venture, and financing transactions in both the traditional upstream and midstream sectors and in the evolving transitional energy space, areas in which Houston-based Chris Ferazzi is also well-versed. Isaac Griesbaum left the firm to move in-house in September 2023.

The Houston-based team at Winston & Strawn LLP continues to handle a wide range of cases, including breach of contract, class actions, and enforcement actions. The firm’s energy and infrastructure industry group is jointly led by Mike Pikiel and Rich Shutran, both based in New York, and Houston’s Mike Blankenship, while Denise Scofield chairs the firm’s litigation department, consistently representing energy clients in complex litigation, internal investigations and other commercial and environmental matters. Further key contacts within the team are oil and gas litigation expert Paula Hinton and Casey Berger, whose focus is on securities, antitrust, consumer fraud and class actions. Counsel Brandon Duke is noted for assisting oil and gas clients with a variety of transactional disputes, contractual indemnities, and industry standard compliance. All practitioners are based in Houston unless otherwise stated.