02/03/2010
Leading Renewable Energy Project Development and Finance Team Joins Cooley
Washington, D.C. – February 3, 2010 – Cooley Godward Kronish LLP announced today that Tom Amis and Nik Patel have joined the Firm as partners in its rapidly growing Clean Energy & Technologies practice group. They join Cooley from Alston & Bird, where they were members of its Renewable Energy Group. Amis and Patel bring to Cooley deep experience in project development and finance, renewable energy policy, carbon management and renewable energy technology, as well as broad sector experience and insight. Amis, who was practice chair of the Renewable Energy Group at his former firm, will co-chair Cooley's Clean Energy & Technologies practice. They will both be based in Washington, D.C.
"Innovative clean technology companies are at the forefront of the world's energy future and these companies have indicated their desire to work with a single firm that can provide an integrated solution for their legal needs," said Jim Fulton, co-chair of Cooley's Clean Energy & Technologies group. "We are thrilled that we will now be able to offer leading project development and finance expertise in addition to the broad range of equity financing, corporate, IP and litigation services we currently provide to clients in a variety of clean energy sectors."
In 2009, Amis and Patel acted as lead advisors on project development and finance transactions in onshore and offshore wind energy, biofuels, biomass electricity generation, waste to energy, carbon mitigation, merchant transmission, energy efficiency, concentrating solar and natural gas.
"Cooley's deep technology and life sciences roots have allowed the firm to build an impressive national clean technology practice. With the addition of our renewable energy project development and finance practice, the firm has an even more robust offering in place to serve developers, investors and innovative companies of all sizes throughout every phase of their growth and in every segment of the clean energy value chain," said Amis.
Cooley currently advises hundreds of companies and investors in the formation and commercialization of innovative clean technology solutions. To provide clients the full breadth of services, in 2009 Cooley established a strategic alliance with Washington, D.C.-based McBee Strategic Consulting, a leading clean energy consulting firm. To date, Cooley and McBee have helped clean energy companies secure millions of dollars in public-sector capital, including Department of Energy loans and grants.
Amis was formerly a partner in Alston & Bird's Washington, D.C. office. He has helped develop and finance projects in a number of industry sectors over the course of his 26-year career, with an initial emphasis on electric power projects. For the past decade, his practice has focused on the renewable energy sector.
Acting for both developers and lenders, he has negotiated joint development agreements; joint venture, partnership and other ownership documentation; turbine supply contracts; balance of plant contracts and renewable energy credit (REC) sales agreements; transmission and interconnection agreements; operating agreements; financing documents; and land use agreements. He also is highly experienced in developing projects structured around CERs generated pursuant to the Kyoto protocol. He serves as adjunct professor of project finance and renewable energy at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and lectures widely on topics relevant to the renewable energy industry.
Patel was formerly a partner in Alston & Bird's Renewable Energy Group in its Washington, D.C. office. For the past six years, he has concentrated on representing renewable energy developers, with a particular focus on wind, solar, biomass, landfill gas and renewable energy transmission projects. Patel focuses on representing renewable energy companies in all facets of project development, including securing project financing, structuring and negotiating project acquisitions and joint ventures, land acquisition, power purchase and sales agreements, REC purchase and sales agreements, and construction and equipment procurement agreements.
Patel's 14-year career includes representing clients involved in various infrastructure project industries, including coal and gas fired electric generation, oil and gas exploration, liquefaction and regasification of LNG, airport, transportation and hotel development. Patel also currently represents oil and gas developers with operations in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico.
About Cooley Godward Kronish LLP
Cooley Godward Kronish's 650 attorneys have an entrepreneurial spirit and deep, substantive experience, and are committed to solving clients' most challenging legal matters. From small companies with big ideas to international enterprises with diverse legal needs, Cooley has the breadth of legal resources to enable companies of all sizes to seize opportunities in today's global marketplace. The Firm represents clients across a broad array of dynamic industry sectors, including technology, life sciences, clean tech, real estate, financial services, retail and energy.
The Firm has full-service offices in major business and technology centers nationwide: Palo Alto, CA, New York, NY, San Diego, CA, San Francisco, CA, Reston, VA, Broomfield, CO, Washington, DC, Boston, MA and Seattle, WA.