Clients of A&O Shearman appreciate that its practitioners have ‘long-focused their practices in renewables’ and the firm’s longevity in the area makes it well placed to assist with a diverse range of matters. Issues including energy project and platform M&A and JV transactions, regulatory advice, project structuring and funding, exit strategies, and liaison with government authorities are all within the wheelhouse of the department, which is headed by Daniel Sinaiko (Los Angeles) and Dorina Yessios (New York). Andrea Lucan, whose recent experience includes a number of wind energy project investments, and Matthew Nesburn, who is well versed in advising sponsors, PE funds and banks, are further key names in Los Angeles, while in New York, Jennifer Wnek is an up-and-coming name in major renewable energy transactions. Scott Cockerham (Washington DC) and Kfir Abutbul (New York) were additions to the department in August 2023, from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and Paul Hastings LLP respectively, but John Marciano and Greg Lavigne both left the team in October 2023.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘The team is particularly strong in renewable energy. As compared to most other top-tier firms which are only recently shifting focus to renewable energy, the attorneys are not newcomers to renewables but have long-focused their practices in renewables. Clients who are experienced renewable energy executives can tell that the attorneys know their stuff and aren't faking it.’
‘Kfir Abutbul combines a unique mix of commerciality and risk avoidance. This is particularly useful in non-traditional investment situations where negotiations need to focus on the absolute needs vs the nice to haves.’
‘Excellent team, very responsive.’
‘Jillian Ashley: agile, commercially and technically very strong, and great client management skills.’

Key clients

The Carlyle Group
Ørsted Onshore North America
CIM Group
Voya Infrastructure Management
Vitol Inc.
TOTALEnergies
Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC
Novis Renewables
Vauban Infrastructure Partners
NextEnergy Capital Limited

Work highlights

Acting for The Carlyle Group on M&A transactions relating to the formation of Copia Power, a wholly-owned platform focused on developing utility scale sustainable infrastructure in the US.
Represented PearlX Infrastructure in Antin Infrastructure Partners' equity investment in PearlX for the purpose of funding growth capital.
Advising Voltera on a joint development agreement with Nikola.