Dechert LLP has demonstrable experience advising funds and lenders on innovative green products and transactions.

In a Green Loan Principles-compliant deal, Philadephia-based firm co-chair-elect and member of the firm’s policy committee, David Forti advised a syndicate of lenders led by TD Securities on the $11bn loan within DigitalBridge and IFM Investors’ acquisition of sustainable data centre infrastructure company Switch. Forti also represented a syndicate of lenders led by Morgan Stanley Bank on the origination of a $1bn mortgage loan, incorporating the Green Loan Principles to comply with European banks’ ESG requirements. 

In a pro bono matter for the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, the firm assisted in protecting New Jersey’s Pinelands conservation area from destruction to accommodate a natural gas pipeline. Alongside preserving the ecoregion, the firm’s advocacy supported the green transition by campaigning for the site to instead be used to connect offshore wind projects to the electricity grid. 

To mitigate its global carbon footprint and environmental impact, the firm has a three-pronged approach that promotes energy conservation, waste and pollution prevention, and the reduction of supply chain emissions. The firm’s New York office has a cross-staff Green Team which has committed the office to a sustainability pledge, focused on minimising waste and electricity, boosting recycling, and procuring environmentally friendly products.

Julien Bourgeois is a co-head of Dechert’s Global ESG and Sustainability Practice and advises asset management clients on the topic, including with regard to legal, regulatory and litigation risks in this area in the United States and globally. Mr. Bourgeois focuses on the asset management industry, advising U.S. registered investment companies and their directors, as well as their investment advisers and other service providers, on regulatory, compliance, governance and enforcement matters. 

Brenden Carroll represents U.S. registered investment companies and investment advisers in a wide variety of regulatory, transactional and compliance matters. These matters include the development and launch of new fund products, including funds of funds and funds that incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into their investment processes.  

Abbi Cohen is an environmental transaction partner in the corporate and securities practice at Dechert LLP, resident in the Philadelphia office. She focuses her practice on evaluating environmental liabilities associated with corporate, real estate, and financing transactions – including with respect to energy – and providing both state and federal permitting and regulatory compliance advice.  

James Fishkin combines both government and private sector experience within his practice, which focuses on mergers and acquisitions covering a wide range of industries, including supermarket chains and other retailers, consumer and food product manufacturers, internet-based firms, chemical and industrial gas firms, and healthcare firms.  

Nitya Kumar Goyal focuses her practice in the area of commercial real estate finance. She represents banks, insurance companies, institutional lenders and private equity investors in mortgage and mezzanine loan origination secured by a wide variety of commercial real estate properties as well as loan participations, syndications and other co-lender arrangements. 

Rick Horvath focuses his practice on corporate governance matters, acting as a trusted advisor for boards of directors, significant investors and public companies on a range of critical issues, including activist campaigns, contested corporate takeovers and corporate disclosures. Mr. Horvath regularly advises companies and their boards on navigating board conflicts, operational decisions, board-level internal controls and the enhancement of corporate governance documents and policies. 

Stephen Leitzell advises clients on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, financings and public company reporting and governance issues. His clients include public and privately held corporations, private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies. He also has experience across a wide range of industries, most significantly in the health care and technology sectors. 

Mark Perlow represents mutual funds, hedge fund managers, fund independent directors, investment advisers, and broker-dealers on a broad range of regulatory and transactional matters. Mr. Perlow has counseled both fund sponsors and fund investors on regulatory aspects of and issues posed by alternative funds, derivatives, short selling, market structure, and exchange-traded funds. He also advises on fintech matters, including marketplace lending and online investment advice. 

Jason Rozes, a partner in Dechert’s global finance practice, focuses his practice in the areas of commercial real estate finance and commercial mortgage securitization. Mr. Rozes is also experienced in the areas of ESG and sustainability in connection with green loans, C-PACE, green bonds and energy efficiency and climate risk disclosure laws and regulations. 

Ella-Marie Smith is a partner in Dechert’s finance and real estate Group. Ella’s experience spans Commercial Real Estate Collateralized Loan Obligations, Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securitization, “Hybrid” CRE CLOs, Risk Retention Financings, Residential Mortgage-Backed Securitization, Warehouse Structures, and Secondary Market High-Yield Debt and Private Equity Trading. She has focused her practice in recent years on CRE CLOs. 

Suzanne Turner is a partner and the chair of Dechert’s firm-wide pro bono practice, which provides legal representation to individuals and organizations that otherwise could not afford it. Her practice involves a wide range of human rights and civil rights litigation. Throughout her career, Ms. Turner has been active in many organizations focused on access to justice and civil rights issues.  

Dechert provides sophisticated and practical advice to clients across the U.S., Europe, Asia and other jurisdictions on ESG matters. We understand that our clients are facing increasingly complex and far-reaching calls from regulators and stakeholders such as investors, employees and communities to meet ESG goals. ESG is at the global intersection of law, regulation and market developments, and effective ESG counseling is grounded in multidisciplinary and multijurisdictional experience and deep knowledge of a client’s business. 

Dechert’s global, multidisciplinary team – including representatives from all of our major practice areas in the U.S., Europe and Asia – monitors for and provides actionable advice related to legal, regulatory, enforcement, market, business and other ESG trends and developments in jurisdictions around the world. Because of our experience in working with a broad and deep set of businesses and industries, Dechert is well positioned to help our clients anticipate and respond to emerging ESG trends and developments in a comprehensive and cost-effective manner. 

For more information, visit https://www.dechert.com/services/practice-areas/environmental–social-and-governance–esg-.html