Press Release

Morgan Lewis Bolsters Renewable Energy Capabilities with Addition of Team in Chicago, New York and San Francisco

Monday, January 6, 2014

New York, Chicago and San Francisco, January 6, 2014: Morgan Lewis today announced the arrival of three renewable energy lawyers who have joined the firm from Foley & Lardner LLP. Led by James T. Tynion III, the former co-chair of the Energy Industry team at Foley, who is now a partner in the New York office, the group also includes energy transactions partner Elizabeth P. Hanigan in Chicago, and counsel Evelyn M. Kim in San Francisco.

With a focus on development, construction, and financing of wind, solar and other renewable power projects, and mergers and acquisitions in the renewable energy sector, the team brings an industry focus and set of relationships that build on Morgan Lewis’s significant existing North and South American power practice and complement the firm’s international energy expansions in Moscow, Almaty, and in London and the Middle East—areas where the firm assists clients with renewable power as well as other energy projects.

“The addition of these accomplished lawyers provides us with a critical mass in the U.S. renewable energy sector,” Firm Chair Francis M. Milone said. “This group, combined with our legacy renewable power team, positions Morgan Lewis to compete successfully for renewable projects of any size, anywhere in the United States with fresh opportunities to build on our client work in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.”

“A leading global renewable power practice is one of several key components of our cross-spectrum energy practice” said David F. Asmus, Leader of the Morgan Lewis Energy Transactions Practice.  “Combined with our leading oil and gas and utilities practices, the addition of this team makes Morgan Lewis one of the few firms with a deep bench and recognized excellence in all aspects of the energy business.”

Mr. Tynion is one of the pioneering lawyers in the renewable energy field who has devoted his practice primarily to that area since 1998. As the co-chair of the Energy Industry Practice at Foley, and prior to that as the firm’s Project and Infrastructure Finance team leader, Mr. Tynion has worked on very large transactions involving wind and solar projects throughout the United States, including one that was named Best M&A Deal by Institutional Investor’s Power Finance & Risk newsletter in 2010.

Ms. Hanigan works on transactions involving the development, construction, financing, and acquisition and divestiture of wind and solar energy projects. She has managed many of Foley’s renewable energy project transactions and key client relationships for the group, particularly in the wind sector, for over 10 years. She was recognized by The Legal 500 in 2012 and 2013 for her work in both project finance and renewable and alternative energy.

Ms. Kim focuses her practice on project development and finance related to renewable energy generation facilities, particularly in the solar field. Ms. Kim advises the contractors, investors, lenders, developers, equipment suppliers, and electric utilities with respect to these facilities and has been recognized by Legal 500 in the areas of project finance and energy: renewable/alternative.